As Verdict Nears, Tired Knox Dreams of Seattle, Family

In a letter to an Italian lawmaker, an increasingly frazzled Amanda Knox admits she's exhausted and often dreams of Seattle. Knox, who is appealing her murder conviction and 26-year sentence in the horrific death of her roommate in their Italian apartment, could be deemed innocent and freed in a matter of weeks—or be sentenced to life imprisonment. The tension throughout her appeal is taking a toll on her: She's "tired" but dreams of things to do with her loved ones back home, reports Reuters.

"I'm very tired, and that may be either because it's hot here or because I'm worried about the end of my case," she wrote politician Rocco Girlanda, who also helms the Italy-USA foundation. "I'm always thinking of what I could say in the courtroom, or what I could do together with my loved ones once I'm back in Seattle." Forensics experts have challenged two key pieces of DNA evidence in her case, but determined prosecutors are now demanding that her sentence be boosted to life imprisonment. (More Amanda Knox stories.)