Amanda Knox Was Just Re-Convicted of Slander: Here's What It Means

The conviction is the latest chapter in Knox's 17-year legal saga that began when she was falsely accused of murdering her roommate, Meredith Kercher

Amanda Knox, whose personal legal saga has spanned nearly two decades, was again convicted of slander, tied to an accusation she made to investigators following the 2007 murder of her roommate Meredith Kercher.

For years, Knox battled to clear her name after she and former boyfriend Raffaelle Sollecito were falsely convicted of Kercher’s murder, before Italy’s highest court declared them innocent in 2015. But her slander conviction remains.

Knox, alongside her husband Christopher Robinson, appeared in court in Florence, Italy, where an appeals panel once again found her guilty of slandering her former boss Patrick Lumumba, whom she briefly accused of murder, the Associated Press, the BBC and CNN all reported.

Related: Amanda Knox Breaks Down in Tears as Bid to Overturn Slander Conviction Related to Meredith Kercher's Murder Fails

Why was Amanda Knox convicted of slander?

Kercher was murdered in Perugia, Italy, in November 2007, in an apartment she shared with Knox, who at the time was 20 years old and studying abroad in the country. Knox and Sollecito subsequently became the targets of the police investigation.

Though she didn’t speak fluent Italian, Knox was held for questioning for 53 hours by police, according to the AP.

During the intense round of questioning, Knox signed statements saying that Lumumba, a bar owner who had nothing to do with the crime, killed Kercher. Knox recanted the accusation in a handwritten note the next day, but Lumumba was taken into custody, per the AP.

Knox was convicted of murder in 2007 and served four years in prison before her conviction was overturned for the first time in 2011. But in 2009, Knox was convicted of slandering Lumumba and received a three year sentence.

After the European Court of Human Rights ruled in 2023 that Knox’s interrogation violated her rights, Italy’s supreme court ordered a retrial on the slander conviction, which ended in another conviction on June 5, 2024.

Will Knox Have to Go Back to Prison?

Knox’s reconviction maintained her initial three-year prison sentence for slander, but she will not have to go back to prison, because she served four years during her initial incarceration, CNN reported.

Still, the decision means Knox’s legal fight has not yet come to an end.

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"Amanda's very upset," lawyer Carlo della Vedova told Today’s Keir Simmons after the verdict, noting that Knox was too emotional to speak to the press. "We're very surprised of the outcome of the decision."

Related: Amanda Knox Is Back in Court — This Time For Alleged Slander. Here's Everything to Know

Can She Appeal Her Conviction?

Knox is still able to appeal the latest conviction to Italy’s supreme court. The AP reported that another one of Knox’s lawyers, Luca Luparia Donati, said they planned to file one.

CNN reported that once a judge files a reasoning behind the decision, Knox’s legal team will have 60 days to file an appeal based on the reasoning.

What Does Knox's Life Look Like Today?

Since she was fully exonerated of Kercher’s murder in 2015, Knox has put down roots back in the United States.

In 2018, Knox became engaged to her now-husband Christopher Robinson, a writer who, like Knox, is from Seattle.

Knox has since become an advocate for criminal justice reform and has a successful podcast.

In September 2023, Knox gave birth to her second child, a son.

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