Misplaced Pages

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Captain Cornwall (talk | contribs) at 12:15, 19 April 2024. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Murder of Meredith Kercher
Kercher in 2007
Location	Perugia, Umbria, Italy
Date	1 November 2007; 17 years ago (2007-11-01)
Attack type	Sexual assault
Weapon	Knife
Victim	Meredith Kercher
Perpetrator	Rudy Guede

Meredith Susanna Cara Kercher (28 December 1985 – 1 November 2007) was a British student on exchange from the University of Leeds who was murdered at the age of 21 in Perugia, Italy. Kercher was found murdered on the floor of her bedroom. By the time the bloodstained fingerprints at the scene were identified as belonging to Rudy Guede, an Ivorian migrant, police had charged Kercher's American roommate, Amanda Knox, and Knox's Italian boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito. The subsequent prosecutions of Knox and Sollecito received international publicity, with forensic experts and jurists taking a critical view of the evidence supporting the initial guilty verdicts.

Knox and Sollecito were released after almost four years following their acquittal at a second-level trial. Knox immediately returned to the United States. Guede was tried separately in a fast-track procedure, and in October 2008 was found guilty of the sexual assault and murder of Kercher. He subsequently exhausted the appeals process and began serving a 16-year sentence. On 4 December 2020, an Italian court ruled that Guede could complete his term doing community service. Guede was released from prison on November 24, 2021.

The appeals verdicts of acquittal were declared null for "manifest illogicalities" by the Supreme Court of Cassation of Italy in 2013. The appeals trials had to be repeated; they took place in Florence, where the two were convicted again in 2014. The convictions of Knox and Sollecito were eventually annulled by the Supreme Court on 27 March 2015. The Supreme Court of Cassation invoked the provision of art. 530 § 2. of Italian Procedure Code ("reasonable doubt") and ordered that no further trial should be held, which resulted in their acquittal and the end of the case. The verdict pointed out that as scientific evidence was "central" to the case, there were "sensational investigative failures", "amnesia", and "culpable omissions" on the part of the investigating authorities.

Meredith Kercher

External image
Via della Pergola 7, courtesy of the BBC.

Background

Meredith Susanna Cara Kercher (born 28 December 1985 in Southwark, South London), known to her friends as "Mez", lived in Coulsdon, South London. Kercher attended the Old Palace School in Croydon. She was enthusiastic about the language and culture of Italy, and after a school exchange trip, she returned at age 15 to spend her summer vacation with a family in Sessa Aurunca.

Kercher studied European politics and Italian at the University of Leeds. Working as a barmaid, tour guide, and in promotions to support herself, she made a cameo appearance in the music video for Kristian Leontiou's song "Some Say" in 2004. She aspired to work for the European Union or as a journalist. In October 2007, she attended the University of Perugia, where she began courses in modern history, political theory, and the history of cinema. Fellow students later described her as caring, intelligent, witty, and popular.

Via della Pergola 7

Perugia, a well-known cultural and artistic centre, is a city of 150,000 people. More than a quarter of the population are students, many from abroad, giving it a vibrant social scene. In Perugia, Kercher shared a four-bedroom, ground-floor flat in a house at Via della Pergola 7 (43°06′53″N 12°23′29″E / 43.1148°N 12.3914°E / 43.1148; 12.3914 (Via della Pergola 7, Perugia)). Her flatmates were two Italian women in their late 20s, Filomena Romanelli and Laura Mezzetti, and a 20-year-old American student from the University of Washington, Amanda Knox, who was attending the University for Foreigners in Perugia on an exchange year. Kercher and Knox moved in on 10 and 20 September 2007, respectively, meeting each other for the first time. Kercher typically called her mother daily on a mobile phone; a second mobile phone she used was registered to her flatmate, Romanelli.

The lower level of the house was occupied by four young Italian men with whom both Kercher and Knox were friendly. Late one night in mid-October, Kercher and Knox met Rudy Guede when they returned home at 2:00 am. Guede had been invited into the lower-level flat by some of the Italian tenants, to whom he had attached himself. At 4:30 am, Kercher and Knox left.

Also in mid-October, Kercher and Knox attended the EuroChocolate festival. On 25 October 2007, Kercher and Knox attended a classical music concert, where Knox met Raffaele Sollecito, a 23-year-old computer-science student, at the University of Perugia.

