Is Amanda Knox Going Blind in an Italian Prison?

Is Amanda Knox going blind in prison? Some are reporting that the American fears she is losing her sight, but her family denies the story. INSIDE EDITION has more.

Amanda Knox, the American student in prison in Italy, is having an emotional breakdown behind bars. Knox says she's suffering from headaches, blackouts, depression, and hair loss.

Newsweek correspondent Barbie Latza Nadeau, who just published a book on the case, Angel Face, says the Seattle student is losing hope.

"Your book reveals that prison life is taking a toll on her," says INSIDE EDITION's Paul Boyd.

"That's right. Everyone that has spoken to Amanda Knox, everyone who visits her, her friends, report that she's losing her hair, she's depressed, she has a hard time keeping her spirits up," says Nadeau.

London's Daily Mirror is also reporting that Amanda is slowly going blind, a claim now being denied by her family.

Amanda does have a boyfriend, not Raffaele Sollecito, the young man she canoodled with at the crime scene and who was convicted with her, but University of Washington student David Johnsrud.

He attended her trial and visits her in prison whenever he can.

"He has been a big support for her and I think she probably leans on him a lot. When DJ visits her, I think they are allowed to hug as I understand it within the prison system but it's very difficult for a woman that age," Nadeau says.

INSIDE EDITION is also learning more about conditions in the Italian prison where Amanda is serving her 26-year sentence.

"She shares a cell with a woman from New Orleans. They have a private bathroom and a little kitchenette where they can prepare food they buy from the commissary," Nadeau says.

 

Many Americans believe Knox is innocent, but the author says her family has manipulated media coverage in the United States. She says the forensic evidence was convincing.

"A lot of forensic evidence was presented and Amanda Knox's lawyers didn't do an exceptional job in knocking down that evidence," Nadeau tells Paul Boyd.

Knox's appeal will be filed in the next few days, but it may take another year before it's considered.

"Amanda is appealing her conviction. [Is there] any chance it's overturned from your perspective?" asks Boyd.

"Oh I think there's a big chance that she will at least have a good bit of time knocked off her sentence. It could be overturned. In Italy this happens quite often," explains Nadeau.

Under Italian law, an appeal would mean essentially a retrial of the entire case.