This post contains spoilers for The Twist Tale of Amanda Knox episode 3 from this point forward.
Following her arrest in the previous episode and an opening flashback to Giuliano Mignini childhood and backstory, The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox episode 3 takes us back to October 2007. Meredith and Amanda were bonding in the bathroom while getting ready as she gives Amanda a temporary tattoo on her wrist. It's much, much happier times.
The tattoo has faded as she's entered into the prison facility, though she's not exactly sure where she is. (She asks if it's a witness protection facility.) She's forced to strip naked and they take photographs of her body before being locked in her cell. She asks to speak to her mom, but she has no lawyers and the guard, who claims to be her friend, isn't helpful. Understandably, she's confused, scared, and overwhelmed.
Finally, Edda arrives at the jail to visit Amanda, but they don't immediately allow her back since they have different last names. Meanwhile, Meredith's devastated and heartbroken family identifies her body under the supervision of Mignini. He's swarmed with press when he returns to his office, where he's met with applause when he announces to the team the killers are in jail. But he's not happy: They don't have corroborating evidence.
Mignini continues to pin the murder on Amanda
He's furious that they announced that the case is closed with the arrests of Amanda, Raffaele, and Patrick, but they need evidence to backup their arrests to a judge. There is still so much left to confirm and uncover, and it's clear that they don't really have much by way of DNA, bloody shoe print matches, or even a knife match. Mignini tries to weave together a story, but it's all based on circumstantial evidence.
Amanda struggles in prison with all the screaming she can overhear and the fear of the unknown, but she starts writing a journal to ease her mind. In the morning, she's brought out of her spell to speak to the guard that showed her to her cell. She eats the donut he brought her and mostly ignores his creepy questions about sex. Finally, she's able to see and speak with her mother in a private room, where she can explain everything.
Edda warns her that the lawyers she's hired believe that because of Amanda's statement, her arrest could be validated but are optimistic about house arrest. The guard is listening to their entire conversation, which is being typed out for the investigators. They believe she sounds "cold and entitled." They haven't given her anything, and maybe that's because she doesn't have anything to give them. It's all so frustrating.
During her hearing, Amanda finally meets her lawyers. She sees who she believed was the mayor (Mignini) but is actually her prosecutor. He's pinning the whole thing on her as the "orchestrator of the evening" with "deviant sex games." Based on what we have seen in episode 1 and in flashbacks, it's all lies. Her lawyer has hope the judge will rule in her favor.
New DNA evidence doesn't belong to Amanda Knox
Three days later, news breaks that her fingerprints and Meredith's DNA were found on Raffaele's knife. She can't make sense of how her fingerprints were found on the knife. She's insistent with her lawyers, Carlo and Luciano, that she's innocent, but they don't seem to believe her. The judge validated her arrest, but she's being forced to remain in the prison for up to a year instead of house arrest.
Protests break out in favor of Patrick, and four witnesses corroborate his alibi, but Mignini still isn't certain. However, Meredith's blood and DNA weren't found on Amanda's mop. Mignini's really grasping at straws. Amanda receives the news that based on her blood test, she tested positive for HIV. She breaks down with the priest, but even he doesn't believe her innocence. She demands to speak with Mignini.
She has another hearing, during which she feels more levelheaded and has a translator. She pleads not guilty and answers a number of questions. Mignini asks about how her DNA got on the murder weapon and why she named Patrick. Again, they're pressuring her based on what they believe. Mignini speaks loudly over her and takes her tears as guilt... again. When she returns to her cell, it's been ransacked, but she's informed her HIV test was a false positive. (This really happened.)
When she discovers that her journals have been stolen from her cell, she plugs in the TV she was instructed not to turn on and finds the list of sexual partners she had written down strewn across the news. She's being portrayed as someone that's sexually promiscuous and branded as "Foxy Knoxy" across the world. The episode's end reveals to Mignini that the bloody fingerprints found at the crime scene don't belong to Amanda, Raffaele, or Patrick.
The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox releases new episodes Wednesdays on Hulu.