Last sighting

The first of November (All Saints' Day) was a public holiday in Italy. Kercher's Italian flatmates were out of town, as were the occupants of the downstairs flat. That evening, Kercher had dinner with three English women at one of their homes. She parted company with a friend around 8:45 pm, about 500 yards (460 m) from Via della Pergola 7.

By Knox's account, having spent the night with Sollecito, she arrived at Via della Pergola 7 on the morning of 2 November 2007, finding the front door open and drops of blood in the bathroom she shared with Kercher. Kercher's bedroom door was locked, which Knox took as indicating that Kercher was sleeping. After showering in the bathroom Kercher and she shared, Knox found faeces in the toilet of the bathroom shared by Romanelli and Mezzetti. Knox went back to Sollecito's home and later returned with him to Via della Pergola 7. Noticing a broken window in Romanelli's bedroom and alarmed that Kercher did not answer her door, Sollecito unsuccessfully tried to force the door open. Sollecito called his sister, a lieutenant in the carabinieri, for advice. She advised him to call the 112 emergency number, which he did.

Discovery of the body

After receiving a phone call from Knox, Romanelli arrived at the flat. In rummaging around, looking for anything that might be missing, Romanelli inadvertently disturbed the crime scene. On discovering that the two phones Kercher typically carried with her had been found in a nearby garden, Romanelli became concerned and requested that the police force open the door to Kercher's bedroom, but the police declined. Instead, Romanelli's male friend forced the door open around 1:15 pm, and the body of Kercher was found inside, lying on the floor, covered by a duvet.

Autopsy

Pathologist Luca Lalli, from Perugia's forensic-science institute, performed the autopsy on Kercher's body. Her injuries consisted of 16 bruises and seven cuts. These included several bruises and a few insubstantial cuts on the palm of her hand. Bruises on her nose, nostrils, mouth, and underneath her jaw were compatible with a hand being clamped over her mouth and nose. Lalli's autopsy report was reviewed by three pathologists from Perugia's forensic-science institute, who interpreted the injuries, including some to the genital region, as indicating an attempt to immobilize Kercher during sexual violence.

Burial

A funeral was held on 14 December 2007 at Croydon Minster, with more than 300 people in attendance, followed by a private burial at Mitcham Road Cemetery. The degree that Kercher would have received in 2009 was awarded posthumously by the University of Leeds.

Meredith Kercher scholarship fund

Five years after the murder, the city of Perugia and its University for Foreigners, in co-operation with the Italian embassy in London, instituted a scholarship fund to honour the memory of Meredith Kercher. John Kercher stated in an interview that all profits from his book Meredith would go to a charitable foundation in Meredith Kercher's name.

Italian criminal procedure

In Italy, individuals accused of any crime are considered innocent until proven guilty, although the defendant may be held in detention. Unless the accused opts for a fast-track trial, murder cases are heard by a corte d'assise or court of assizes⁠ ⁠. This court has jurisdiction to try the most serious crimes, i.e., those crimes whose maximum penalty begins at 24 years in prison. A guilty verdict is not regarded as a definitive conviction until the accused has exhausted the appeals process, regardless of the number of times the defendant has been put on trial.

Italian trials can last many months and have long gaps between hearings; the first trial of Knox and Sollecito was heard two days a week, for three weeks a month. If found guilty, a defendant is guaranteed what is in effect a retrial, where all evidence and witnesses can be re-examined.

A verdict can be overturned by the Italian supreme court, the Corte di Cassazione (cassation is the annulment of a judicial decision), which considers written briefs. If the Corte di Cassazione overturns a verdict, it explains which legal principles were violated by the lower court, which in turn must abide by the ruling when retrying the case. If the Corte di Cassazione upholds a guilty verdict of the appeal trial, the conviction becomes definitive, the appeals process is exhausted, and any sentence is served.

Rudy Guede

Rudy Hermann Guede (born 26 December 1986, Abidjan, Ivory Coast) was 20 years old at the time of the murder. He had lived in Perugia since the age of five. In Italy, Guede was raised with the help of his school teachers, a local priest, and others. Guede's father returned to Ivory Coast in 2004. Guede, then aged 17, was adopted by a wealthy Perugian family. He played basketball for the Perugia youth team in the 2004–2005 season. In mid-2007, his adoptive family asked him to leave their home. Guede said that he had met a couple of the Italian men from the lower level of Via della Pergola 7 while spending evenings at the basketball court in the Piazza Grimana.

