Diksha Sundriyal
In Hulu’s ‘The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox,’ the story of the eponymous protagonist unfolds in the aftermath of her roommate’s murder. As the prosecution closes in on her as the prime suspect, the media paints her in a radically different light than how the people around her know her. As her friends in Italy step back from her and even testify against her in court, her friends from back home stand by her, and one of them is Madison Paxton.
Madison Paxton Never Doubted Amanda Knox’s Innocence
Madison Paxton met Amanda Knox while they were at the University of Washington. Madison revealed that she could hear Amanda singing through the wall, so she told her that she liked her voice. This was the beginning of their friendship that strengthened over the two years they spent together in college. Then Amanda went to Perugia, Italy, and Meredith Kercher’s murder changed everything. Later, Madison talked about her friend’s innocent and slightly naive nature, which made her think that Amanda’s overly optimistic view of the world might make her trust the wrong people. Still, the worst-case scenario she thought of was that Amanda would end up getting entangled with the wrong guy and have her heart broken. She never thought that things would get so bad that her friend would end up in jail.
In fact, when Madison and Amanda’s other friends found out that she had been arrested, they laughed because the idea of Amanda getting involved in any form of violence, let alone murder, was incredibly absurd to them. However, as the media started painting her as a sex-crazed maniac, Madison stood by her. In 2008, she spoke to the Today show and called her one of the few people she trusts with her life. She called out media outlets for labeling her “Foxy Knoxy” and all the other bad names, when in reality, the Amanda she knew was nothing like that. She made it clear that she had irrevocable belief in Amanda’s innocence and that she would stick by her, no matter what. And she stood by her decision.
Madison Paxton Stood by Amanda Knox During Her Trial
In 2010, Madison moved to Perugia to be there for Amanda during her trial. Some of Amanda’s other friends also showed up, but while they went back home shortly after, Madison stayed back until the whole trial was done. She testified on her friend’s behalf and visited her in prison twice a week. She revealed that fearing Amanda might not get out of prison, they would time their conversations to precisely one hour because, in case she was not let go, that’s the limit of time they could spend talking to each other in one go. To give the world a glimpse into Amanda’s mental state while in prison, Madison maintained a video diary, which was later used in CBS’ documentary program, ‘48 Hours.’
Madison stayed in Italy until Amanda was found not guilty in the appeal hearing and was allowed to return home. Back in Seattle, she helped Amanda settle down and try to go back to her normal life, one step at a time. To support herself while living in Perugia, Madison started working for a local newspaper where she helped them build their photo archive by taking pictures of the towns around the Umbria region. She also started learning Italian. Amanda helped her with it by talking to her and writing letters to her in Italian. Madison would also respond to her letters in Italian, and if there were any errors, Amanda would highlight them so her friend could work upon them.
While Madison doesn’t consider moving to Perugia an entirely selfless act for her friend, Amanda’s family was grateful for her support. Amanda’s stepfather, Chris, once described her and Madison as each other’s mirror image, with the latter being considered a little more responsible due to her upbringing in a large family. He also credited Madison with being the glue that keeps Amanda’s friend group from home together. This shows how important a role Madison played in Amanda’s life, especially in helping her survive some of the most difficult years of her life. The same support is also reflected in ‘The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox,’ though certain details have been modified for dramatization. Now, while Amanda continues to be in the public spotlight, Madison has receded into the shadows and prefers to keep her personal life out of the media scrutiny.
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