This past week, I watched the new Netflix documentary Amanda Knox. For those of you not familiar with her or what happened to her, let me summarize:
She was studying abroad in Italy in 2006. After being there a week, her roommate is murdered. Police suspect her and her Italian boyfriend. They're tried, convicted, spend four years in prison. They are then acquitted in appeal, tried again 8 years later, and acquitted again.
Ok so here are my thoughts on the documentary:
These police are idiots. Being someone fascinated by crime stories and really high profile crimes in particular (like OJ Simpson, Jonbenet Ramsey, Jeffrey Dahmer, etc.) I found it astonishing how this case was handled. The police were so convinced that she did it, and that it was multiple people who committed the crime, they so much as made her change her story because they planted a "false memory" in her head.
According to Knox, she was at her boyfriend's house the night of the murder. When her boyfriend, Rafaelle, first talks to police, he confirms her story. However, later, they both say she was in the house. Rafaelle says that she was, and she claims she was because apparently police made her believe it to be so.
Then there's the DNA evidence. There are two practically microscopic tracings of both Amanda's DNA and Rafaelle's DNA at the scene. This is partly what gets them convicted, in addition to her "odd behavior". This other dude, Rudy Guede, is all over that villa. He's tried and convicted and still serving time today. However, despite this, police are still convinced that she and her boyfriend may have had some part in this killing as well.
This doesn't even touch on the amount of media coverage. In the documentary, they interview a prominent journalist during the trial, Nick Pisa. He literally reported anything he could possibly get his hands on, including Amanda's diary she kept during her time in prison. He's an arrogant, greedy, story-hungry journalist who is only focused on getting the story that the public wants, not the actual story.
Overall, I thought it was a fascinating documentary. I definitely think Knox was innocent in this case, though many disagree. Many think she did it and just managed to cover it up very well. I'm sticking to my beliefs, regardless if they're wrong or not.
If you have yet to see this documentary, I highly recommend watching. It's a game changer.
