Amanda Knox says she was made the centre of a true crime story she was not the centre of.
In an interview with Newstalk, the 33-year-old says she still feels like she's processing the 'ugly, brutal reality' she suddenly found herself facing well over a decade ago.
It's over five years since Ms Knox was acquitted of the murder of her flatmate Meredith Kercher in 2007.
Ms Knox and her then boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were initially convicted of the murder, but the convictions were later overturned on appeal and the both were fully acquitted.
Rudy Guede was convicted of the killing in 2008, but late last year was released from prison to finish the rest of his sentence doing community service.
In the years since her release, Ms Knox has featured in a major Netflix documentary, become a prolific podcaster, and been an advocate for others wrongly accused of serious crimes.
Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast, Ms Knox said the murder of Meredith Kercher was a sad and tragic case.
She said: “Meredith and I were living in an apartment with two Italian girls, and one night while Meredith was home alone a local burglar - who had been on a burglary spree for several weeks - broke into our house and raped and murdered her. That’s the story: that’s what happened. This man was named Rudy Guede.
“The only reason it became complicated is because the investigators didn’t immediately pick up on the fact that Rudy Guede had committed this crime, and instead decided to arrest me and my boyfriend of five days, before they had any evidence.
“They pursued a case against us even when the evidence unanimously and unequivocally showed it was Rudy Guede who had committed this crime."
Ms Knox says she was 'young, sheltered and immature in some ways' when she found herself 'growing up' in trial and prison at just 20 years of age.
She recalled: "I was thrust very suddenly into a very ugly, brutal reality, starting with the horrific murder of my friend and roommate.
"It was a lot to process, and I still feel like I’m processing it to this day.
“Part of the problem was I was absolutely not fluent in Italian at the time… my vocabulary was very limited, and my ability to conjugate and understand verbs was very, very limited. I like to say I maybe could speak as well as a ten year old, but even then I know lots of precocious ten year olds who have amazing vocabularies - that was not my ability.
“There was also just the innocence problem. Time and time again with wrongful conviction cases, innocent people who enter into interrogation rooms find because they are innocent they are approaching being interrogated with an entirely different mindset.”
She said she initially signed a statement after 'many hours of interrogation', but she recanted just hours later.
She told Ciara: "I said 'I can’t stand by these statements. I’m really confused, everyone’s been yelling at me, and I’m afraid… I just need to talk to my mom'.
"They wouldn’t let me talk to my mom. It was the most scary part of this whole situation."
Media coverage
The trial and its aftermath were widely covered in the media, which much of the focus being on Ms Knox herself.
She was often referred to as 'foxy Knoxy' media stories about the case, with many lurid headlines published by tabloids about her.
Ms Knox says she was 'flabbergasted' at the time about how she was portrayed in the media.
She said: "I didn’t understand why this was happening or where this narrative was coming from. I felt helpless to defend myself against it, because if you want to see me through a certain lens, how can I prove you otherwise? That has very much informed my work today.
“I’m very, very sensitive to witnessing other people go through it, because at the time I was powerless - I was locked in a jail cell.”
However, she always knew her family didn't believe the stories being published as they knew who she really was.
Nonetheless, years after her acquittal, Ms Knox said she's still often made the centre of the story.
She said: “There was a headline recently that highlighted this issue. Rudy Guede was recently released, and the headline was ‘The Man Who Killed Amanda Knox’s Roommate Released From Prison’.
"Of all the people’s names that should have been remembered… mine should not have been there. Meredith should have been remembered. Rudy Guede should have been named.
“Here I am being made the centre of a true crime story I am not the centre of.
“No matter what I do, publicly or privately, I am continually daily reminded that my name and face is associated with this tragedy. There are people who have dedicated their time and energy to never letting me forget it.
“Those who tell me I should disappear… but then if a tabloid stalks me… they blame me for somehow being in the spotlight. This is very, very common with people who are made the centre of true crime stories.”
Building bridges
Amanda Knox's main project at the moment is a podcast called Labyrinths, which she hosts with her partner Christopher Robinson.
She also works with groups such as the Innocence Project, which works to "exonerate the wrongly convicted" and reform the US criminal justice system.
Ms Knox said wrongly convicted people and even victims of crimes often have to live with 'infamy' once their cases are over.
She said: “As I’ve been trying to rebuild my life, I’ve viewed myself as being a bridge builder between myself and others who’ve found themselves in similar situations.
“Time and again we see women being objectified and vilified through our expectations of their femininity, their purity, their sexuality - I fell right into the vilified woman stereotype."
Ms Knox said her involvement with victims' groups means she has found a 'kind of tribe' of people who understand what she went through.
However, she said it's vital others in similar situation get a voice as well, as they "don’t deserve to have everyone else tell their story for them".
