Lawyer: Knox knows worldwide impact of story

Video: Lawyer: Knox felt ‘obligation’ to thank supporters

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2. Transcript of: Lawyer: Knox felt ‘obligation’ to thank supporters

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   MATT LAUER, co-host: Stephanie Gosk , thank you very much . Theodore Simon is the American attorney for Amanda Knox . He had a private meeting with Amanda after that press conference and was with her and her family last night. Mr. Simon , good to see you. Good morning.

   Mr. THEODORE SIMON (Knox Family Attorney): Good morning, Matt.

   LAUER: Before we get to the emotional side of this, take me through the choreography, if you will, of the arrival at the airport, how the speech occurred, all of that sort of thing.

   Mr. SIMON: Sure. This was very carefully planned, with great concern for Amanda and her welfare, as well as her security. And basically, everyone at British Airways helped, and all the people at the airport helped. It was arranged for a private meeting just myself and David Marriott , the family's press relations person. Everyone came off the runway. Amanda , her mom, Chris , Curt and the rest of the family. It was truly amazing, it was emotional.

   LAUER: Had she always planned to speak, Mr. Simon , or was that more spontaneous?

   Mr. SIMON: No, this was a question that was going to be put to her. It was going to be her decision. She either was not going to say anything, say a few words, or as much as she wanted to. And she, despite the fact that she was very worn and tired, felt a great obligation to thank everyone and said she would do it. She did it spontaneously and of her own accord. I can tell you, just before she spoke, she had a very emotional embrace with her father that was -- it was just tearful and powerful.

   LAUER: Do you think -- and she talked about the fact that as she flew in, she looked down from the plane and nothing seemed real to her, then she landed, there was this huge outpouring of supporters and, of course, a crush of media. Even though she's been somewhat kept aware of the interest level, do you think she fully grasped the level of interest in her story?

   Mr. SIMON: I believe she has a great appreciation of how worldwide this story is. But when you know Amanda , you really get to see what a sweet, kind, generous, charitable person she is. I mean, she's joyful and incredibly thoughtful. She's just a sweet, nice person. And this is what, I think, dominates her character. She has indomitable strength. She clearly gets that from her parents.

   LAUER: Right.

   Mr. SIMON: And it's much more about everyone else and less about her. The way she interacts with her family, the way she interacts with her cousins. I mean, after we left the airport, we left in two cars. And fortunately, we were able to manage a way in which to go in one direction and avoid the throngs of press...

   LAUER: Well, I'm glad you bring that up...

   Mr. SIMON: ...and get to her house.

   LAUER: ...because there's this huge interest level in this right now, Ted , and the press wants to see her, they want to hear from her. It would seem very unfair to keep her locked behind the door of her house. I mean, what kind of freedom is that after all these years ? So how do you intend to get her the space she's going to need?

   Mr. SIMON: Well, you know, I would have to disagree with you, Matt. This was anything but being locked away.

   LAUER: No, I'm talking about in the near future.

   Mr. SIMON: Well, I -- she's going to make these decisions as things go forward. But I can tell you, and I've been a criminal defense lawyer for more than 37 years, I am amazed how strong she is and how healthy she seems.

   LAUER: As you know, Ted , the prosecution in Italy has already said they will appeal this to the supreme court . So is there any trepidation on Amanda's part that, in fact, it's not quite over?

   Mr. SIMON: That was not discussed. But legally we feel fairly strong. As you know, the first appellate process permits a review of the facts, a reopening of the facts, a redetermination of the facts. And that's what caused this case to be reversed, and a recognition that she was wrongly convicted. But on the further appeal to the supreme court of Italy , they don't have the same broad scope of review. It's really just very narrow, simply was there an error of law? We don't think there was. So we remain pretty confident that this will hold.

   LAUER: All right, Ted Simon , who spent time with Amanda and her family over the last several hours. Mr. Simon , good to see you. Thanks for your time.

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