Did Amanda Knox's Halloween Costume go too Far?

Amanda Knox dressed up as a cat burglar and attended a friend's Halloween party on Monday night. The costume choice instantly outraged many people, most especially John Kercher, the father of British student Meredith Kercher, of whose brutal murder Knox was recently acquitted.

“I think it’s very insensitive of Amanda Knox, especially considering it is the fourth anniversary of Meredith’s death, the father told The Mirror.

“The anniversary is obviously a very difficult time for our family and images like this don’t help.”

In 2007, Knox and Meredith Kercher were living together in Perugia, Italy, when one night, a now-unknown person broke into their apartment and stabbed Kercher to death. Knox was original found guilty of the crime, but was released after an appeals trial ended earlier this month.

Knox is now living with her family for the first time in years.

It's not hard to understand why a burglar costume, if that is what it is intended to be, is a slap in the face of the Kercher family. It's as if Knox is flaunting her innocence, celebrating a past challenge, one that happened to have resulted in the violent death of somebody's daughter.

But does Knox deserve the criticism she's receiving?

The Christian Post's headline read Knox Parties on Anniversary of Kercher's Death. Aside from being inaccurate -- Kercher was killed on Nov. 1 -- it is also rather reactionary.

Knox has spent the last four years in jail, and deserves to have some fun. The last Halloween she celebrated with her friends was five years ago, and even now that she is home in Seattle, things can't be easy for her. Especially when paparazzi and reporters follow her around, scrutinizing her every move.

Going to a party on Oct. 31 was not the problem. The costume was.

Amanda Knox's Halloween costume proved two things: one, she's got a great sense of humor when it comes to crime -- and two ... she's not so bright, TMZ commented on Tuesday.

That's neither fair nor nice, but what it does prove, again, is Knox's naivete. During the initial murder investigation in 2007, Knox did herself no favors when talking with the police, answering questions and acting in ways -- such as doing cartwheels outside a police station after being interrogated -- that were later used to prove her guilt.

Some, like Rolling Stone's Nathaniel Rich, have said that it was Knox's naivete about the world and her blind trust in strangers and authority figures that lead to the original conviction.

Knox rarely thinks about her actions, according to Rich, and fails to see even two or three steps ahead. A cat burglar costume is surely insensitive, outrageously so, but Knox simply didn't think about it.

The most likely explanation is that Knox just made a costume of things she could find in her house -- black jeans, a watch cap, a black top, make-up to make a mustache -- so that she wouldn't be hounded by the press while costume shopping. Looks like that plan backfired. Someday Knox will learn.