Knox to tell of prisoner ordeal after book deal

The 24-year-old Seattle resident, imprisoned for four years in Perugia, Italy, has not publicly discussed her ordeal beyond a brief expression of gratitude upon her release last October.

“Knox will give a full and unflinching account of the events that led to her arrest in Perugia and her struggles with the complexities of the Italian judicial system,” publisher HarperCollins said last night.

“Aided by journals she kept during her imprisonment, Knox will talk about her harrowing experience at the hands of the Italian police and later prison guards and inmates. She will reveal details surrounding her case, and describe how she used her inner strength and strong family ties to cope with the most challenging time of her young life.”

The book, currently untitled, is scheduled for release in 2013.

Financial terms were not disclosed for the deal. But it was negotiated on Ms Knox’s behalf by Washington attorney Robert Barnett. Some 20 publishers were interested in the book.

Earlier this week, Italian prosecutors asked the country’s highest criminal court to reinstate the murder convictions of Ms Knox and her former boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito.

Victim Meredith Kercher was found in a pool of blood. The appeals court in October said the guilty verdicts against the pair were not corroborated by any evidence, and that the court hadn’t proven they were in the house when Ms Kercher was killed.

A third defendant, Rudy Guede, was convicted in a separate trial of sexually assaulting and stabbing Ms Kercher.