Amanda Knox Retrial: Anderson Cooper Thinks There's No Way She's Going Back to Italy

Talk show host and journalist believes that despite an Italian court ruling, Knox should be safe from further prosecution since she's in the U.S.

By Josh Grossberg Mar 26, 2013 7:16 PMTags

Anderson Cooper can't really blame Amanda Knox if she decided not to go back to Italy.

On his syndicated talk show today, the CNN journalist weighed in with co-anchor Kyra Phillips on the news that the country's Supreme Court has ordered the Seattle native to face a retrial along with her ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito in the 2007 stabbing death of her British roommate Meredith Kercher.

"Isn't that crazy?" asked Phillips. "She just started her life all over again, new boyfriend. Thought she was moving on and it's back, and it's so bizarre if you read all the articles; there's a lot of confusion as to why this is happening."

Given Knox was acquitted of the murder in October 2011 after serving four years in an Italian prison, Cooper was a bit flummoxed by the surprise development himself.

"Right, well, her original trial was overturned by an appeals court, and I guess now this new court has decided the appeals court didn't have the proper authorization to rule the way they did, so it goes back to the appeals court," Anderson replied, a bit flummoxed by the surprise development himself.

Cooper then expressed sympathy for the former exchange student.

"The question is, will she actually return to Italy, and I don't think there is any way she is ever going to go back to Italy," said the AC 360° star. "She doesn't have to. She could be possibly, if convicted, they could request extradition, but the U.S. could be like, 'We are not happy with the way the whole system played out so we are not going to extradite her back.' I think she is fine; she's going to have to fight it from here. If I was her, I would be like, 'I am not going back at all, I'm not even going to the Olive Garden.'"

Knox has since released a statement, saying the appellate court's ruling was "painful" and "completely unfounded and unfair." Her lawyer also told ABC News that she has no plans to return to Italy for the trial.