Who is Amanda Knox? Author labels Johnny Depp vs Amber Heard case a spectacle with 'no winners'

American author Amanda Knox expressed her opinion on the current high-profile defamation case between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard.

In an op-ed published on May 24, Knox said that the trial has now turned into a "spectacle" with no winners, and she feels bad for the former couple.

In a piece titled, "I feel for Depp and Heard – I know what it’s like to have the public decide you’re guilty," Knox wrote:

"Who wins in a trial like this? Not Depp. Not Heard. Not us.”

The 34-year-old recalled getting international attention and scrutiny during her legal proceedings, adding that she knows “what it’s like to have the public decide you’re guilty.”

“I am still dealing with the psychological trauma of the public shaming I’ve endured. It’s no small thing.”

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All about Amanda Knox and her recently published op-ed article

Amanda Knox is an exoneree, journalist, public speaker, and the New York Times best-selling author of the memoir Waiting to Be Heard. She co-hosts the podcast Labyrinths with her husband, author Christopher Robinson.

Knox gained media attention between 2007 and 2015, when she spent around four years in an Italian prison and eight years on trial for the murder of her roommate and British student Meredith Kercher, which she did not commit.

Meredith Kercher, a 21-year-old from Surrey, England, was sexually abused and stabbed to death. Consequently, 20-year-old Knox and her boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito emerged as key suspects.

Despite facts pointing elsewhere, Italian prosecutors focused on the alleged wrongdoing of Knox, whose Myspace username, "Foxy Knoxy," created numerous rumors of her being a promiscuous man-eater.

Amanda Knox is currently working to educate people about unjust convictions, criminal justice reform, truth-seeking, public shaming, and promoting empathy.

In her current op-ed article for The Independent, Knox discussed Johnny Depp being vilified by the public and spoke out in support after losing his 2020 libel case against The Sun.

She said she supported Depp:

“Not because I knew he was innocent of abuse, but because … he was being punished by the court of public opinion without a guarantee for proportional sentencing or a right to appeal.”

Knox expressed sympathy for Heard after viewing the trial in Fairfax, Virginia, stating that "a special kind of rancor" is directed at women at such times.

“The more credible evidence that has emerged in Heard’s favor, the more violent the rhetoric against her has become.”

She then referenced Amber Heard's testimony about "vitriol from Johnny Depp supporters," where two of the actor's supporters were kicked out of court for allegedly threatening the actress.

Amanda Knox further noted that “the death threats are not just online.”

“As someone who’s received plenty of death threats, I can tell you that, while it’s a fairly safe assumption that most are empty rhetoric fueled by rageful echo chambers, misinformation, and anonymity, you never know. And that slim chance is terrifying.”

In concluding her piece, she wrote that her "opinion" on the trial was irrelevant. However, she concluded her op-ed by warning readers that they are turning a court dispute into gossip-filled entertainment.

“No one, not even the privileged and wealthy, should have to face such unforgiving and unaccountable judgment.”

Depp sued Heard for defamation ($50 million) after she dubbed herself a "public figure representing domestic violence" in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed.

Heard subsequently countersued him for $100 million, claiming he defamed her when he and his lawyer Adam Waldman told the press in 2020 that she had made up abuse accusations.