Meredith Kercher was found dead

Amanda Knox, the college student studying abroad in Perugia, Italy who was convicted of murdering her roommate four years ago, was acquitted by a jury today and set free. Her boyfriend (at the time of their arrest), Raffaele Sollecito, who was also convicted of murdering college student Meredith Kercher, also saw his conviction overturned.

Kercher was found dead — stabbed in the neck and strangled — half naked in a pool of blood on November 1, 2007 in the house she and Knox shared while studying abroad. Knox and Sollecito were accused by the prosecution of killing Kercher as part of some sort of “sex ritual.” Knox was dubbed “Foxy Knoxy” by the Italian press and prosecutors rather successfully — if you consider her initial conviction — as a “diabolical witch” and a “she-devil.” Many believed the Italian police handled their investigation of the crime inappropriately; Knox, for her part, behaved strangely throughout the investigation, even falsely accusing a barman of committing the murder. (She has been ordered to pay him 22,000 Euros as punishment.)

Before the jury deliberated and eventually handed down their decision to overturn her conviction, Knox was able to speak on her own behalf, telling them, “I want to go home. I want to go back to my life. I am paying with my life for a crime I didn’t commit.” Her acquittal was met by tears of joy from the friends and family who maintained her innocence.

Meanwhile, Kercher’s family was believed to be upset with the verdict, having believed the evidence pointed to Knox’s guilt. “We were satisfied the last time and nothing has changed since then,” said Meredith’s sister, Stephanie Kercher, before the verdict was handed down.