Kriti Mehrotra
Created by K.J. Steinberg as a true crime biographical drama, Hulu’s ‘The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox’ truly lives up to its title by revisiting a homicide case connecting the US and Italy. It was in November 2007 when British exchange student Meredith Kercher was found dead inside her home in Perugia, Italy, with one of her roommates to soon be considered the prime suspect. This 8-part original is thus undeniably based on real events, but some of its characters and dialogues have admittedly been “fictionalised,” making us wonder about two investigators in particular.
Ginevra Ferrari and Valentina Greco Are Likely Inspired by Real Detectives
While many roles in the miniseries are a direct representation of the people Washington native Amanda Knox had an encounter with throughout her fight for justice in Italy, others are not. In fact, the latter are mostly inspired by the essence of those she met yet never knew or only remembers in brief, considering the entire tale is based on her 2013 book ‘Waiting to Be Heard: A Memoir.’ Among them are her Lead Interrogator, Ginevra Ferrari (played by Corinna Lo Castro), and the Head of Homicide, Valentina Greco (played by Roberta Mattei), from the Italian State Police.
From what we can tell, both Ginevra and Valentina seem to be inspired by their real-life counterparts – Amanda’s Lead Interrogator Rita Ficarra and Head of Homicide Monica Napoleone, respectively. The former is a “steely brown-haired” officer who questioned the then-20-year-old for practically four consecutive days. Yet, the latter didn’t even know her name until she testified against her in court two years later, as per the memoir. Like in the show, Rita does not speak English and is also the one who told Amanda not to leave Perugia, reprimanded her and her then-boyfriend for making out, and caught her doing yoga in the station. Furthermore, she is the officer who had checked her phone in the interview session during which the young woman falsely implicated herself and her former boss after allegedly being hit over the head.
As for Valentina, her character indeed fits Monica’s actions because Amanda explicitly penned in her memoir how this “black-haired, taloned” officer often watched her carefully to gauge her reactions. She also testified during the young woman’s trial for murder, asserting how she and her then-boyfriend found comfort in their romance from the moment Meredith’s body was discovered, along with how it was inappropriate. Moreover, Monica detailed how the defendant had told her about flushed feces that were still in the toilet, taking her for a crime scene walk-through and her breakdown, as well as more aspects she believed to be manipulations. She was adamant that her department had done their job right while also asserting, like Rita, that Amanda was never struck, all of which is consistent with their portrayal in the 8-part production.
While Monica Napoleoni is a Convicted Felon, Rita Ficarra Prefers to Lead a Quiet Life Today
When Amanda was arrested and charged with Meredith Kercher’s murder on November 6, 2007, Rita was actually an investigator in the Narcotics Unit of the Italian State Police. She was then reportedly promoted to Chief Inspector, all the while maintaining she never once hit the convict who was acquitted on appeal in 2011 and then exonerated for good in 2015. Since then, though, it appears as if the Sicilian native turned Perugia resident has chosen to remain away from the limelight for privacy reasons, meaning we don’t know much about her current personal or professional experiences. All we can assume is that she is now likely retired and taking full advantage of all her possible free time by surrounding herself with loved ones, including her husband, adult children, their families, as well as her beloved dogs.
Coming to Monica, the Head of Homicide was actually promoted to Deputy Commissioner of the Perugia Police Department around 2012/2013, only for things to change by the time 2020 rolled around. That’s when she was sentenced to 3¼ years in prison for carrying out arbitrary assessments on a court-appointed psychologist during a bitter custody dispute over her son with her former spouse. According to reports, the police woman illegally accessed a computer system to obtain information on the professional before also damaging their vehicle to the extent it was deemed a criminal offense. She was acquitted of writing insults near the walls of her ex-husband’s as well as the psychologist’s home, but the damage was done because she had used her position of power for personal gain. Therefore, today, from what we can tell, she prefers to remain away from the limelight for good.
Read More: Edda Mellas: Where is Amanda Knox’s Mom Now?
