We reported that Amanda Knox is engaged to Seattle musician Colin Sutherland, but many critics are saying that this engagement was a way to influence public opinion, especially in the light of her final verdict later in March. Knox faces what could be a very long sentence if found guilty for killing her former roommate Meredith Kercher, which would make the engagement very problematic.
One accusation that has come out since Amanda Knox has announced her engagement is whether or not she is using this union to "influence public opinion" according to K Drama Stars. They also reported a related tweet from Velvet_Niko saying: "so predictable! I wouldn't be surprised if she gets pregnant during extradition proceedings to try influence public opinion".
Amanda's family hired a PR firm to help mend Knox's public image, which some say has caused some polarization of opinions on Knox's trial. Moreover, the campaign may include smearing the reputation of Rudy Guede, who was also involved in the case. Part of the PR campaign could be making Geude out to be a homeless drug dealer, drifter, and career criminal from the Ivory Coast, when Guede had an apartment near Raffaele Sollecito and lived in the area most of his life. Raffaele Sollecito still remains in prison after being convicted of the same crime as Amanda Knox.
If the engagement is a set-up, the fiancée doesn't just "come from nowhere". It does appear that Knox and her fiancé Colin Sutherland, a Seattle musician, have known each other since middle school. Considering that Knox is going to come back into trial with a verdict to be set in March, this could be a set up for a tragic love story, as this next verdict could sentence Knox to 30 years in prison.
Daily Mail had several photos of the couple out and about in Seattle, where Knox is originally from. They show her without a wedding ring on her left hand, and walking through Chinatown before going to curry with a female friend.
There was a lot of varied evidence and testimonies that have made the trial very confusing, made worse by the high amount of publicity the case has received. Considering the amount of information about the Amanda Knox engagement and paparazzi pictures, it is going to be difficult to be unbiased.
The Amanda Knox case is over 7 years old, it began when British exchange student Meredith Kercher was murdered in Italy. Amanda Knox, Meredith's roommate was accused of the murder after an investigator found evidence that implied Amanda had attempted to deliberately mislead the Italian police. Knox was soon found guilty and sentenced to 26 years, but she was freed after four years of imprisonment in 2011 due to "material non-existence" of evidence and a "far from probably" motive.
Italy's Supreme Court is scheduled to issue the final verdict in March. If the judge upholds the guilty verdicts, Knox and her former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito will be imprisoned for 28.5 and 25 years, respectively. However, the court can also order a retrial of the Kercher murder case.
The retrial began on September 30, 2013 without either of them in court. Sollecito was in the Dominican Republic at the start of the retrial but returned to Italy.
Under Italian law the sentence has to be confirmed by the Italian Supreme Court, with a decision expected next month - but Knox is refusing to leave her homeland. U.S. law dictates that a person cannot be tried twice on the same charge. However, other legal expert reminded that she was convicted first.
If Italy does file an extradition request with the U.S. State Department, Knox will have the right to challenge her transfer to Italy in a U.S. court, but the chances of her winning against the extradition is not high.
