American Morning
Family and friends eager to welcome Amanda Knox home after she is cleared of charges
Amanda Knox and her former boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, were freed on Monday after four years in prison when an Italian appeals court cleared them of the 2007 murder of British student Meredith Kercher.
Amanda is on her way home to Seattle, Washington today. She says the first thing she wants to do is lay down in a grassy field.
Tom Wright, a friend of the Knox family and founder of "Friends of Amanda Knox" talks about what it was like to hear the verdict yesterday.
Amanda Knox gives her final statements in court – could she be set free today?
Amanda Knox, the American student accused of murder in Italy, is waiting anxiously today to find out whether she will be set free or go back to prison. Knox is hoping her murder conviction will be overturned on appeal. She made her case to jurors this morning, and now it's a nail-biting high-stakes waiting game.
"The accusations are completely unjust and without any foundation," Knox told the jury. "I am paying with my life for a crime I didn't commit."
There are plenty of subtle differences between the appeals process in Italy and the United States. And there are several options available to the Amanda Knox jury, up to and including a complete acquittal.
This morning on American Morning, CNN legal contributor Paul Callan talks about the possible outcomes Knox faces today.
Verdict expected in the Amanda Knox trial within the coming week
Following the presentation of closing arguments over the weekend, Amanda Knox's appeals case resumes today and a verdict is expected within the week.
Knox is fighting to overturn her 2009 conviction for killing British student Meredith Kercher two years earlier, in which she was sentenced to 26 years in prison.
The original trial heard how Knox's DNA was found on the handle of a kitchen knife found in her boyfriend's apartment and on which DNA from the victim, but not blood – was found on the blade. However, this forensic evidence has been called into question by the defense and Amanda Knox's family is said to be cautiously optimistic about the verdict because the Italian justice system is so unpredictable.
Today on American Morning, Paul Callan, CNN legal contributor, discusses the evidence in Knox's case and weighs in on the potential verdict.
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