332. Wrongfully Convicted, Ultimately Acquitted — Amanda Knox on Criminal Injustice and Why It Happens

The Michael Shermer Show

Michael Shermer

Dialogue, Science, Reason, Michaelshermer, Natural Sciences, Skeptic

4.4 • 921 Ratings

🗓️ 14 March 2023

⏱️ 57 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Amanda Knox spent four years in an Italian prison for a crime she did not commit. In the fall of 2007, the 20-year-old college coed left Seattle to study abroad in Italy, but her life was shattered when her roommate was murdered in their apartment. After a controversial trial, Amanda was convicted and imprisoned. But in 2011, an appeals court overturned the decision and vacated the murder charge. Free at last, she returned home to the U.S., where she remained silent until she released the memoir of her ordeal, Waiting to Be Heard. Unfortunately, after the publication of her book she was tried and convicted again in an Italian court, only to see that conviction overturned by the Italian Supreme Court. She cannot be tried again, but in the court of public opinion she has been on trial since that fatal day in 2007. Here she shares with listeners her story and all she has learned from her experiences and what lessons we can all take from adversity.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	You're listening to the Michael Sherman Shower Show.
0:18.0	Hello everyone, it's time for another episode of the Michael Sherman Show. I'm your host Michael Schurmer. My guest today is
0:21.0	Amanda Knox who spent four years in a foreign prison for a crime she did not commit.
0:27.0	In the fall of 2007 the 20-year-old college co-ed left Seattle to study abroad in Italy, but her life was shattered when her roommate
0:35.5	was murdered in their apartment. After a controversial trial, Amanda was convicted and imprisoned,
0:42.1	but in 2011 an appeals court overturned the decision and vacated the murder charge,
0:46.1	free at last she returned home to US, where she has remained silent until now.
0:50.4	I'm reading the script from your public from the back of your book which I'll
0:54.9	show here which I read there it is okay unfortunately that's not the end of the
1:00.2	story so I see you I see you have an updated version which includes the of the
1:05.0	end of the story, so I see you have an updated version which includes the, this will be a surprise to American audiences
1:08.0	that the prosecution can appeal their failed conviction or your appeal and acquittal.
1:16.6	And so that's, I think that's called double jeopardy in the United States, right?
1:20.5	Yeah, they think of double jeopardy differently over in Italy where so you know on the
1:26.3	one hand they have something which is we don't have here which is easier access to
1:31.2	appeals. The opportunity to appeal a conviction and based on the
1:37.2	merits of the case as opposed to based on you know legal shenanigans is
1:42.2	there's much more of an opportunity to do that in
1:45.6	Italy the flip side of that is both the both the prosecution and the defense can ask for that appeal and so acquittals can be overturned in Italy.
1:58.0	Interesting.
1:59.0	Yeah, but now that the Supreme Court of Italy has determined that you are free and they cannot try you. There's no
2:04.6	chance anything could happen to you, right? You're safe to go there? That's right. That is
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Michael Shermer, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Michael Shermer and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.