Amanda Knox has spoken out about how she contemplated suicide when she was thrown behind bars for a murder she never committed. Speaking in Italy for the first time since being freed, the 31-year-old detailed what it felt like to be falsely accused for the murder of Meredith Kercher back in 2007. Addressing the Trial By Media panel in Modena, Knox sobbed as she described how her family was only allowed to visit her in custody for no more than six one-hour sessions a month. "At 20 years old I was a happy and a lively girl and I was forced to spend my 20th year imprisoned in an inhumane, unhealthy and unpredictable environment. "Instead of dreaming about a career or a family, I contemplated suicide." Knox, who spent almost four years in prison after being accused of the Perugia murder, said she would try to keep it together when she saw her family. But said there was one time her father visited and the exhaustion, fear and uncertainty had the better of her. "I started sobbing and my dad hugged me, holding me tight. "I begged him to save me even if I knew that he was as powerless as I was and he had to tell me what my lawyers told him: 'that probably it would be years before I had another chance at freedom. "And then he started crying and it was then that I realised how serious the situation was because I never saw my father cry in my whole life." She described how her family had their lives torn apart due to the eight-year trial, and how her parents had to take loans out and dip into their pension savings to pay for her legal costs. Knox, who was acquitted during an appeal case by Italy's Supreme Court, accused Italian authorities of stripping her of a right to defence and interpreter when they first arrested her. She former foreign exchange student said she underwent a gruelling 50 hours of questioning during the five days she was taken into custody prior to her formal arrest. And that while speaking close to no Italian at the time and with no legal representatives. Knox said police were under pressure to make an arrest over the "tragic death of her friend", and proceeded to charge her despite having no real proof of her guiltiness. "Police thought I was lying when I said time and time again I didn't murder Meredith", Knox said. But the more she denied the killing, the more they tried to pressure her into thinking she had suppressed memories of the crime. Knox, who following her acquittal in 2011 went on to write her best-seller memoir 'Waiting to be Heard', said she "was declared innocent, but I know I will always be linked to the tragic death of my friend." The ex-University of Washington student said was portrayed "on the global scene as cunning, psychopath, drugged, whore, guilty", merely because it was the simplest thing to believe. Knox said when she returned to her hometown of Seattle she "felt lonely, as if no one could ever understand what I went through". Her mother then brought her to an Innocence Project conference
Amanda Knox has spoken out about how she contemplated suicide when she was thrown behind bars for a murder she never committed. Speaking in Italy for the first time since being freed, the 31-year-old detailed what it felt like to be falsely accused for the murder of Meredith Kercher back in 2007. Addressing the Trial By Media panel in Modena, Knox sobbed as she described how her family was only allowed to visit her in custody for no more than six one-hour sessions a month. "At 20 years old I was a happy and a lively girl and I was forced to spend my 20th year imprisoned in an inhumane, unhealthy and unpredictable environment. "Instead of dreaming about a career or a family, I contemplated suicide." Knox, who spent almost four years in prison after being accused of the Perugia murder, said she would try to keep it together when she saw her family. But said there was one time her father visited and the exhaustion, fear and uncertainty had the better of her. "I started sobbing and my dad hugged me, holding me tight. "I begged him to save me even if I knew that he was as powerless as I was and he had to tell me what my lawyers told him: 'that probably it would be years before I had another chance at freedom. "And then he started crying and it was then that I realised how serious the situation was because I never saw my father cry in my whole life." She described how her family had their lives torn apart due to the eight-year trial, and how her parents had to take loans out and dip into their pension savings to pay for her legal costs. Knox, who was acquitted during an appeal case by Italy's Supreme Court, accused Italian authorities of stripping her of a right to defence and interpreter when they first arrested her. She former foreign exchange student said she underwent a gruelling 50 hours of questioning during the five days she was taken into custody prior to her formal arrest. And that while speaking close to no Italian at the time and with no legal representatives. Knox said police were under pressure to make an arrest over the "tragic death of her friend", and proceeded to charge her despite having no real proof of her guiltiness. "Police thought I was lying when I said time and time again I didn't murder Meredith", Knox said. But the more she denied the killing, the more they tried to pressure her into thinking she had suppressed memories of the crime. Knox, who following her acquittal in 2011 went on to write her best-seller memoir 'Waiting to be Heard', said she "was declared innocent, but I know I will always be linked to the tragic death of my friend." The ex-University of Washington student said was portrayed "on the global scene as cunning, psychopath, drugged, whore, guilty", merely because it was the simplest thing to believe. Knox said when she returned to her hometown of Seattle she "felt lonely, as if no one could ever understand what I went through". Her mother then brought her to an Innocence Project conference
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