While living in Puglia, Italy, the then 20-year-old Knox returned to the apartment she shared with Kercher and discovered blood in the bathroom and her roommate’s bedroom door locked. After contacting the police, Kercher’s bedroom door was kicked in, and her body was discovered. She had been fatally stabbed.
During the disputed investigation process, Knox implicated herself and her employer in Kercher’s murder. In 2009, Knox and her former employer pleaded not guilty to murder, sexual assault, simulating a burglar,y and other charges.
In December 2009, Knox was wrongly convicted and sentenced to 26 years behind bars. She won her appeal in 2011 and was released before being acquitted in 2015.