Meredith Kercher's family lawyer slams 'disrespectful' Amanda Knox after new series

Amanda Knox has executive-produced a new series based on her life and the aftermath of the 2007 murder of Meredith Kercher, and the British student's family lawyer has hit out

Meredith Kercher's family solicitor has delivered a scathing attack on Amanda Knox after the launch of a new series exploring the fallout from the 2007 killing and subsequent trial.

The 38 year old has executive-produced K. J. Steinberg's eight-part Hulu series, The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox, which draws heavily from her autobiography. Grace Van Patten portrays Amanda in the drama.

Following the programme's New York debut on Tuesday, where the cleared American was pictured beaming on the red carpet beside Monica Lewinsky, Kercher family barrister Francesco Maresca has struck back, telling The Mirror, "The important thing is that Amanda Knox clearly wants this case to continue.

"It would be nice and dignified to watch a program or TV show where everything is reconstructed, remembering the life and smile of poor Meredith.", reports the Mirror US.

Mr Maresca continued, "Instead, once again, we have to witness an attempt to reshuffle the cards, and where the trailer states, 'Amanda fights tirelessly to prove her innocence and regain her freedom.' Once again, the focus is on Knox."

When the programme was initially revealed last year, Meredith's sister, Stephanie, remarked, "It is difficult to understand how this serves any purpose."

At the time, Maresca described Amanda's ventures centring on Meredith's killing and the media frenzy that ensued as continuing to be "inappropriate and disrespectful towards the memory of Meredith," alleging the Perugia proceedings had become a means for her to profit from her infamy. "Ms. Knox, after so many years, should respect the silence and memory," he said, as filming took place in the same Italian town where the 21 year old was killed.

In November 2007, Leeds University student Meredith was sexually assaulted, before having her throat slashed and stabbed 47 times while studying in Perugia. Meredith's flatmate, Amanda, and her then-boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, were initially found guilty of her murder alongside Rudy Guede.

The accusations sparked a media frenzy as she was branded 'Foxy Knoxy' by journalists.

The pair were convicted in 2009 but were released following an appeal two years later. Their conviction was restored in 2014 but overturned by Italy's highest court in March 2015.

The mum-of-two has since profited from her ordeal by penning a book, producing a Netflix documentary, hosting multiple podcasts, and delivering various speaking engagements, including some in Italy.

Despite opposition from Perugia residents and those connected to Meredith, she continued with the series, with Monica Lewinsky serving as executive producer. Their bond began in 2017 at a speaking event two years after Amanda was cleared, and has since evolved into a working relationship.

This week, ahead of the 20th August premiere, the Seattle native also discussed explaining the case to her 4 year old daughter, Eureka, telling her: "It's very simple. When Mommy was young, Mommy went to Italy, and she made friends and she had fun, but then someone hurt her friend, and the police thought Mommy hurt her friend, and so they put Mommy in jail.

"Mommy was in jail for a long time, and she was very sad. But then one day, Mommy proved that she was innocent, and she got to go home, and then she met your daddy and had you and lived happily ever after."

Critics argue the new series and Amanda's ongoing public accounts represent a relentless bid to profit from a tragedy in which she played a peripheral role, rather than genuine soul-searching.

Others have questioned whether such programmes serve any function beyond self-promotion, highlighting the ongoing anguish for Meredith's family and the sensationalising of revisiting the extensively covered case.

The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox is streaming on Hulu.