An Italian appeals court found American Amanda Knox not guilty of murder on Monday, overturning a lower court’s original 2009 verdict. The ruling validated the work former Deputy Director of Public Safety Steve Moore had contributed to the Knox defense. The eight-member jury cleared Knox and her former boyfriend, Italian Raffaele Sollecito of the rape and murder of British college student Meredith Kercher. The judge, however, upheld Knox’s conviction of slander for falsely implicating local bar owner Patrick Lumumba in the crime, a sentence of three years, stricken for time served, and 22,000 euros. The prosecution intends to appeal the ruling to the Italian Supreme Court, but the chances of Knox being extradited back to Italy are slim.
Knox, a University of Washington student, was originally convicted and sentenced to 26 years in prison. Sollecito, was sentenced to 25 years. Another man, Ivorian Rudy Guede, had already been convicted of taking part in the murder, and sentenced to 30 years, which was later reduced to 16 on appeal. Both Knox and Sollecito consistently maintained their innocence throughout the appeals process.
Knox, 24, who had been studying abroad in Perugia, Italy, returned to the United States Tuesday, with her family for the first time in over four years. An overwhelmed and visibly tearful Knox spoke to supporters upon landing in her hometown of Seattle, Wash. “Thank you to everyone who has believed in me, who has defended me, who has supported my family.”
Kercher was living with Knox at the time of the murder, also studying abroad. Her family’s reaction to the verdict was grim, but approving. “We accept the decision and respect the court and the Italian justice system,” said Lyle Kercher, brother of the victim, adding, “It feels very much like back to square one. The search goes on to find out what really happened.”
Moore was in Perugia for the ruling. “I am ecstatic at the correct verdict. My involvement in this case has been one of the great experiences of my life,” Moore said. After the trial, he helped coordinate Knox’s passage back to the U.S., her passport having expired during her time in prison.
Moore had accepted the original verdict, but changed his position when his wife, Michelle, after watching a television special on Knox, challenged him to look deeper into the case. After a thorough investigation of the evidence presented by the prosecution, he determined that Knox must have been innocent. “The evidence didn’t just say that she didn’t do it, the evidence proved that she couldn’t have done it,” Moore said.
He went on to be involved in the media campaign advocating for Knox’s innocence, writing for supportive blogs and making public appearances in the national media on her behalf. He appeared on programs such as NBC’s “Today,” ABC’s “Good Morning America” and CBS’s “Early Show.”
Soon after the verdict was read, the Knox family thanked supporters like Moore, who had publicly advocated for Amanda’s innocence. “We are thankful for the support we have received from all over the world, people who took the time to research the case and see that Amanda and Raffaele were innocent,” Deana Knox, Amanda’s sister, said.
A retired FBI special agent, Moore used his expertise to call attention to the tactics of the Italian police in forcing a confession out of Knox over the course of a 50-hour interrogation, without a lawyer present. He also criticized the lack of credible witnesses and suspect DNA evidence used against her during the trial, which was later discredited by a group of independent forensic investigators.
Part of Moore’s media tour was also to raise positive awareness for her case, which had for some time been portrayed in an exceedingly negative manner, especially in the British and Italian media. Many British tabloids had characterized Knox as sexually promiscuous and drug-addicted, dubbing her “Foxy Knoxy” in an attempt to discredit her. According to her friends and family, the accusations were not true and just part of a smear campaign. Many of Moore’s public appearances sought to combat the unfair character assassination used against her in the lead up to the trial. “The only thing that is going to free Amanda is good people doing something,” said Moore on the “Today” show.
Unfortunately for Moore, his involvement in the case was the first in a series of events that led to his dismissal from the University. After his initial television appearances in support of Knox, Pepperdine grew worried that his magnified public image would draw attention to the University. Although his position with the University was never mentioned, university officials asked him to stop making appearances. According to Moore, when he refused to stop Pepperdine offered him a chance to resign with a severance package, so long as he didn’t mention Pepperdine. He refused that deal, and was fired soon after without explanation due to the university policy against commenting on personnel issues. Moore went on to file a wrongful termination suit, which Pepperdine settled out of court. The details of the settlement are unavailable due to confidentiality stipulations between Moore and the University.