Tearful Knox to Court: 'I Did Not Kill, I Did Not Rape'

Amanda Knox gave an emotional appeal to an Italian court today, insisting, "I did not kill, I did not rape" Meredith Kercher. "I am paying with my life for things that I did not commit," said a shaking and tearful Knox in fluent Italian. "I am not who they say I am. The perversion, the violence, the lack of respect for life—I did not do the things they are saying I did. I did not kill, I did not rape, I did not steal. I was not there." She worked on the speech for three months, her father tells the BBC, and the Telegraph adds that she did not use any notes while speaking. A verdict is expected late today, Reuters reports.

Knox insisted that she had "good relationships" with all her flatmates, including Kercher, even though Knox was "untidy, careless." "I shared my life, particularly with Meredith," Knox said. Her ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, who is also appealing his murder conviction, gave his own address, asserting his innocence and denying that he ever accused Knox of the murder. (More Amanda Knox stories.)