The young men who lived in the downstairs flat at Via della Pergola 7 were unable to recall when Guede had met them but recalled how, after his first visit to their home, they had found him later in the bathroom, sitting asleep on the unflushed toilet, which was full of feces. Guede allegedly committed break-ins, including one of a lawyer's office through a second-floor window, and another during which he burgled a flat and brandished a pocket knife when confronted. On 27 October 2007, days before Kercher's murder, Guede was arrested in Milan after breaking into a nursery school; he was reportedly found by police with an 11 in (28 cm) knife, which had been taken from the school kitchen.

Guede went to a friend's house around 11:30 pm on 1 November 2007, the night of the murder. He later went to a nightclub, where he stayed until 4:30 am. On the following night, 2 November 2007, Guede went to the same nightclub with three American female students whom he had met in a bar. He then left Italy for Germany, where he was located in the subsequent weeks.

Trial

After his fingerprints were found at the crime scene, Guede was extradited from Germany; he had said on the internet that he knew he was a suspect and wanted to clear his name. Guede opted for a fast-track trial, held in closed session with no reporters present. He told the court that he had gone to Via della Pergola 7 on a date arranged with Kercher, after meeting her the previous evening. Two neighbours of Guede's, foreign female students who were with him at a nightclub on that evening, told police the only girl they saw him talking to had long, blonde hair. Guede said Kercher had let him in the cottage around 9 pm. Sollecito's lawyers said a glass fragment from the window found beside a shoeprint of Guede's at the scene of the crime was proof that Guede had broken in.

Guede said that he and Kercher had kissed and touched, but they did not have sexual intercourse because they did not have condoms readily available. He claimed that he then developed stomach pains and crossed to the large bathroom on the other side of the apartment. Guede said he heard Kercher scream while he was in the bathroom, and that upon emerging, he saw a shadowy figure holding a knife and standing over her as she lay bleeding on the floor. Guede further stated that the man fled, while saying in perfect Italian, "Trovato negro, trovato colpevole; andiamo" ("Found black man, found culprit; let's go").

The court found that his version of events did not match the scientific evidence, and that he could not explain why one of his palm prints, stained with Kercher's blood, had been found on the pillow of the single bed, under the disrobed body. Guede said he had left Kercher fully dressed. He was found guilty in October 2008 of murder and sexual assault, and sentenced to 30 years’ imprisonment. Judge Micheli acquitted Guede of theft.

Appeal

Guede originally said that Knox had not been at the scene of the crime, but he later changed his story to say that she had been in the apartment at the time of the murder. He claimed that he had heard her arguing with Kercher, and that, glancing out of a window, he had seen Knox's silhouette outside the house.

Three weeks after Knox and Sollecito were convicted, Guede had his prison term cut from 30 to 24 years before the automatic one-third reduction given for the fast-track trial, resulting in a final sentence of 16 years. A lawyer representing the Kercher family protested at the "drastic reduction" in the sentence. Guede had his first 36-hour release in June 2016, after nine years of prison. He was refused permission to appeal against his conviction in 2017.

Release

Guede was released from prison in November 2021, with a judge bringing forward his release date.

Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito

In outlining the case for colleagues hours after the discovery of the body, Perugia Reparto volanti (Mobile Squad) Detective Superintendent Monica Napoleoni told them that the murderer was definitely not a burglar and that apparent signs of a break-in were staged as a deliberate deception. Knox was the only occupant of the house who had been nearby on the night of the murder. Knox also said that she had spent the night of 1 November with Sollecito at his flat, smoking marijuana and watching the French film Amélie and having sex. Sollecito told police he could not remember if Knox was with him that evening or not. Over the next four days, Knox was repeatedly interviewed without being given access to a lawyer. On 6 November, Knox told investigators that Patrick Lumumba, the owner of the bar Knox was employed at part-time, had broken into the home she shared with Kercher and other roommates, before sexually assaulting and killing her. She later testified that she was subjected to pressure tactics and struck by police to make her incriminate herself. She was arrested and charged with murder at noon on 6 November 2007.

Arrests

Napoleoni was backed by several other detectives in arguing for the arrest of Knox, Sollecito, and Lumumba, the latter whom Knox had implicated as being involved. However, Napoleoni's immediate superior, Chief Superintendent Marco Chiacchiera, thought arrests would be premature and advocated close surveillance of the suspects as the best way to further the investigation. On 8 November 2007, Knox, Sollecito, and Lumumba appeared before Judge Claudia Matteini, and during an hour-long adjournment, Knox met her lawyers for the first time. Matteini ordered Knox, Sollecito, and Lumumba to be detained for a year. On 19 November 2007, the Rome forensic police matched fingerprints found in Kercher's bedroom to Rudy Guede. On 20 November 2007, Guede was arrested in Germany, and Lumumba was released. The prosecution charged Guede with the murder.

