Amanda Knox's parents have hired a top lawyer to help free their daughter from jail, their spokesman has confirmed.
American Knox, 22, was sentenced last month to 26 years in jail for the sexual assault and murder of British student Meredith Kercher, 21, from Coulsdon, Surrey.
But she continues to protest her innocence and Philadelphia-based criminal defence lawyer Theodore "Ted" Simon has now joined her legal team as her US consultant.
He will work with Knox's Italian lawyers, Luciano Ghirga and Carlo Dalla Vedova, and will recommend legal strategies that Knox could apply when launching her appeal against the verdict.
The appeal process is expected to begin in March and is thought to be unlikely to come to court before the autumn.
Mr Simon said: "Amanda's conviction stands as a tragic example of a wrongful conviction which requires meaningful review.
"I look forward to working with Amanda and her family and with her Italian legal team, as we approach an appellate process that is designed, capable and empowered to 'right this wrong' which hopefully will result in her deserved release."
Knox has just spent her third Christmas behind bars in Perugia, Italy, were she spent almost a year on trial for stabbing the Leeds University student to death after what prosecutors said started as an extreme sex game.
Knox's father, Curt Knox, said Mr Simon would be a "tremendous asset" for his daughter.
He said: "Our entire family, parents and step-parents, are looking forward to working with someone of Ted's experience and capabilities."
