Amanda Knox Case: Will It Be Acquittal Or Conviction for Knox?

Facing the biggest legal battle of her life, Amanda Knox may get the final decision on her murder case in March this year that could determine whether it is freedom or conviction – for the third time - for her.

Knox, an American, was convicted twice in separate trials by Italian courts for the murder of her former flatmate, Meredith Kercher, a British exchange student at the University of Perugia in Italy.

Knox supporters circulated a petition in a last-ditch effort to clear her name. The petition allegedly originated from Ground Report, believed to be a pro-Knox platform.

The petition sought a fair trial for Knox and her co-defendant, her former Italian boyfriend Rafaelle Sollecito. It claimed violations of civil rights of the two accused as well as of international laws. It claimed further that the Italian judiciary is pinning the murder on Knox and Sollecito.

Knox was a co-defendant in the brutal killing of Kercher, along with Sollecito and Rudy Guede, from the Ivory Coast. The three were earlier convicted based on pieces of evidence.

Kercher was found dead in 1997 in the home she shared with Knox and other coeds. Her throat had been slit. The three were arrested and faced trials.

On Oct. 28, 2008, Guede was sentenced to 30 years in prison, but this reduced to 16 on appeal. On Jan. 16, 2009, the trial of Knox and Sollecito began. On Dec. 5, 2009, Knox was sentenced to 26 years, while Sollecito got 25 years. Knox's family called the verdict a "failure of the Italian judicial system." On Dec. 16, 2010, Guede's conviction was confirmed by Italy's highest appeals court.

On Oct. 3, 2011, the appeals court overturned both Knox and Sollecito's murder convictions, and the two were released from jail immediately. On Oct. 4, 2011, Knox returned to her hometown of Seattle, Washington.

On March 26, 2013, the Court of Cassation in Rome, Italy's highest criminal court, reversed the appeals verdict and ordered a retrial for the two. On Jan. 30, 2014, Knox and Sollecito were again convicted of killing Kercher. Knox was meted a jail term of 28 and a half years.

Knox vowed to appeal the ruling and said she would not return to Italy. The final decision on Knox's case is set in March this year.