Pretrial publicity

Knox became the subject of intense media attention. Shortly before her trial, she began legal action against Fiorenza Sarzanini, the author of a best-selling book about her, which had been published in Italy. The book included accounts of events as imagined or invented by Sarzanini, witness transcripts not in the public record, and selected excerpts from Knox's private journals, which Sarzanini had somehow obtained. Lawyers for Knox said the book had "reported in a prurient manner, aimed solely at arousing the morbid imagination of readers".

According to American legal commentator Kendal Coffey, "In this country we would say, with this kind of media exposure, you could not get a fair trial". In the United States, a pretrial publicity campaign supported Knox and attacked Italian investigators, but her lawyer thought it was counterproductive.

Knox and Sollecito trials

Knox and Sollecito were held in prison. Their trial began on 16 January 2009 before Judge Giancarlo Massei, Deputy Judge Beatrice Cristiani, and six lay judges at the Corte d'Assise of Perugia. The charges were that Knox, Sollecito, and Guede had murdered Kercher in her bedroom. Knox and Sollecito both pleaded not guilty.

According to the prosecution, Knox had attacked Kercher in her bedroom, repeatedly banged her head against a wall, forcefully held her face, and tried to strangle her. Prosecutor Giuliano Mignini suggested Knox had taunted Kercher and may have said, "You acted the goody-goody so much, now we are going to show you. Now you're going to be forced to have sex!" The prosecution hypothesized that Guede, Knox, and Sollecito had removed Kercher's jeans, and held her on her hands and knees while Guede sexually abused her; that Knox had cut Kercher with a knife before inflicting the fatal stab wound; and that she had then stolen Kercher's mobile phones and money to fake a burglary. On 5 December 2009, Knox and Sollecito were convicted of murder and sentenced to 26 and 25 years' imprisonment, respectively.

The appeal (or second grade) trial began in November 2010, presided over by Judges Claudio Pratillo Hellmann and Massimo Zanetti. A court-ordered review of the contested DNA evidence by independent experts noted numerous basic errors in the gathering and analysis of the evidence, and concluded that no evidential trace of Kercher's DNA had been found on the alleged murder weapon. Although the review confirmed the DNA fragments on the bra clasp included some from Sollecito, an expert testified that the context strongly suggested contamination.

On 3 October 2011, Knox and Sollecito were acquitted. A ruling that proof was insufficient, similar to the verdict of not proven, was available to the court, but the court acquitted Knox and Sollecito completely. The conviction of Knox on a charge of slander of Patrick Lumumba was upheld, and the original one-year sentence was increased to three years and eleven days' imprisonment.

In their official report on the court's decision to overturn the convictions, the appeal trial judges wrote that the verdict of guilty at the original trial "was not corroborated by any objective element of evidence". Describing the police interviews of Knox as of "obsessive duration", the judges said that the statements she made incriminating herself and Lumumba during interrogation were evidence of her confusion while under "great psychological pressure". The judges further noted that a tramp who had testified to seeing Sollecito and Knox in the Piazza Grimana on the night of the murder was a heroin addict; that Massei, the judge at the 2009 trial, had used the word "probably" 39 times in his report; and that no evidence existed of any phone calls or texts between Knox or Sollecito, and Guede.

New trial

Following a successful prosecution request, a rehearing of Knox and Sollecito's second-level trial was held. The only new evidence came from the court-ordered analysis of a previously unexamined sample of the blade of Sollecito's kitchen knife, which the prosecution had alleged was the murder weapon. When the unexamined sample was tested by court-appointed experts for the new appeal trial, no DNA belonging to Kercher was found. Despite the negative result for the prosecution case, the court returned verdicts of guilty against the defendants, who both appealed.

Acquittal of murder charge

On 27 March 2015, Italy's highest court, the Court of Cassation, ruled that Knox and Sollecito were innocent of murder, thereby definitively ending the case. Rather than merely declaring that errors occurred in the earlier court cases or that evidence was insufficient to convict, the court ruled that Knox and Sollecito had not committed the murder and were innocent of those charges, but it upheld Knox's conviction for slandering Patrick Lumumba.

