Raffaele Sollecito is set free on Oct. 3, 2011, after spending almost four years in an Italian prison
In his first public appearance since his murder conviction was overturned, Raffaele Sollecito, the onetime boyfriend of Amanda Knox, spoke out about the nearly four years he spent behind bars and the current state of his relationship with Knox.
On the Italian TV program Quarto Grado, the 27-year-old Sollecito acknowledged that Knox had invited him to Seattle but said he was not sure if or when he would go. He confirmed that their relationship is over, according to the Daily Mail: “I still have a great affection toward her, but nothing else.”
Sollecito’s TV interview contradicts earlier reports in the British and Italian media that the former couple were in close contact. Francesco Sollecito, Raffaele’s father, has also denied that his son frequently speaks to Knox.
Knox and Sollecito were sentenced to 26 years and 25 years in Italian prison, respectively, for the murder of Knox’s roommate Meredith Kercher in Perugia in 2007. A review of the DNA evidence in their appeals trial this summer revealed numerous inconsistencies, and after the genetic evidence was largely discredited, both defendants were declared not guilty and freed in October.
(MORE: Amanda Knox Goes Free: Why Italy Isn’t Pleased About Her Trial by Media)
The couple had been dating for only a week before the murder, so it seems their relationship never got a chance to develop naturally. In the interview, Sollecito said, “We were both victims of a cruel injustice, and our relationship was overcome by this tragedy — our lives are linked by circumstances, but now they are very different.”
Sollecito also expressed a desire to help the Kercher family find out what really happened to their daughter, though it is unclear what he could do to accomplish this. He said he tried to contact them but “found the doors closed” and did not press any further.
Knox has tried to resume a normal life in Seattle, and is reportedly in a live-in relationship with classical guitarist James Terrano. She came under fire recently when she dressed as a cat burglar for Halloween, which critics deemed insensitive and tasteless. Kercher was killed in what was either a real or staged burglary attempt.
Frankly, NewsFeed can’t blame either party for wanting to put this chapter of their lives solidly in the past. The next question is, when will Knox speak out?