High Court Upholds Amanda Knox Slander Conviction in 2007 Kercher Case

Italy's highest court reaffirmed Amanda Knox's slander conviction for falsely accusing Patrick Lumumba in Meredith Kercher's 2007 murder. Knox appealed, citing violations of her rights, but the court ruled based on her written statements. This marks the end of an extended legal case that saw Knox initially convicted, acquitted, and finally exonerated for Kercher's murder.

In a final verdict, Italy's highest court confirmed a slander conviction against Amanda Knox, the American implicated in the notorious 2007 murder of Meredith Kercher. Knox was indicted for wrongfully accusing Patrick Lumumba while police interrogated her, but European courts criticized the process, stating her rights were infringed without proper legal representation.

The slander case brings an end to Knox's protracted legal saga after her and Raffaele Sollecito's definitive exoneration for Kercher's killing in 2015. Mandated by a European ruling, this trial overthrow was accompanied by a new slander conviction based on Knox's handwritten retraction of her earlier accusations.

Patrick Lumumba welcomed the court's decision, emphasizing the impact of the wrongful charges on his life and livelihood. Knox, now a campaigner against wrongful convictions, remains free but continues efforts to clear her name of all charges, asserting the lasting consequences of crimes she maintains she never committed.

(With inputs from agencies.)