After this verdict was announced, Knox, who had been in the United States continuously since 2011, said in a statement: "The knowledge of my innocence has given me strength in the darkest times of this ordeal."

In September 2015, the delegate supreme judge, court adviser Gennaro Marasca, made public the reasons of absolution. First, none of the evidence demonstrated that either Knox or Sollecito was present at the crime scene. Second, they cannot have "materially participated in the homicide", since absolutely no "biological traces ... could be attributed to them in the room of the murder or on the body of the victim, where in contrast numerous traces were found attributable to Guede".

• Italy
• Law

References

1. "Meredith Kercher: Rudy Guede to finish term doing community service". BBC News. 5 December 2020. Archived from the original on 29 November 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
2. "Italy frees man guilty of killing Amanda Knox's roommate, Meredith Kercher". NBC News. 24 November 2021. Archived from the original on 2 December 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
3. "Italian court acquits Knox and Sollecito of Kercher murder". BBC News. 28 March 2015. Archived from the original on 3 December 2020. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
4. "Delitto Meredith, la Cassazione: "Clamorose le defaillance" Sollecito chiederà il risarcimento". 7 September 2015. Archived from the original on 7 November 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
5. ^ Kercher, John (2012). Meredith: Our Daughter's Murder and the Heartbreaking Quest for the Truth p.41-60
6. ^ Kercher, John (2012). Meredith: Our Daughter's Murder and the Heartbreaking Quest for the Truth p.78
7. "Profile: Meredith Kercher". BBC News. 4 December 2009. Archived from the original on 27 August 2017. Retrieved 5 December 2009.
8. Murphy, Dennis. "Deadly exchange" Archived 8 May 2020 at the Wayback Machine, NBC News, 21 December 2007.
9. Follain 2011, pp. 25–47
10. Follain 2011, p. 39 ("Meredith joined them she took just one pull on the joint; she was no habitual smoker")
11. Wise, Ann. "'They Had No Reason Not to Get Along'" Archived 15 February 2021 at the Wayback Machine, ABC News, 7 February 2009.
12. "Profile: Amanda Knox co-defendant Raffaele Sollecito". CNN. 3 October 2011. Archived from the original on 14 September 2021. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
13. Follain 2011, pp. 41–43
14. Follain 2011, pp. 46–47
15. Dempsey 2010, p. 3
16. Dempsey 2010, p. 41
17. Dempsey 2010, pp. 48–49
18. Burleigh 2011, pp. 172–174
19. Follain 2011, pp. 70–71
20. Dempsey 2010, pp. 61–62
21. Follain 2011, p. 72
22. Follain 2011, pp. 116–118
23. ^ Follain 2011, p. 296
24. Wheatley, Gemma (14 December 2007). "Meredith laid to rest". Croydon Guardian. Archived from the original on 1 December 2008. Retrieved 27 September 2008.
25. Barry, Colleen. "Family of victim in Knox case remembers slain daughter" Archived 8 May 2020 at the Wayback Machine, Associated Press, 30 September 2011.
26. Squires, Nick (19 October 2012). "Meredith Kercher scholarship set up at Perugia University". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 20 October 2012. Retrieved 20 October 2012.
27. "Perugia dedicates scholarship to Meredith Kercher". ANSA. 18 October 2012. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 20 October 2012.
28. "Death in Perugia: John Kercher is no closer to knowing who killed his daughter Meredith". The Australian. Archived from the original on 7 May 2012. Retrieved 13 November 2012.
29. Castonguay, Gilles. "Italy Court Finds Amanda Knox Guilty of Murder of U.K. Student in Retrial" Archived 6 May 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Wall Street Journal, 30 January 2014. (Subscription required.)
30. ^ Pisani, Mario; et al.; Manuale di procedura penale. Bologna, Monduzzi Editore, 2006. ISBN 88-323-6109-4.
31. Folain p269
32. ^ Povoledo, Elisabetta. "Amanda Knox Freed After Appeal in Italian Court" Archived 17 November 2021 at the Wayback Machine, The New York Times, 3 October 2011.
33. Cappelletti 1967 Archived 6 May 2020 at the Wayback Machine, p. 113.
34. "Rudy, il barone con la passione del basket" (in Italian). Quotidiano.net. 20 November 2007. Archived from the original on 14 July 2012. Retrieved 31 March 2009.
35. ^ Burleigh 2011, pp. 90–91
36. Burleigh 2011, pp. 92–93
37. ^ Burleigh 2011, pp. 95–96
38. Owen, Richard (28 October 2008). "Rudy Guede: engaging drifter who boasted 'I will drink your blood'". The Times. Archived from the original on 3 December 2021. Retrieved 20 June 2010.
39. Follain 2011, p. 179
40. Burleigh 2011, p. 97
41. Burleigh 2011, pp. 84–85
42. Dempsey 2010, pp. 299, 327
43. Squires, Nick (29 October 2008). "Meredith Kercher murder: Rudy Guede profile". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 24 November 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
44. Follain 2011
45. Wise, Anne (27 June 2009). "Meredith Kercher murder: Rudy Guede profile". ABC News. Archived from the original on 26 October 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
46. Follain 2011, pp. 204–205
47. Moore, Malcolm (20 November 2007). "Fourth Meredith suspect arrested in Germany". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 6 May 2020. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
