Amanda Knox rejoins family in the US

Amanda Knox rejoins family in the US

Amanda Knox, the 24-year-old American who was on Monday acquitted of the murder in 2007 of her roommate, Meredith Kercher, by an Appeals Court jury in Perugia , Italy , has rejoined her family in the United States .

Conviction overturned

A 2009 guilty verdict was overturned for Knox and her ex-boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito by the jury. Knox collapsed in tears as the jury's verdict was read and she was led away immediately after the judgement.

Led away after the judgement, Knox collapsed in tears as the jury's verdict was read.

The jury had two options to acquit upon determining there wasn't enough evidence to uphold the conviction or that the pair simply didn't commit the crime. The jury determined the latter, clearing Knox and Sollecito completely.

Displeased by the ruling

After briefly returning to prison for a formal discharge, Knox was seen being driven away in a convoy.

While in court, the Kercher family looked on grimly as the verdict was read out by the judge after 11 hours of deliberations by the eight-member jury.
Outside the courthouse, some of the hundreds of observers shouted "Shame, shame''.

The Kercher family issued a brief statement, saying: ``We respect the decision of the judges but we do not understand how the decision of the first trial could be so radically overturned.

“We still trust the Italian justice system and hope that the truth will eventually emerge."

Possibility to appeal

Meanwhile, prosecutors can appeal the acquittal to Italy's highest court, even though there was no word late on Monday if they planned to do so.

Earlier on Monday, Knox, who spoke in Italian, told the jury that she did not kill her British roommate, pleading that the court should free her so she could return to the U.S. after four years behind bars.

“I'm not a promiscuous vamp. I'm not violent. I have not killed, I have not raped, I was not there, I was not present," the American told a packed courtroom in Perugia.
“I want to go home, I want to go back to my life, I do not want to be punished and to have my life taken away from me for something I have not done because I am innocent.''

Abubakar/Sani/Iheanacho ( with agency reports)