HuluThe Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox continued this week with Episode 3, ‘The Guardian of Perugia’, portraying Knox’s harrowing first days in prison and an unexpected HIV diagnosis.
Knox herself serves as executive producer on the Hulu series, which details the 2007 murder of British student Meredith Kercher and the subsequent wrongful convictions of Knox, her boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, and her boss Patrick Lumumba.
Although the real killer, Rudy Guede, was eventually captured, his arrest and conviction were overshadowed by the media storm surrounding Knox, who was portrayed as a femme fatale by the tabloids and the police.
Episode 3 delves into prosecutor Giuliano Mignini’s background and why his idealistic ideals on the idea of justice may have contributed to Knox’s conviction. Meanwhile, Knox’s arrival in prison leads to a terrifying reveal.
Does Amanda Knox have HIV?
NetflixNo, Amanda Knox does not have HIV. However, while in prison, she was falsely told by doctors that she had tested positive for the sexually transmitted disease. Although this was later retracted, the initial claim left her feeling even more isolated.
This moment is depicted in The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox Episode 3 as she’s checked into prison. Knox is confused and desperate to speak with her mom, but the guards don’t help with her requests.
When we cut to Mignini, he’s building his false theory, suggesting that Knox brought Lumumba and Sollecito to Kercher in their Italian flat, before their “lust and appetites turn evil.”
This was one of many flaws in the original investigation: the false, opinion-based portrayal of Knox as a sexually deviant killer. Her sex life became a focal point of the first trial, with Knox made to write out a list of past lovers – which was leaked to the press.
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She was also made to undergo multiple STD tests, leading to the incorrect HIV diagnosis. In the true crime series, after being sexually harassed by a guard and attending a confusing hearing, Knox is seen at the prison hospital.
The doctor bluntly tells her, “Your blood tests from your intake exam. I’m afraid you’ve tested positive for HIV… HIV before AIDS.” The revelation leaves her speechless, but before she can ask questions, the guard pulls her back to her cell.
Later on, she’s told it was a false positive – it’s just another moment of psychological torture Knox endured while behind bars. In real life, she wasn’t told the truth until two weeks later.
Speaking to the Guardian in 2009 about this moment, the real Knox said, “I was crying, thinking I cannot have children.”
Amanda Knox receives support over sex list ordeal
Ahead of the premiere of the new TV show, Knox went into detail about the character assassination she endured by the police, referencing the HIV ordeal.
“Yes, I slept with seven people by age 20. (Three were serious boyfriends; one was Raffaele.),” she wrote. “This was made public after police lied to me that I had HIV, then told me to write a list of my partners, then confiscated my diary and leaked it to the media. ‘I don’t want to die,’ I wrote.”
“Great memories. I very much didn’t know what I was doing in the sex department, and yes, was quite vanilla. But thanks for shaming me.”
One supporter said in response, “How mortifying to have all this publicized. So sorry about all you endured.”
Another commented, “I think the vilification of you was, and is, a manifestation of deeply ingrained societal misogyny and prurience. Sexual jealousy, infatuation, fear, who knows what, but it’s a potent, toxic mix.
“PhD theses could be written about it, but it wasn’t your fault. You just slotted into the well-worn trope. Wrong place, wrong time. Having followed your story since the start, I love seeing how you’ve taken ownership of it and are not a victim of it.”
The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox Episode 4 drops on Hulu on September 3. Until then, check out the new true crime coming to streaming this month, learn about Monster Season 4, and read the most shocking details in A Body in the Snow: The Trial of Karen Read.