48. Pisa, Nick (6 December 2007). "Meredith Kercher suspect extradited to Italy". The Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 6 May 2020. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
49. Follain 2011, p. 206
50. ^ Owen, Richard. "Rudy Guede guilty of Meredith Kercher murder, Amanda Knox faces trial", The Times, 29 October 2008.
51. ^ Moore, Malcolm. "Meredith whispered killer's name, suspect says" Archived 12 February 2021 at the Wayback Machine, The Daily Telegraph, 24 November 2007.
52. Pisa, Nick (25 October 2008). "Meredith murder suspect Rudy Guede is an 'easy target' for accusations, say his lawyers". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 6 May 2020. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
53. ^ Judgment, Trial of Rudy Hermann Guede Archived 8 December 2009 at the Wayback Machine, Dr Paolo Micheli, Court of Perugia, judgement of 28 October 2008 – 26 January 2009. Retrieved 19 October 2011 (Google translation, Italian to English Archived 9 February 2021 at the Wayback Machine).
54. "Rudy: Meredith l'ha uccisa Raffaele" Archived 2 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine, La Stampa (Italian), 27 March 2008.
55. Diritto, procedura, e pratica penale Archived 8 December 2009 at the Wayback Machine Tribunale di Perugia: Ufficio del G.I.P.: Dott. Paolo Micheli: Sentenza del 28 October 2008 – 26 January 2009 (Italian): (English trans): Guede "confirmed then to have touched more or less everywhere in the room, even with his hands stained with blood, without however explaining why one of his prints was found on the pillow under the corpse, when he remembered the regular pillow on the bed, where they also found the jacket and purse/handbag that the girl had put down on re-entering the house. The bed was, according to his description, covered with a red or beige duvet (but he had insisted far more on the former colour); the pillow was outside of the quilt". Earlier in his judgement, the judge noted that (Italian): "Soltanto in seguito, attraverso la comparazione in Banca Dati di un'impronta palmare impressa nel sangue e rinvenuta sulla federa del cuscino che si trovava sotto il corpo della vittima, si accertava invece la presenza sul luogo del delitto del 21enne G. R. H., nativo della Costa d'Avorio ..." (English): "Only later, through the comparison in the database of a palm-print imprinted in the blood of the victim and found on the pillowcase of the pillow where the body of the victim was found, it confirmed instead the presence at the scene of the crime of the 21-year-old G R.H., native of the Ivory Coast, ...".
56. Dempsey 2010, p. 175
57. Burleigh 2011, pp. xxvi–xxvii
58. Follain 2011, p. 397
59. Squires, Nick. "Amanda Knox trial: Rudy Guede profile" Archived 11 February 2021 at the Wayback Machine, The Daily Telegraph, 5 December 2009.
    • Did Guede's Outburst Hurt Amanda Knox's Case? Archived 24 November 2021 at the Wayback Machine, CBS News, 18 November 2009.
    • Squires, Nick. "Amanda Knox trial: The Unanswered Questions" Archived 9 February 2021 at the Wayback Machine, The Daily Telegraph, 5 December 2009.
60. "Meredith Kercher killer Rudy Guede has sentence reduced" Archived 23 February 2010 at the Wayback Machine, BBC News, 22 December 2009.
61. Follain 2011, p. 338
62. Follain 2011, p. 370
63. NY Daily News Archived 3 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine 29 November 2013
64. Diane Sawyer, ABC News 30 April 2013
65. "Meredith Kercher's killer Rudy Guede told he can't appeal conviction" Archived 24 November 2021 at the Wayback Machine, Sky News, 10 January 2017.
66. "Man convicted of British student Meredith Kercher's murder is freed early from prison" Archived 24 November 2021 at the Wayback Machine, Sky News, 23 November 2021.
67. "Rudy Guede, convicted over the murder of Meredith Kercher, released from prison" Archived 26 November 2021 at the Wayback Machine, CNN, 23 November 2021.
68. Follain 2011, pp. 83–84
69. Dempsey 2010, pp. 62, 76–77; for Napoleoni, see Burleigh 2011, p. 165. for Battistelli see Follain 2011, p. 67.
70. Follain 2011, pp. 75–76
71. Burleigh 2011, pp. 151–152
72. Follain 2011, p. 123
73. Burleigh 2011, p. 36
74. Follain 2011, p. 76
75. Follain 2011, p. 321
76. Dempsey 2010, p. 47
77. Squires, Nick (3 October 2011). "Amanda Knox: Guilty or innocent, five reasons why". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 24 September 2023. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
78. Townsend, Mark; Boffey, Daniel (28 March 2015). "Amanda Knox is free because she's rich and American, says Patrick Lumumba". TheGuardian.com. Archived from the original on 29 March 2015. Retrieved 23 September 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
79. For slander, see Dempsey 2010, p. 265.
80. Follain 2011, p. 281
81. Follain 2011, p. 174
82. Radar Magazine October/November 2008.
83. Squires, Nick (14 January 2009). "Amanda Knox launches 11th-hour bid to stall Meredith Kercher murder trial". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 27 October 2013. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
