Amanda Knox Faces 30 Years If Convicted in Murder Retrial

The prosecutor in Italy’s retrial of Amanda Knox is seeking a 30-year sentence for the former student accused of killing her roommate, Bloomberg News reports.

The attorney, Alessandro Crini, made a seven-hour appeal during closing arguments Monday, saying Knox and her ex-boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, are guilty and should be convicted.

Urgent: Do You Approve Or Disapprove of President Obama's Job Performance? Vote Now in Urgent Poll

Knox was found guilty of the 2007 murder of Meredith Kercher, who was found in their apartment with her throat cut, and was sentenced to 26 years. But that ruling was overturned in 2011 after Knox spent four years in jail.

The latest attempt to try Knox and Sollecito, in what is actually an appeals process and not a new trial, began at the end of September. Prosecutors are arguing that the verdict against Knox should be upheld based on numerous pieces of evidence, including witness testimony.

Questions about how the evidence was handled and tested at the original trial was part of the reason the appeal was upheld and Knox and Sollecito were released.

Knox and Sollecito’s attorneys will make their arguments in mid-December, and a verdict is expected in January, the Daily Beast said. Knox did not attend this trial.

Knox’s attorney told The Associated Press that no new arguments were made in court, calling it a “good presentation.”

Outside the courtroom, Sollecito told AP and other reporters, “I just continue to confront a situation of repeated accusations that have no foundation in reality or likelihood.”

In March, USA Today published an opinion column about the Italian court system and why Knox is being retried. “Many Italians are well aware that their judicial system is dysfunctional,” the piece said. “The Italian judiciary is a holdover from the Benito Mussolini era, when Italy was a police state. If you're arrested for a crime in Italy, unless you can prove your innocence, you are in serious trouble indeed. The honor of police and prosecutors must be upheld, and the system is heavily biased against the accused.”

Editor's Note: ObamaCare Is Here. Are You Prepared?

Related Stories:

• Amanda Knox DNA on Knife Thought to Be Meredith Kercher Murder Weapon
• Amanda Knox Murder Retrial Begins in Italy, But Without Her