Amanda Knox Verdict: What Will Friday Bring?

The Amanda Knox verdict has been delayed until Friday, adding more suspense to an already anxious situation. The American woman stands convicted in the murder of Meredith Kercher, as does her former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito. Together they are accused of committing a violent murder along with Rudy Guede (who has already been convicted). Knox has long maintained that she is innocent against a mountain of forensic and circumstantial evidence that has led to her conviction in Italian courts. Will her conviction be upheld or overturned on Friday? The Daily Express writes that the twice-convicted killer is preparing for Friday’s ruling, along with the rest of the world.

Judges at the Palace of Justice (in Rome) are going to decide to either uphold Knox’s conviction, or they will overturn it — a move that most people don’t appear to be anticipating. In fact, the tone in the media coverage appears to forewarn of a tedious extradition battle. The 27-year-old woman — if her conviction is upheld — could be extradited and made to face her 30-year-sentence. Of course, her impassioned support base in the United States share the collective belief that the American government wouldn’t extradite her due to the controversy that surrounds this case.

It’s been over seven years since Meredith Kercher was violently slain in the apartment she shared with Amanda Knox and other coeds. Over the course of these many years Knox has only served a total of four years in an Italian prison before a judge acquitted her on an appeal — an acquittal that a higher Italian court has declared to be in error.

The Herald-News reports that Knox’s defense is still speaking out against the initial conviction that landed her deep within the Italian justice system. Her attorney Caro Dalla Vedova says that she is losing sleep over this process, in anticipation of the upcoming ruling. However, with all this media attention fixated on Amanda, the family of Meredith Kercher are still awaiting justice for their daughter’s grisly slaying.

What do you think Rome’s Palace of Justice will decide on Friday? Will Amanda Knox be convicted and then extradited to serve her time behind bars, or will she be granted the right to go on with her life as a free woman in the United States? Remember, Knox has confirmed at least once that she’d never go back to Italy willingly or voluntarily, and that she’d be a fugitive if an extradition is requested.