Diksha Sundriyal
In Hulu’s ‘The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox,’ the story is told from the perspective of the protagonist as a public trial ensues following the investigation into the murder of Meredith Kercher. While the cops close in on Amanda Knox as the prime suspect, her boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, also gets embroiled in the case as he is considered her partner-in-crime. While the main focus is on Amanda trying to prove her innocence, the same struggle is also experienced by Raffaele, whose life is permanently changed by the allegations.
Raffaele Sollecito Became a Prime Suspect in Meredith Kercher’s Murder
Born in March 1983 to a urologist and a homemaker in Giovinazzo, Italy, Raffaele Sollecito had been pursuing a computer science degree at Perugia University when his paths crossed with Amanda Knox at a classical music concert in October 2007. Several days after they got involved in a romantic relationship, Amanda’s roommate, Meredith Kercher, was found dead in their flat. The suspicion soon turned towards Amanda, and Raffaele’s name was also thrown in the hat, due to his closeness to Amanda, despite them having known each other rather recently. Amanda and Raffaele were each other’s alibi, as they had spent the night together at his apartment. However, eventually, Amanda ended up signing a confession, which she later claimed was due to coercion and pressure from the cops.
Raffaele tried to place himself at his own house for the entire night. Reportedly, he told the cops that he had been surfing the internet, but his computer records said otherwise. Moreover, his DNA was also reportedly found on Amanda’s bra clasp, but it was later found to be the result of DNA contamination. Raffaele and Amanda’s confession that they had been smoking marijuana that night, which made it difficult for them to recall certain things clearly, also seemed to work against them. Eventually, Raffaele told the cops that Amanda wasn’t with him the entire night, which scrapped her alibi and led to her arrest, as well as that of Raffaele. He later recanted this statement, clarifying that she was with him all along.
In 2009, Raffaele and Amanda were convicted of Meredith’s murder. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison. In 2011, his lawyers filed an appeal and he was acquitted. But then, in 2014, the decision was overturned, and he was convicted again. Finally, in 2015, the highest court of Italy gave him a clean chit, exonerating him of any culpability in Meredith’s murder. Some time later, Raffaele wrote a book, in which he claimed that he had been treated harshly by the cops, who had slapped and threatened him and pressured him into testifying against Amanda. In 2017, he filed for compensation of more than €500,000 (£426,000), stating that fighting the case had thrown him into debt, as he had had to sell two properties (one of which he said was his late mother’s apartment) to be able to pay for his legal fees. The court rejected his plea, and he didn’t receive any compensation.
Raffaele Sollecito is Totally Focused on Furthering His Career Today
Raffaele Sollecito lives in Tavira, Faro, Portugal. He works as a Cloud Architect for UCapital24, where he has been employed on contract since August 2023, and is an AWS Subject Matter Expert for ReeVo Cloud & Cyber Security since 2024. A graduate of the Università degli Studi di Verona in computer engineering, Raffaele won a competition in 2015 where he received €66,000 (£47,000) as part of government funding for his start-up social network called Memories, which allows people to leave messages for their deceased loved ones. He’d come up with the idea while he was in prison for his wrongful conviction and missed visiting his mother’s grave. Over the years, Raffaele has focused on constantly improving in his field so that his qualifications would override his tumultuous past.
Raffaele has talked about the case and the impact it had on his life on various platforms, from news channels to Paramount+’s documentary, ‘Who Killed Meredith Krecher?’ to podcasts like ‘Pulp Podcast,’ ‘H3ROESPODCAST’ and ‘Come il crimine.’ He has also detailed his entire experience in two books: ‘Honor Bound: My Journey to Hell and Back With Amanda Knox,’ co-written with Andrew Gumbel, and ‘A Step Out of the Night: Everything You Never Imagined About Me.’ He revealed that even after he was fully acquitted of the charges, he would have trouble getting hired for various jobs once his potential employers discovered who he was. While things are much better now, he said that he still feels that every new person he meets is somehow biased for or against him because of the case, and he has felt the brunt of it in his personal relationships as well.
Currently,Raffaele is not believed to be in a relationship, though, in 2019, he’d revealed that he was engaged to his then-girlfriend, Andreea Mihaela Burtea. Despite everything that Raffaele has been through, he has adopted a calm demeanour and has decided to focus entirely on the future. In his personal time, he loves to travel, having been to Spain, Portugal, Poland, and Scotland, to name a few places. He is also a fan of ‘Harry Potter’ and was sorted into House Ravenclaw. He also harbours a love for dogs and had a dog named Derik. He is also a vegan and speaks out against animal cruelty through social media platforms.
Raffaele Sollecito is Still in Touch with Amanda Knox
Raffaele Sollecito’s relationship with Amanda Knox started as a summer fling in college, but days into it, they both went through something that bonded them for life. While they were not in love with one another, they did keep in touch with each other for the four years they spent in prison through letters, books, and other stuff. When they were released from prison, Raffaele went to Seattle to meet Amanda, and they have since stayed in touch with each other through email, Skype, and social media. They saw each other again in 2022, when Amanda went back to Italy. Shortly before Meredith’s death, the couple had planned to visit the town of Gubbio in Italy, but they couldn’t go there due to the complications related to the case. Fifteen years later, the duo decided to go there together, accompanied by their families. Raffaele described the meeting as a nice reunion where he got to meet Amanda’s husband, Chris Robinson, and their daughter, Eureka.
In 2024, when the Italian court upheld Amanda’s conviction of slander against her former boss, Patrick Lubumba, Raffaele said that he was not surprised by it. He referred to their previous conviction, which was overturned, then reversed to a conviction, and then eventually confirmed with an acquittal as a measure of how the Italian justice system has failed him and Amanda and cannot be trusted. He has also expressed his hope that the complete truth about Meredith’s death will come to light and give some closure to her family. He added that the truth would also help him in moving on.
Read More: Chris Robinson: Where is Amanda Knox’s Husband Now?
