Translation of Amanda Knox’s speech in court – October 3, 2011:
Dear ladies and gentlemen of the court:
It has been said that I am a different person than who really I am. One doesn’t understand who I am - I am afraid.
(Judge: You can be seated, if you want.
Amanda: It is ok.)
I am the same person I was four years ago, the same person. The only thing that distinguishes me from four years ago is that I suffered (what I have gone through). Four years ago I lost a friend in a most brutal and unexplainably possible way. My absolute trust in authority of police has been lost. I had to face accusations, absolutely unfair without foundations, and I am paying with my life for things that I didn’t do.
Four years ago I was four years younger (in age), also I was basically a younger person. I never suffered in my life before four years ago. In a sense before four years ago, I didn’t know what tragedy was. The only tragedy I could see was on TV. I’ve never faced such fear, such tragedy and suffering.
I didn’t know how to face it, how to interpret it and absorb it deeply, how I was feeling when we discovered when Meredith was killed. I couldn’t believe how it was possible, I was afraid, because one person with whom I spent time with, who had her bedroom next to mine, was killed in our house. And if I was there that night I would be dead, like her. The only difference was that I wasn’t there. I was with Raffaelle. Fortunately, he was there with me, not only at that moment, but also afterwards. I didn’t have anybody. He was everything for me at that moment. I was calling my family, it is true, but at that moment, in that specific moment, I had him. I had him.
And the other thing that I had was my moral obligations to help justice and police, in whom I had trust. Because they were there to look for who was guilty, and they were there to protect us at the same time. I trusted them completely, without any doubt.
And when I was completely available in those days, I was tricked. The night between the 5th and the 6th of November, I was not only stressed out and pushed, but I was manipulated. I am not what they say I am -- a perverse, violent person; this is not me. The things that they say I did: I didn’t kill, I didn’t abuse, I didn’t steal, I wasn’t there (at the scene) during the crime. I didn’t know Rudy.
I remember the police asking me to list all people that Meredith, we knew in that period in Perugia. I remember I said something about that guy. I know that Meredith and I met him in the apartment of the boys downstairs. I know he was playing basketball with the boys, but I didn’t know him even by his name. He was like everybody else around, just a face. He wasn’t a person with whom I had any kind of contact. Also, when they (the prosecution) said that I knew him, I never did what they say I did, but they say it happened like that. And even sometimes they say I didn’t do things, they change versions of what they say. They say it happened.
But it is not like that. I had good relationship with everybody. (With) my roommates, I was messy, I had an open mind; we had a good relationship. We were always available to each other. I was spending my time mostly with Meredith. We were friends. She worried about me when I was going to work, she was always friendly and dear to me.
Meredith was killed and I always wanted justice for her. I am not running away from the truth, and I never escaped from the truth. I insist on finding the truth. I insist after four desperate years, on my innocence, and on our innocence, because it is the truth and we deserve to be protected, recognized.
I want to go back home, I want to go back to my life. I don’t want to be punished. I don’t want my life taken away from me, my future, for something I didn’t do because I am innocent. Rafaelle is innocent. We deserve freedom because we didn’t commit this crime.
I have lot of respect for this court and for how the court conducted this trial, and I am thankful, and for this reason I ask for justice.
Translation for KING5 by Paola Copolla-Kuvac.
