Amanda Knox: Netflix’s New True Crime Documentary

The popularity of true crime stories continues to rise, and it looks like Netflix might have struck it big again with their new feature-length documentary, Amanda Knox. Centered on the wrongful conviction of a young American girl in Italy, Amanda Knox is already getting rave reviews.

In 2007, after returning home from spending the night with her boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, Knox was alarmed to find evidence of a break-in and traces of blood. Meridith Kercher, a roommate and friend, wasn’t answering her phone and her door was locked. Worried, Knox eventually called the authorities, who broke down the door and found Kercher face down in her bedroom, stabbed to death.

After several lengthy interviews (she was viewed as a “witness,” and thus a lawyer was not required to be provided as she had not been charged) where Amanda claimed she was harassed and coerced into changing her story, the police finally charged her and her boyfriend with the murder. An unprecedented amount of pre-trial coverage in the Italian media followed, effectively condemning her in the public’s eye. The first trial, held in a lower court, convicted Knox and sentenced her to 26 years in Italian prison, despite significant concerns over the lack of hard evidence and failure of the prosecution to corroborate their version of the events.

After the conviction, controversy stirred as experts voiced their concerns over the evidence presented, the forensic profile of the case, and how the trial was presented to the public. An appeal and subsequent retrial in 2010 found her not guilty, and she returned to the US. In 2015, the Supreme Court of Cassation acquitted her of all charges except Callunia (unlawful accusation of someone with whom you know is innocent).

Amanda Knox will be released on Netflix tomorrow, September 30th.

For more information on the upcoming documentary Amanda Knox, read a great Q&A with directors Rod Blackhurst and Brian McGinn on Yahoo TV.