Amanda Knox Latest News Update: Following Acquittal, Knox Vows to Help Those Wrongly Convicted

Apr 04, 2015 02:42 AM EDT

Days after her acquittal, Amanda Knox thanked her supporters and vowed to help those wrongfully convicted in a short letter published Friday, April 3.

"I am all too aware of how lucky I am to have received such strong support. I am also aware that countless other wrongfully convicted persons do not have such support," Knox wrote in letter that was published in The Seattle Times. "I will work to give a voice to those individuals. I will do this because I know how a wrongful conviction can destroy one's life and because we best honor crime victims by ensuring that the actual perpetrators are brought to justice.

In 2007, Knox and her then-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were convicted of the murder of British national Meredith Kercher. At the time, Knox and Kercher were foreign exchange students and roomates studying in Perugia, Italy.

That same year, Kercher was found stabbed to death in her bedroom. There was also evidence that suggested the victim was sexually-assaulted. During the subsequent investigation, Knox and Sollecito were held in police custody.

Police also charged Rudy Guede, an alleged drug dealer who was originally from the Ivory Coast. Investigators found Guede's DNA in a vaginal swab taken from Kercher. In a separate speed-trial in 2008, Guede was found guilty of the murder. He is currently serving out his sentence.

Meanwhile, an Italian court found Knox and Sollecito guilty of Kercher's murder in 2009. Two years later in 2011, the couple was acquitted and released. Knox was already living in the United States, and was not present when her second trial began in 2013. Afterwards, She and Sollecito were convicted again. However, Italy's highest court overturned the second conviction in a final verdict on March 27. Even so, Knox acknowledged that there was no "happy ending" for those involved.

"Unlike a wrongful conviction, which can be overturned, nothing will ever bring Meredith Kercher back to her family and loved ones," Knox wrote. "Whatever the future holds for me, I know that I must give back."

News of Knox's exoneration was not well-received by the family of the murder victim. Last week, Meredith Kercher's mother Arline expressed shock over recent events.

"They have been convicted twice, so it's a bit odd that it should change now," Arline Kercher had told the UK Press Association. She later said she had no plans to take action when asked whether there were plans for a response after the ruling.

Earlier this year, Amanda Knox announced her engagement to New York musician Colin Sutherland. The marriage date remains unannounced at this time.