Nearly 10 years after she unwillingly became an international media sensation, Amanda Knox still captures everyone's attention. This is evident in the interest generated by the new Netflix documentary that bears her name, which looks to give the most in-depth look yet at the murder of Meredith Kercher and subsequent trials involving Knox, Raffaele Sollecito, and to a lesser extent, Rudy Guede, the man currently imprisoned for the crime. Since Knox and Sollecito both went through two convictions that were eventually overturned, it can be a little difficult to keep track of everything, which is where a timeline of the Amanda Knox case can come in handy.
Although Knox and Sollecito were fully exonerated once and for all by Italy's Supreme Court in 2015, there are still many who remain convinced of their guilt. The Kercher family, lead investigator Giuliano Mignini, and (based on the footage included in the documentary at least) some of the Italian public, all seem to believe that justice was not served. Guede, meanwhile, still maintains his innocence as well. If the details of the case are starting to feel muddled, here's a timeline of when all the major events happened in the Amanda Knox case, as recounted by Netflix's new documentary Amanda Knox.
Nov. 2, 2007
20-year-old Seattle native Knox returns to her apartment in Perugia, Italy after claiming to have spent the night at her boyfriend Sollecito's home. She sees blood and feces in the bathroom and allegedly becomes worried when she discovers the bedroom door of her 21-year-old British roommate, Meredith Kercher (pictured above), is locked. The police are called and arrive to discover Kercher's body in the room. They determine she had been murdered the previous night.
Nov. 2-6, 2007
Sollecito is called in by police for questioning, and he is accompanied by Knox. He changes his story and claims that Knox did not spend the night of Nov. 1 at his home, and that she told him to lie. Police question Knox, who changes her story as well. She claims she was at her apartment the night of Kercher's murder, and implicates her boss, bar owner Patrick Lumumba, as Kercher's killer.
Nov. 6, 2007
Sollecito, Knox, and Lumumba are all arrested in connection with Kercher's murder.
Nov. 20, 2007
Lumumba (pictured above) is released after his alibi for the night of Nov. 1 is proven to be true.
Dec. 6, 2007
Rudy Guede is extradited to Italy from Germany, after his DNA and bloody fingerprints are found in Kercher's bedroom. He is believed to have gone to Germany shortly after Kercher's murder.
Oct. 28, 2008
Knox and Sollecito are officially charged with Kercher's murder, as is Guede (pictured above), who opts for a fast-track trial and is found guilty. He is sentenced to 30 years.
Jan. 16, 2009
The trial of Knox and Sollecito begins.
Dec. 4, 2009
Knox and Sollecito are found guilty of Kercher's murder, partly due to DNA evidence linking them to the crime. Knox is sentenced to 29 years, Sollecito, 28.
Dec. 22, 2009
Guede appeals his conviction, but is found guilty again. His sentence, however, is reduced to 16 years.
Nov. 24, 2010
An appeals trial for Knox and Sollecito begins.
June 29, 2011
A court-ordered independent test deems the DNA evidence used against Knox and Sollecito to be unreliable, and states that it likely contained their DNA from contamination due to poor police procedures during the initial investigation.
Oct. 3, 2011
The convictions of Knox and Sollecito are overturned at the conclusion of the appeals trial, and both are released from prison — almost four years after they were first incarcerated.
Oct. 4, 2011
Knox returns to the United States.
Mar. 26, 2013
The acquittals of Knox and Sollecito are overturned by a higher court following an appeal by the prosecution, and a retrial is ordered for both parties.
Apr. 30, 2013
Knox publishes her memoir, Waiting to Be Heard.
Sept. 30, 2013
The second trial of Knox and Sollecito begins. Knox is allowed to remain in the United States for the duration of her trial.
Jan. 30, 2014
Knox and Sollecito are again found guilty of Kercher's murder, despite the remaining lack of physical evidence.
Jan. 31, 2014
Knox's family states that she will not return to Italy to serve her sentence, as they will again be appealing the verdict. Sollecito is discovered in a hotel near the Austrian border and is apprehended by police.
Mar. 27, 2015
Knox and Sollecito's second appeal is upheld, for good this time, by Italy's highest court of appeal, the Supreme Court of Cassation. The court decision declares both parties innocent of Kercher's murder, and heavily criticizes errors in the investigation and previous trials. Guede remains in prison as the sole person linked to Kercher's murder.
For nearly eight years — the bulk of her 20s — Knox's life was dominated by the murder trial of Kercher, a murder for which she was ultimately found to be innocent of committing. Yet it's likely that the effects of her ordeal — and the continuing speculation surrounding it — will forever be a part of Knox's life.
