Amanda Knox, who was convicted of murdering her roommate Mereditch Kercher twice in an Italian court, is now working as a freelance journalist for the West Seattle Herald.
Web Editor Patrick Robinson revealed he actually approached her about the job, and she started under a pen name at first.
Robinson told the Daily Beast, “We approached her originally to give her the opportunity of a normal life. We simply asked her as we would ask anyone of that age and stage, if they would be interested in writing for us as a qualified writer of that scale and this level of journalism.”
Knox was acquitted of Kercher’s murder in 2011 and she returned to the U.S. after four years behind bars in Italy. In a turn of events, in January 2014, a retrial upheld her guilty verdict and she was sentenced to 25 years in jail. She has appealed and hasn’t been extradited to Italy yet.
Robinson called her a “very bright, very capable, highly qualified writer,” praising her work and progress in just a few short months of writing.
He also said they weren’t concerned with public opinion about her working there. “It doesn’t matter what people say or think—the truth is that she’s a West Seattle resident, she grew up here Why not give her the opportunity to be an actual human being versus a celebrity?” he asked.
image via Roger Wong/INFphoto.com