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Amanda Knox, seen here on June 6, 2008, was called "a devil with an angel's face" by the media. In this early appearance in a courtroom in Perugia, Italy, Knox opts for a decorative, short-sleeved blouse and blue jeans. Did the prosecution capitalize on Knox's good looks and photographic face to add to the image of the young American as a sexual predator? Absolutely, former prosecutor Kimberly Guilfoyle told FoxNews.com. It was an image the defense would need to debunk. "The defense needs to make her more 'plain jane,' and less like the image the prosecution is creating, which is this image of a sex-crazed, murderous vixen," Guilfoyle told FoxNews.com.![Amanda_Knox___Foxy5]()
Knox attracted international headlines after she was charged with the murder and sexual assault of her British roommate, Meredith Kercher, whose throat was slashed on Nov. 1, 2007. "She was called Foxy Knoxy -- the defense needs to strip her of this image," Guilfoyle tells FoxNews.com. "What I tell people is this: dress like you're going to a job interview or to church." Knox looks polished in a delicate white blouse and blue jeans as she leaves the court room on Sept. 16, 2008.![Amanda_Knox___Foxy1]()
Knox, seen here in court on July 17, 2009, attracted global attention while on trial. Prosecutors in the case say Knox stabbed roommate Meredith Kercher during a drug-fueled sex game while Knox's ex-boyfriend, Rafeale Sollecito, held Kercher down. "They needed to completely reverse this image of a sex-crazed young woman," Guilfoyle said.![Amanda_Knox___Foxy3]()
Knox, dressed in plain garb and without makeup, is seen here in court on July 17, 2009. "It's like an episode of 'Extreme Make-Over' for Knox," Guilfoyle tells FoxNews.com. Early in the trial, much attention was paid by the media to Knox's "angel" face and photographic good looks -- attention that could have hurt Knox in the eyes of the jury, according to Guilfoyle.![Amanda_Knox1]()
Knox, seen here attending closing arguments on Tuesday, Dec.1, 2009, looks decidedly less polished in a conservative black sweater with her haired pulled back and no makeup. Is the somber look part of a legal strategy by the defense? "This is a completely planned. What they're doing is taking a page out of the criminal defense 101," Guilfoyle told FoxNews.com. "You want to present your client in the best light possible. She's been dubbed as a murderous, sex-crazed vixen. They need to strip her of that image." Knox's make-over came as the defense made the case that female Italian prosecutors had it in for the young American because they found a sex-toy in her purse.![Knox's New Look]()
Knox, seen here attending closing arguments for the murder trial on Dec. 2, 2009, once again sports a conservative look and somber expression. Gone are the bright colors and feminine blouses of many of her earlier court appearances. The muted tones and simple hair-do are not accidental, according to Guilfoyle. "This is a strategy that works. When you talk to juries after, they say, 'she really didn't look like a killer.' You see this happen in courtrooms all over America."![Knox's New Look]()
Knox, seen here on Dec. 3, 2009, once again opts for a conservative hair style with no makeup. "The defense does not want to draw any attention to her for her looks, they don't want anything vibrant or racy," Guilfoyle told FoxNews.com. Knox made the case on the final day of closing arguments that she did not want to be branded with "the mask of an assassin."![Amanda_Knox3]()
Amanda Knox, seen here in the final months of the trial on Oct. 9, 2009, dresses in a casual sweatshirt with no make-up. "What the defense needs to do is make her more like a 'plain Jane,'" Guilfoyle said. "There's no make-up, no nail polish, the hair is pulled back in a simple style. This is completely planned."![Knox's Lawyers]()
Amanda Knox's lawyers Carlo Dalla Vedova and Luciano Ghirga look on inside the Perugia, Italy courtroom on Dec. 2.![Luciano Ghirga]()
Amanda Knox's attorney Luciano Ghirga looks on in the Perugia court room on Dec. 2, 2009.Amanda Knox's Changing Image
American college student Amanda Knox, 22, is on trial in Italy for the murder and sexual assault of her British college roommate, Meredith Kercher. Knox, dubbed "Foxy Knoxy" by the press, has been stereotyped by the media for her good looks. But in their closing arguments, Knox's attorneys sought to dash this image, bringing their client to court in very plain attire -- a tactic lawyers say may help drum up sympathy for the young defendant.
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- Amanda Knox's Changing Image
