The notorious Amanda Knox is back in the news again, this time for making a murder joke on her Instagram account, dividing people over whether or not it was simply a creative jest or a tasteless bout of flippancy.
According to Fox News, Knox participated in a murder mystery party with friends recently. When posting photos of the event on social media, she used the opportunity to make some sarcastic comments about her role in the cosplay.
“Victorian London: A priceless painting goes missing and the owner is found both poisoned and stabbed. And would you believe it, I, the Countess of Lovelace, am accused,” Knox explained in an Instagram post on Sunday. “Also acquitted, all in 4 hours. Better than 4 years.”
Knox became an instantaneous household name in 2009 when Italian authorities convicted her and her ex-boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, of murdering her British roommate Meredith Kercher. The conviction was later overturned by appeal in 2011 when evidence surfaced indicating Ivory Coast-born Rudy Guede was the killer. However, in 2014, Knox was found guilty again by Italian authorities in yet another retrial. Despite Rudy Guede’s conviction, Italian prosecutors maintained that Knox and Sollecito played some role in Kercher’s death, arguing that Knox, Sollecito, and Guede murdered Kercher after she refused to become involved in a sex game. Italy’s Supreme Court overturned the acquittals, arguing that the jury did not consider all the evidence and that some discrepancies in their testimonies needed to be answered. In 2015, the conviction was overturned by the Supreme Court of Cassation, definitively ruling that Knox and Sollecito were innocent of the charges.
In late January, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) later ordered the Italian government to pay Knox 18,400 Euros in compensation for having violated her rights. “Ms. Knox had been particularly vulnerable, being a foreign young woman, 20 at the time, not having been in Italy for very long and not being fluent in Italian,” the court noted.
Knox’s defense attorney, Carlo Dalla Vedova, argued her conviction was “probably the biggest legal mistake” Italy has seen in years.
“It is impossible to compensate Amanda for four years in prison for a mistake, said Carlo. “There will be no amount. We are not looking for compensation of damages. We are doing this on principle.”
Despite Knox’s clear sarcasm in the Instagram post, certain Instagram users were deeply offended by the joke, denouncing it as distasteful.
“You have no shame,” one Instagram user wrote, in part.
“Anything for attention,” a user echoed.
“Murder, your favourite subject!” a third added.
One user testified to Knox’s innocence while believing the joke distasteful: “I believe you are innocent of the murder of Meredith Kercher, Amanda, but really, this post is ridiculously tone deaf. Surely, you must have expected some backlash?”
Others were more supportive of Knox.
“Knox displayed class and admirable restraint in an incredibly trying setting. A lovely and dignified young lady I’d be honored to meet!” one user said.
Another said, “Sense of humor gets us through! To you folks trashing her — maybe you should get one.”