AMANDA KNOX's appeal against her conviction for killing the British student Meredith Kercher has taken a surreal turn after two prosecution witnesses accused a defence lawyer of offering to pay for a witness's sex change. The trial of AMANDA KNOX was recently documented in the controversial movie 'Amanda Knox: Murder On Trial in Italy', starring the Hollywood actress Hayden Panettiere.
According to the UK's Guardian newspaper, the most recent session of Knox's appeal featured the already convicted Rudy Guede accusing the American of killing Kercher. Knox responded by telling the court she was "shocked and anguished" by the accusation, adding, "He knows we were not there and were not involved". The court also heard from an inmate who claimed mafia member Luicano Aviello had told him he had been offered $70,000 by an Italian lawyer to invent a story to distance Knox and her boyfriend from the murder. Another inmate said Aviello had told him the same story, saying he would use the money for a sex-change. Actress Panettiere had caused controversy back in February 2011 after "commending" Knox for her bravery, telling the Sun newspaper, "She's not a malicious girl. She didn't have any intention to do this. This wasn't an angry or dark girl. She really tried to be as stoic and as brave as she could against all odds and I do commend her for it".
The controversial AMANDA KNOX movie was broadcast on Lifetime, despite calls from lawyers for the network to abandon the production.