New Hope for Exchange Student Held as Murder Suspect

June 3, 2008 — -- Amanda Knox will most likely celebrate her 21st birthday on July 9 in a maximum security prison in Perugia, Italy, where she has been held the last seven months -- with no charges filed against her -- as a suspect in the gruesome murder of her 20-year-old British roommate Meredith Kercher.

Last November, Kercher was found with her throat slashed after what a prosecutor characterized as a drug-fueled sex orgy gone wrong.

For Amanda's parents, Edda Mellas and Curt Knox, it's been a living nightmare. Their oldest daughter Amanda, an honor student and athlete, now lives in a prison cell where she is only permitted two hours a day to exercise, a recent improvement, and two hours per week for precious family visits. The emotional toll on Amanda's family is unbearable.

In an interview with "Good Morning America's" Juju Chang, Mellas spoke of her visits with Amanda in prison.

"It's always wonderful to go in," Mellas said. "You get to hug her, hold her and talk to her. And leaving just rips your heart out every time, every time that you have to leave your innocent baby."

Amanda's sister, Deanna Knox, 19, sees the impact on their parents.

"My mom's crying is terrible. It's hard to watch because I know she hurts," she said. "It's difficult. I worry about my mom a lot. And I've never seen my dad (Curt Knox) cry -- until this."

She added: "We always have known from the beginning that they love us more than anything in the world - the Knox girls."

The "Knox girls" also includes Amanda and Deanna's two younger half-sisters, Ashley, 13, and Delaney, 9, who spoke to "Good Morning America" in their first television interview. The four sisters, who have always been close, look forward to letters from Amanda, written from prison.

In one to her youngest sister, Delaney, Amanda wrote: "I'm doing okay. I'm still studying and reading a lot, like always. I think all the time about going home. I daydream about you quite a bit because I miss you very much. I miss you and love you. Be good and gentle to everyone. Spread the love. I love you. Amanda."