Amanda Knox and ex-lover, Raffaele Sollecito, secretly met in New York City just hours after Italian judges ordered a retrial over Meredith Kercher’s murder. Britain’s Daily Mirror has published photos of an intimate reunion between the two, who were acquitted in October 2011 after serving four years in an Italian prison for the 2007 murder of Meredith Kercher. Knox, 25, and Sollecito, 29, were initially convicted of the crime and sentenced to 26 and 25 years respectively in prison. The photos of the ex-couple’s reunion were allegedly taken last Tuesday, the same day that Italy’s highest court harshly faulted the appeals court for acquitting the duo and ordered a new trial to consider all of the evidence.
Knox and Sollecito were seen hugging and kissing during their not-so-“secret” meeting in New York. As expected, the embrace already triggered serious concerns, many believing that the couple should not be in contact with each other. The pair spent Tuesday visiting New York together. According to the Daily Mail, James Terrano, who is apparently Knox’s steady boyfriend, was nowhere to be seen. Strangely enough, Knox’s mother was trailing the couple the entire day, acting as a sort of “chaperone.”
An onlooker speaking to the Daily Mirror described the couple, saying:
“They just looked like a normal couple who had been with each other a long time. Together with her mum they explored Manhattan and took the subway to get around.”
“You only have to look at him to see he still holds a huge torch for Amanda. He clearly finds her captivating. When they hugged she closed her eyes as he gave her a tender kiss on her cheek.”
“At one point he put his arm around her to help warm her up. They never once stopped chatting.”
“It’s astonishing they are allowed to even talk to each other, let alone see one another, considering they are both suspects in a murder trial.”
The Mirror reports that when Knox and Sollecito were confronted about their meeting, they were “cagey” in the responses. Also, Knox refused to comment on the Italian court’s ruling while her mother said that “We need to speak to our lawyers.” Meanwhile Sollecito, who disclosed that he has no desire to return to his homeland, mentioned that “We have everything to do now. We have a lot of planning.” Included in this “planning,” is Sollecito’s desperate attempt to raise money to fund the retrial. According to the Daily Mail, he launched a $500,000 online appeal for donations. He said he needed the cash for “legal expenses,” probably to pay for his lawyer, Giulia Bongiorno, who is reportedly the highest paid attorney in Italy. On Sollecito’s Facebook page, he invites potential donors to help him through a site called Gofundme.com saying, “I’ll use and certify all the expenses paid with this funds. If in the future, I will not need this funds anymore for legal expenses, I’ll donate the rest of the funds to a research foundation. Please help.” As of Friday, he already raised more than $4,000 – if the donations keep going at this rate, Sollecito will meet his target before the trial starts.
The big questions raised are: why did the duo meet after their long separation? And have they met up before? Take a look at these photos and decide for yourself:
