Meredith Kercher’s family hit out at Amanda Knox over Hulu drama reliving the 2007 Perugia killing.
The family of murdered British student Meredith Kercher has condemned Amanda Knox after the release of a new television series that revisits the infamous 2007 killing in Perugia, Italy.
Knox, 38, has executive-produced The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox, an eight-part Hulu drama based on her own autobiography. The show, written by K. J. Steinberg, stars Grace Van Patten as Knox and chronicles her arrest, trial, and eventual acquittal following the brutal death of 21-year-old Meredith.
At the series’ New York premiere this week, Knox posed on the red carpet alongside fellow executive producer Monica Lewinsky. But while Knox celebrated her latest media project, Meredith’s family were left appalled. Their long-time lawyer, Francesco Maresca, accused Knox of exploiting the tragedy and disrespecting Meredith’s memory.
Speaking to The Mirror, Maresca said: “The important thing is that Amanda Knox clearly wants this case to continue. It would be nice and dignified to watch a programme or TV show where everything is reconstructed, remembering the life and smile of poor Meredith. Instead, once again, we have to witness an attempt to reshuffle the cards, where the trailer states, ‘Amanda fights tirelessly to prove her innocence and regain her freedom.’ Once again, the focus is on Knox.”
Embed from Getty ImagesThe comments echo earlier criticism from Meredith’s sister, Stephanie, who last year described the series announcement as difficult to understand and questioned what purpose it served.
Meredith Kercher, a Leeds University exchange student, was found dead in her Perugia apartment in November 2007. She had been sexually assaulted, her throat cut, and she had suffered 47 stab wounds. Knox, then Meredith’s American flatmate, and her boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were arrested alongside Rudy Guede.
The case became an international sensation. Knox was dubbed “Foxy Knoxy” by the press, and the ensuing trials generated headlines around the world. Knox and Sollecito were convicted in 2009, acquitted in 2011, reconvicted in 2014, and finally cleared by Italy’s highest court in 2015. Guede, who admitted being present, served 13 years in prison before his release in 2021.
Despite the acquittal, controversy has continued to follow Knox. She has written a bestselling memoir, produced a Netflix documentary, launched podcasts, and delivered paid speaking appearances. Each time, relatives of Meredith have expressed unease, accusing Knox of profiting from a crime that devastated their family.
Maresca once described Knox’s ventures around the case as “inappropriate and disrespectful,” urging her to allow Meredith to be remembered without reopening old wounds. He reiterated that position this week, noting that filming of the Hulu series even took place in Perugia, where the murder occurred.
Knox, now a mother of two living in Seattle, defended her latest project by saying she wanted to tell her story on her own terms. She has spoken of the difficulty of explaining her past to her young daughter, recounting how she told the child: “When Mommy was young, Mommy went to Italy… someone hurt her friend, and the police thought Mommy hurt her friend, and so they put Mommy in jail. Mommy was in jail for a long time, and she was very sad. But then one day, Mommy proved that she was innocent, and she got to go home.”
Yet for critics, including those closest to Meredith, such accounts amount to self-promotion rather than reflection. They argue that Knox continues to centre herself in a story where the true victim was Meredith, whose life was cut short in horrific circumstances.
As The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox streams worldwide, the tension between Knox’s right to reclaim her narrative and the Kercher family’s wish for peace remains as bitter as ever.