84. Wise, Ann (22 March 2010). "Amanda Knox: Italian Civil Court Awards Knox $55,000 in Damages For Violation of Privacy". ABC News. Archived from the original on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
85. Pisa, Nick. "Knox Wins £36k Damages Over Sex Claims". BSkyB. Archived from the original on 9 December 2011. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
86. "NEWS INTERVIEW – HLN Prime News – transcript". Kendallcoffey.com. 4 December 2009. Archived from the original on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
87. Joyce, Julian (12 February 2009). "Battle beyond the Kercher trial". BBC News. Archived from the original on 16 February 2009. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
88. Media, Crime, and Criminal Justice: Images, Realities, and Policies, 2011, R.Surette, p. 124.
89. Follain 2011, pp. 243–245, 182–183
90. "Timeline: Amanda Knox Trial". CBS News. Archived from the original on 4 November 2012. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
91. Follain 2011, p. 344
92. Follain 2011, pp. 342–344
93. "Amanda Knox guilty of Meredith Kercher murder". BBC News. 5 December 2009. Archived from the original on 22 August 2019. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
94. Dempsey 2010, pp. 311–312
95. Follain 2011, p. 366
96. Follain 2011, p. 404
97. Kington, Tom. "Amanda Knox DNA appeal sparks legal battle by forensic experts" Archived 2 September 2021 at the Wayback Machine, The Observer, 24 July 2011.
98. Follain 2011, pp. 404–406
99. "DNA experts highlight problems with Amanda Knox case" Archived 28 November 2020 at the Wayback Machine, Associated Press, 25 July 2011.
100. Guardian, 29 June 2011, Amanda Knox prosecution evidence unreliable, appeal court hears Archived 15 February 2021 at the Wayback Machine
101. Follain 2011, p. 408
102. Guardian, 4 October 2011, Amanda Knox: police under fire over botched investigation Archived 24 November 2021 at the Wayback Machine
103. Polvoledo, Elisabetta."Amanda Knox Freed After Appeal in Italian Court" Archived 5 November 2021 at the Wayback Machine, The New York Times, 3 October 2011.
104. "Amanda Knox Acquitted, Leaves Prison". ABC News. 3 October 2011. Archived from the original on 29 April 2013. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
105. Follain 2011, pp. 366, 428
106. "Amanda Knox 'Satisfied' With Italian Court Ruling". ABC News. 15 December 2011. Archived from the original on 29 June 2013. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
107. Kington, Tom (15 December 2011). "Amanda Knox trial was flawed at every turn, says appeal judge". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 6 May 2020. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
108. CNN, 30 July 201, Police forensics under scrutiny in Amanda Knox appeal Archived 3 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine
109. "Amanda Knox: 'Doubts raised' over DNA evidence" Archived 2 September 2021 at the Wayback Machine, BBC News, 29 June 2011.
110. 15 December 2011, Colleen Barry, Associated Press Archived 3 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine
111. NY Daily News.com, 2 November 2013, Amanda Knox trial: New forensic tests find no traces of Meredith Kercher's DNA on knife Archived 10 November 2013 at the Wayback Machine
112. BBC news Europe 31 January 2014, Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito guilty of Kercher Italy murder Archived 3 December 2021 at the Wayback Machine
113. Guardian, 31 January 2014, Why did Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito have their convictions upheld? Archived 16 July 2020 at the Wayback Machine
114. MSN news 11/6/13 Knox's knife DNA casts doubt on murder weapon Archived 11 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine
115. BBC 31 January 2014 Kercher trial: How does DNA contamination occur? Archived 30 September 2021 at the Wayback Machine
116. "Amanda Knox verdict overturned by Italy's supreme court". Slate Magazine. 27 March 2015. Archived from the original on 28 March 2015. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
117. "Following acquittal, tearful Amanda Knox says she is "incredibly grateful."". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
118. ^ Kirchgaessner, Stephanie (27 March 2015). "Meredith Kercher murder: Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito acquitted". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 28 March 2015. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
119. "Amanda Knox murder conviction overturned". CTVNews. 27 March 2015. Archived from the original on 27 March 2015. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
120. "The Amanda Knox verdict: Innocente". The Economist. 28 March 2015. Archived from the original on 28 March 2015. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
121. Ellis, Ralph; Messia, Hada (27 March 2015). "Amanda Knox murder conviction overturned". CNN. Archived from the original on 27 March 2015. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
122. Hjelmgaard, Kim; Bacon, John (28 March 2015). "Italy's top court overturns Amanda Knox conviction - USA Today". USA Today. Archived from the original on 27 March 2015. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
123. "Bocciate le indagini su Meredith Cassazione". Agi (in Italian). Archived from the original on 8 December 2015.

