Italy's highest court decided today to overturn Amanda Knox's reconviction in connection with her roommate's slaying, meaning that she will not be sent back to prison.
Speaking to reporters in Seattle, Knox said she was still processing the court's decision.
"I just wanted to say that I am incredibly grateful for what has happened, for the justice I've received, for the support that I've had from everyone," she said. "What comes to mind is my gratitude for that life that has been given to me."
Exclusive: Amanda Knox 'Couldn't Believe What I Was Hearing' Meet Amanda Knox's Rocker Fiance Colin Sutherland Amanda Knox Legal Drama Through the YearsKnox, 27, was initially convicted by an Italian court of killing British student Meredith Kercher in 2007, but that decision was overturned on appeal in October 2011 after she had spent four years in prison.
She was then reconvicted last year and an appeal of the reconviction began this month. There is no possibility of any further appeals after Friday’s ruling.
"Meredith was my friend and she deserved so much in this life," Knox told reporters.
Knox's lawyer Carlo Dalla Vedova was her representative in court, saying that Friday's decision was the "best thing that could happen." Prior to the verdict, he told ABC News that the reconviction was "a big mistake that has to be rectified."
Knox previously told ABC News that she would not be traveling to Italy for the new appeal because if found guilty, she would then be sent back to prison for up to 28 years.
"I did not expect this to happen," Knox told ABC News in January 2014. "I really expected so much better from the Italian justice system. They found me innocent once before."
Knox has rebuilt her life in her hometown of Seattle, writing freelance theater reviews for a local paper and working at a bookstore. In February, her family said that she was engaged to Colin Sutherland, a friend whom she has known since middle school.
Her ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito faced the same appeal and was also annulled. While he has been present in the Rome court throughout the week, Knox has remained in America.
"I will never go willingly back," she said in January 2014.
