Author Believes Amanda Knox Was Convicted of Murder Because She's Too Pretty

Was Amanda Knox convicted of murder because she's just too pretty?  

"In this case the prosecutor looked at this young beautiful woman and saw a white witch," says writer Nina Burleigh.

Burleigh is the author of the new book The Fatal Gift of Beauty: The Trials of Amanda Knox.

She says Knox's beauty, combined with the lurid charges against her, were particularly compelling in a religiously conservative country like Italy.

"It seems like the Italians have a complicated relationship with her," said INSIDE EDITION's Paul Boyd.

Burleigh said, "They voted her 'Woman of the Year,' beating out Carla Bruni, beating out Angelina Jolie."  

Knox, who's also known by the nickname 'Foxy Knoxy,' was sentenced to 26 years in prison for the 2007 murder of her roommate, Meredith Kercher.

Italian prosecutors say she was stabbed to death during a sex ritual by Knox and her then-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito. They were famously photographed making out when cops found the dead body.

Boyd asked Burleigh, "What other bizarre behavior did she exhibit at the police station?"

"Amanda Knox was tripping gaily in, doing Downward Dogs, she's a yoga enthusiast from Seattle, accustomed to being athletic in public, and that is not something Italian women do."

Burleigh says the worldwide attention focused on Knox compares to the public fascination with Casey Anthony. Both are young, attractive women accused of a shocking crime.  

But while Anthony appeared somber during her murder trial, Knox's behavior in court seemed to be entirely different.

"Smiling at her family when the cameras were pointed at her, so that people would say, 'She's smiling at the cameras, she's flirting.' Well she was actually smiling at family members, but you can't get caught on camera smiling at a murder trial when you're the defendant, you can't do that," Burleigh said.

Now Knox has apparently learned her lesson. She looks more serious while she appeals her conviction     

The author says she first thought Knox was guilty. But after her investigation, she's now convinced she's innocent–cursed because of her beauty.

Knox has now been behind bars for four years. A verdict on her appeal is expected in late September.