The four year odyssey Amanda Knox has endured since her roommate Meredith Kercher was brutally murdered in what prosecutors called a "drug fueled sex game" is over.
Although she was convicted along with her boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito and sentenced to 26 years in prison, an appeals jury assisted by two judges in Italy has acquitted Knox of the murder.
A third person, Ivory Coast resident Rudy Guede, who was convicted separately is not affected by this decision.
During the appeal an independent panel of forensic experts appointed by the court, analyzed the DNA which the prosecution relied upon to convict Knox, calling it "contaminated and unreliable."
Curiously, a video of crime scene technicians collecting the most damaging evidence is an example of how NOT to collect evidence. Technicians pick up the victim's bra clasp six weeks after the crime and pass it on to each other then put it back down. When they hold the clasp up for the camera specs of dirt are clearly visible on the gloves.
In addition, the evidence was not stored pursuant to internationally accepted standards.
Although the prosecution relied upon reports about Knox's bizarre behavior (doing cartwheels and kissing her boyfriend) to make its case, along with inconsistent statements that put her at the murder scene while she implicated a man with a solid alibi, there was never a motive shown for the murder.
The prosecutor also engaged in outright character assassination of Knox calling her a "she-devil"and "foxy Knoxy."
Opinions about the defendant changed after the appointment of independent experts and several allegations of corruption emerged against the prosecutor.
If the jury acquitted purely on the evidence the verdict is the right one. The knife alleged to be the murder weapon that had Amanda's DNA on the handle and the victim's DNA on the blade is no longer positively the murder weapon.
The independent experts said the amount of DNA on it was so minimal that it never should have been admitted in the first place. Without that the circumstantial evidence certainly was not enough to convict.
Bottom line: the appeals jury who acquitted Knox did the right thing.
But there's also this: The family of Knox's murdered roommate Meredith Kerchner was asked if they had forgiveness in their hearts. They simply responded by saying that they want everyone to remember the brutality of what happened that night -- "the fear, the terror and not knowing why."
Judge Jeanine Pirro is the host of "Justice with Judge Jeanine" which airs Saturday evenings at 9 p.m. ET on Fox News Channel. She is a former County Court Judge and District Attorney of Westchester County, New York .
Get the recap of top opinion commentary and original content throughout the week.