Amanda Knox Ex Raffaele Sollecito Gives TV Interview: ‘It’s Over’

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Raffaele Sollecito is set free on Oct. 3, 2011, after spending almost four years in an Italian prison

In his first public appearance since his murder conviction was overturned, Raffaele Sollecito, the onetime boyfriend of Amanda Knox, spoke out about the nearly four years he spent behind bars and the current state of his relationship with Knox.

On the Italian TV program Quarto Grado, the 27-year-old Sollecito acknowledged that Knox had invited him to Seattle but said he was not sure if or when he would go. He confirmed that their relationship is over, according to the Daily Mail: “I still have a great affection toward her, but nothing else.”

Sollecito’s TV interview contradicts earlier reports in the British and Italian media that the former couple were in close contact. Francesco Sollecito, Raffaele’s father, has also denied that his son frequently speaks to Knox.

Knox and Sollecito were sentenced to 26 years and 25 years in Italian prison, respectively, for the murder of Knox’s roommate Meredith Kercher in Perugia in 2007. A review of the DNA evidence in their appeals trial this summer revealed numerous inconsistencies, and after the genetic evidence was largely discredited, both defendants were declared not guilty and freed in October.

(MORE: Amanda Knox Goes Free: Why Italy Isn’t Pleased About Her Trial by Media)

The couple had been dating for only a week before the murder, so it seems their relationship never got a chance to develop naturally. In the interview, Sollecito said, “We were both victims of a cruel injustice, and our relationship was overcome by this tragedy — our lives are linked by circumstances, but now they are very different.”

Sollecito also expressed a desire to help the Kercher family find out what really happened to their daughter, though it is unclear what he could do to accomplish this. He said he tried to contact them but “found the doors closed” and did not press any further.

Knox has tried to resume a normal life in Seattle, and is reportedly in a live-in relationship with classical guitarist James Terrano. She came under fire recently when she dressed as a cat burglar for Halloween, which critics deemed insensitive and tasteless. Kercher was killed in what was either a real or staged burglary attempt.

Frankly, NewsFeed can’t blame either party for wanting to put this chapter of their lives solidly in the past. The next question is, when will Knox speak out?

MORE: Why There Will Always Be Three Amanda Knoxes

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Strauss-Kahn set for TV interview

Prosecutors said Nafissatou Diallo's lack of credibility meant the charges had to be dropped

  Dominique Strauss-Kahn was questioned by police in Paris last week over a Frenchwoman's complaint Dominique Strauss-Kahn is set to give his first television interview since charges that he attempted to rape a hotel maid in New York were dropped.The former International Monetary Fund chief will appear on France's TF1 channel on Sunday evening.
He will be questioned by Claire Chazal, a friend of his wife Anne Sinclair.
The laywers for the maid said Mr Strauss-Kahn should face "pointed questions" about the incident otherwise it would be a "publicity stunt".
Mr Strauss-Kahn, 62, resigned as IMF chief in May after his arrest for the alleged attempted rape of Nafissatou Diallo, 32, at the Sofitel hotel in Manhattan.
The charges were dropped in August when prosecutors said the accuser's lack of credibility meant the case could not continue.
She is bringing a civil suit against him.
Opinion poll
The interview will take place during the 20:00 (18:00 GMT) news.
Analysts say Ms Chazal, an ex-colleague of Ms Sinclair, is not known for aggressive questioning and Mr Strauss-Kahn will be well prepared.
The maid's lawyers, Kenneth Thompson and Douglas Wigdor, said Mr Strauss-Kahn should "answer pointed questions about his conduct on 14 May" and if he did not do so the "interview will simply be a public relations stunt".
They said in a statement: "If Mr Strauss-Kahn thinks that people in France will really believe that he was able to convince Ms Diallo, who had never met him before and did not know that he was in the room, to engage in sexual acts with him within a matter of minutes, then he should describe how that happened.
"We suspect that he will not do so because any story that he describes will not be plausible."
A poll by the Ifop institute found that 53% of those surveyed hoped Mr Strauss-Kahn would use the interview to announce his retirement from politics, with 22% hoping he would announce his candidature for next year's presidential election.
Before his arrest, he had been expected to be a strong contender to challenge President Nicolas Sarkozy.
In addition to the New York case, Mr Strauss-Kahn faces an allegation by French author, Tristane Banon, that he tried to rape her in 2003.
He denies the allegation and is suing for defamation.
He was interviewed by French police last week.
An official close to the inquiry told Agence France-Presse that Mr Strauss-Kahn had denied attempted rape and assault but "conceded that he had made advances to her, without being very precise about the nature of these advances".

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