Everyone seems to have an opinion on who killed Meredith Kercher. Amanda Knox, the main subject of the new Netflix documentary that bears her name, certainly has drawn the most attention. But she's not the only one who stood accused of the crime. There's also Rudy Guede, the so-called "drifter," according to the doc, who is the only person still serving a prison sentence for murdering Kercher. And then there's Raffaele Sollecito, Knox's former boyfriend. He was officially exonerated of the crime alongside Knox in 2015, but should he have been? Is Raffaele Sollecito guilty of murdering Meredith Kercher?
In the eyes of the court, he's not. There was no physical evidence that tied Sollecito to Kercher's murder, no motive, and no witnesses. Really, there's no reason to believe that he had anything to do with the murder of Kercher. And since his case has been decided once and for all, there's no real point in debating about his supposed guilt or innocence in a public forum anyway. He was declared innocent, after far more scrutiny and punishment than most people face in a similar circumstance, and he should be treated as such. In other words, Sollecito shouldn't go through the rest of his life being treated like someone who got away with murder when all available evidence suggests that's not the case.
We should all allow Sollecito to move on with his life. Unlike Knox, who laid low once returning home to the U.S. after her first acquittal and took a freelancing job with her hometown newspaper, Sollecito has become somewhat of a public figure in Italy. In 2013, he published a book about his tumultuous legal situation, Honor Bound: My Journey to Hell and Back with Amanda Knox. He also started a business that drew some controversy, a social network for the dead called Memories , according to The Guardian. On the site, users create profiles for their deceased loved ones, with the option of ordering "graveside services," such as flowers or candles, to be delivered to their graves. Sollecito also has a TV gig that utilizes the most well-known period of his life. Beginning this year, he began work as a crime expert on Italian cable news channel Tgcom24, according to NBC News. And given his experiences in and out of the Italian court system over eight years, I don't think it's a stretch to think that he may be able to offer some valuable insight into the subject.
Sollecito was deemed innocent in the eyes of the law, and there's no reason to believe he isn't. He has moved on with his life after his legal nightmare, and it's time his detractors moved on with theirs as well.
