Amanda Knox Memoir: Is It Just a Sympathy Ploy to the Meredith Kercher Family?

An excerpt from Amanda Knox's memoir Waiting To Be Heard describes how Knox was dissuaded from sending a letter to her alleged British victim Meredith Kercher's family. Despite being an obvious attempt to get more attention for the book, Knox claims to have included the letter in her memoir so Kercher's family can reevaluate their opinion of her.

Knox could face extradition if Italian courts request a retrial which convicts her, but the United States could choose to not comply with the extradition or come to an arrangement allowing her to stay in the U.S. Knox was acquitted of the horrifying 2007 murder of Kercher and released after four years in jail amidst concerns about procedural and investigation errors.

The desperate-sounding quote leaked ahead of the memoir's Tuesday release shows Knox's attempt at declaring her innocence:

"I'm not the one who killed your daughter and sister. I'm a sister too and I can only attempt to imagine the extent of your grief. In the relatively brief time that Meredith was part of my life, she was always kind to me. I think about her every day."

She was advised by her lawyers to not send the letter during the trial lest she appear to be soliciting a "sympathy ploy" which could have hurt her chances for an appeal. If Knox is truly innocent then her desire to clear the air with Kercher's family is understandable, however this could also be an attempt to assuage her image in the media and on the internet. 

Knox was tried alongside her then-boyfriend Rafaelle Sollecito, whose attorney Giulia Bongiomo noted that the appeals court ruling acquitting both Knox and Sollecito was "too generous" even though she believed her client's innocence.

Rudy Guede, a drifter from the Ivory Coast, is currently serving 16-year sentence for assaulting and killing Kercher, who was 21 at the time and was found stabbed to death in the apartment she shared with Knox in Perugia, Italy. Nonetheless, many are still unconvinced of her innocence.

Knox (and certainly her publisher HarperCollins) is counting that the book allows her to rectify her image through her ghost-written own words, and salvage her reputation. Even though the book will not be published in Britain for legal considerations, Knox is keenly hoping the Kerchers read her side of the story:

"I’ve never approached them, for legal reasons and because I worry about imposing on them in their grief ... my understanding is that [Kercher's] father thinks I’m the killer of his daughter, and that’s painful. I really hope they will read my book.”