Nearly two decades after being wrongly accused of murdering her roommate, Amanda Knox has had her slander conviction upheld by Italy's highest court. The 37-year-old was found guilty of falsely accusing bar owner Patrick Lumumba of the 2007 murder of Meredith Kercher, her English roommate. Knox maintains she was coerced by Italian authorities into implicating Lumumba.

Knox expressed her disbelief on social media prior to the verdict, stating, "Italy overturned this conviction and sent me back for retrial last year. They found me guilty again, and now this is my final bid to clear my name once and for all. I am not a liar. I am not a slanderer. I was not present at my house when Meredith was murdered."

Following the ruling, Lumumba expressed satisfaction, stating to Reuters, "Amanda did wrong, this sentence must accompany her for the rest of her life." Knox's lawyer, Luca Lupària Donati, expressed incredulity at the decision, calling it "totally unjust" and "unexpected."

The case, which drew international attention, began in 2007 when Knox, then a 20-year-old exchange student from Seattle, discovered Kercher dead in their Perugia residence. Knox, her then-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, and Rudy Guede were all initially implicated in the murder. Knox and Sollecito spent four years in prison before being acquitted in 2011 and exonerated in 2015. Guede, whose DNA was found at the scene, was released in 2021.

Although sentenced to three years for slander, Knox will not return to prison due to time served during her wrongful imprisonment for the murder. She recounted her experience with Italian police, claiming coercion and physical intimidation during interrogation. Knox emphasized the impact of the wrongful accusations on Lumumba, Sollecito, herself, and the Kercher family.

Knox, now residing in Seattle with her family, was not present for the verdict. She indicated she would have further comments following the court's decision.