AP —
Amanda Knox, the American student who was convicted and later acquitted of the murder and sexual assault of her British roommate Meredith Kercher in Italy 19 years ago, is defending herself against accusations from Kercher’s sister that her comedy show at Scotland’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival trivialized violence against women.
Knox, 39, said in an Instagram post Thursday that her show will “honor the memory of Meredith Kercher and denounce the violence perpetrated against her and me.”
The show is called “Cartwheel,” a reference to the story of Knox doing cartwheels at the police station after Kercher’s death. The show debuted Friday night and is scheduled to run for 11 consecutive nights in the Scottish capital’s annual mishmash of stand-up, theater and musicals.
The show is billed as “a woman approaching 40, juggling motherhood, and finally becoming enraged by the whole issue of wrongful imprisonment.” Especially in a situation where half the world is telling her to get over this and the other half still thinks she’s guilty.
Knox was a 20-year-old student in Perugia when Karcher was found stabbed to death in the bedroom of the apartment he shared with two Italian women on November 2, 2007.
The incident made international headlines and immediately drew suspicion to Knox’s ex-boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito. She served almost four years in prison during the investigation, during her first murder trial, and until she was released by the Court of Appeal in Perugia. The couple was acquitted by Italy’s Supreme Court in 2015.
Another man from Ivory Coast, Rudi Herman Guede, was eventually convicted of murder after his DNA was found at the crime scene. He was released in 2021 after serving most of his 16-year sentence.
Mr. Knox returned to the United States in 2011 after being released by the Court of Appeals in Perugia, and has since established himself as a global campaigner for the wrongfully convicted. She has a podcast with her husband and published a memoir last year titled “Free: My Search for Meaning.”
Knox’s post follows an interview with the BBC by Stephanie Kercher, Meredith Kercher’s sister, in which she said the show “normalizes and trivializes violence against women.”
“The problem with this project is that it’s a comedy,” Knox said, insisting that she is “of course free to continue with her life as she wishes.”
“It doesn’t matter if people think she’s guilty or innocent. If someone else was doing this show specifically against Meredith, I’d feel the same way. It’s obviously an added hurt that it’s coming from her at the same time. But I feel very strongly that it should be something that is not given a platform,” she said.
An online petition calling for the show to be cancelled, has so far been signed by more than 4,400 people. The show “seeks to poke fun at the horrific events surrounding Meredith’s murder and somehow transform this tragedy into entertainment.”
“A petition to cancel a show that no one watches because of false accusations aimed at shaming, slandering and silencing wronged women is not an argument against Cartwheel,” Knox said.
The Edinburgh Fringe is “the perfect venue for a show like this,” she added.
