November 1, 2007 – The murder of Meredith Kercher: British exchange student Meredith Kercher, 21, is found dead in the apartment she shares with Amanda Knox in Perugia, Italy. Her throat is slashed, and signs suggest she may have been sexually assaulted.
November 6, 2007 – Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito arrested: Amanda Knox, her Italian boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, and Patrick Lumumba, Knox’s boss at a local bar, are arrested in connection with Kercher’s murder. Knox accuses Lumumba of the killing during a police interrogation.
November 20, 2007 – Patrick Lumumba released: Lumumba is released after police find no forensic evidence linking him to the murder. He was falsely implicated by Knox during a contentious interrogation.
December 6, 2007 – Rudy Guede arrested in Germany: Rudy Guede, a 20-year-old Ivorian man, is arrested in Germany and extradited to Italy. His DNA is found on Kercher’s body and at the crime scene.
October 28, 2008 – Guede convicted of murder: Guede opts for a fast-track trial and is convicted of Kercher’s murder. He is sentenced to 30 years in prison, later reduced to 16 on appeal.
January 16, 2009 – Knox and Sollecito trial begins: Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito stand trial for the murder of Kercher. Prosecutors allege a sex game gone wrong, while the defence argues that Guede acted alone.
December 4, 2009 – Knox and Sollecito convicted: Knox and Sollecito are found guilty. Knox is sentenced to 26 years in prison; Sollecito receives 25 years.
November 24, 2010 – Appeals process begins: Knox and Sollecito appeal their convictions. A key focus is the forensic evidence, including DNA found on a knife and a bra clasp.
October 3, 2011 – Knox and Sollecito acquitted: An appeals court overturns their convictions, citing errors in the forensic investigation. Knox is freed and returns to Seattle.
March 26, 2013 – Italy’s Supreme Court orders retrial: Italy’s Court of Cassation annuls the acquittals, ordering a retrial for Knox and Sollecito.
January 30, 2014 – Knox and Sollecito reconvicted: Knox and Sollecito are reconvicted in their retrial. Knox, now in the U.S., is sentenced to 28.5 years in prison.
March 25, 2015 – Final acquittal: Italy’s Supreme Court definitively acquits Knox and Sollecito of Kercher’s murder, citing lack of evidence and glaring errors in the investigation.
November 2021 – Rudy Guede released: Rudy Guede, the sole person definitively convicted in connection with Kercher’s death, is released from prison after serving 13 years.
2023 – present – Knox’s slander conviction: Despite her acquittal, Knox is convicted of slander for falsely accusing Patrick Lumumba.
2023: The European Court of Human Rights rules that Knox’s rights were violated during her 2007 interrogation.
June 2024: An Italian court upholds her slander conviction, a decision confirmed by Italy’s high court in January 2025.