Sources

• Burleigh, Nina (2011). The Fatal Gift of Beauty: The Trials of Amanda Knox. Broadway. ISBN 9780307588593.
• Dempsey, Candace (2010). Murder in Italy. Berkley Books. ISBN 9781101187111.
• Follain, John (2011). Death in Perugia: The Definitive Account of the Meredith Kercher Case from her Murder to the Acquittal of Raffaele Sollecito and Amanda Knox. Hodder & Stoughton. ISBN 9781848942073.

Further reading

Books

• Kercher, John (2012). Meredith: Our Daughter's Murder and the Heartbreaking Quest for the Truth. Hodder & Stoughton. ISBN 9781444742794.
• Knox, Amanda (30 April 2013). Waiting to Be Heard: A Memoir. Harper. ISBN 978-00-622-1720-2.
• Livingston, Michael; Parisi, Francesco; Montaneri, Pier (1967). The Italian Legal System: An Introduction. Stanford University Press. ISBN 9780804702850.
• Schneps, Leila; Colmez, Coralie (2013). "Fourth chapter: Math error number 4: double experiments. The case of Meredith Kercher: the test that wasn't done". Math on trial. How numbers get used and abused in the courtroom. Basic Books. ISBN 978-0-465-03292-1.
• Sollecito, Raffaele (18 September 2012). Honor Bound: My Journey to Hell and Back with Amanda Knox. Gallery Books. ISBN 978-14-516-9598-4.
• Sollecito, Raffaele (October 2015). Un passo fuori dalla notte [Step out of the night] (in Italian). Longanesi.
• Spezi, Mario; Preston, Douglas (2013). Der Engel mit den Eisaugen [Angel with Ice Eyes] (in German). Germany: Knaur.

Judicial reports

• "Corte di Assise di Appello Perugia: On the acquittal of Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito.". Claudio Pratillo Hellmann and Massimo Zanetti, (Court of Appeals) Perugia 2011
• "La Sapienza to the Corte di Assise di Appello, regarding DNA evidence in the case against Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito". Stefano Conti and Carlo Vecchiotti Court of Appeals Perugia 2011

External links

• BBC News. Photograph of Via della Pergola 7.
• The Guardian. "Meredith Kercher", collection of articles.

• 2007 in international relations
• 2007 murders in Italy
• 2000s trials
• 2010s trials
• 21st century in Umbria
• Crime in Umbria
• Deaths by person in Italy
• Incidents of violence against women
• British diaspora in Italy
• Italy–United States relations
• Murder trials
• November 2007 crimes
• November 2007 events in Europe
• Overturned convictions in Italy
• Perugia
• Trials in Italy
• Violence against women in Italy