Murder of Meredith Kercher

I'm adding this news to the section as I had heard very little about it at the time it occurred......Amanda Knox's step father (Amanda is a suspect) has been in contact with one of our other members via email so I thought i'd post some back news about it.....


http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article424024.ece

THE father of a British girl found with her throat cut in Italy spoke of his horror last night, saying: “I can’t even cry, I’m so in shock.”

John Kercher said after student Meredith, 21, was discovered in a pool of blood: “Meredith is so beautiful, so witty. We love her so much. I’m just stunned.

“We’re devastated. I’m in total shock. I can’t get upset, I can’t cry, I can’t get angry.”

Meredith’s seminaked body was discovered in the bedroom of a house she shared with three girl pals.

Horror scene ... cops at house yesterday

Horror scene ... cops at house yesterday

She had returned home alone on Thursday night after a party at a local university specialising in Italian language courses.

Her horrified housemates got back later and found a trail of blood on the floor, leading to her room. But her door was locked and they could not find the key.

Cops arrived soon after with Meredith’s mobile phone which had been discovered in a garden nearby after reports of a threatening call.

Duvet

They broke down her door and found her body under a duvet in the whitewashed property at Viale Sant’Antonio, close to the centre of Perugia.

Bloodstained pieces of paper were beside her – but her computer and other items were untouched.

Police believe the maniac escaped through a window, as the door to Meredith’s room was locked from the inside.

A bloodstained tissue was found close to wire fence backing on to the house.

Police also said there were blood stains on the window frame and broken glass of Meredith’s bedroom.

It was reported last night that the former public schoolgirl had been seeing an Italian man from the Puglia region.

Last night Meredith’s father was preparing to travel to Italy.

He said at the family home in Coulsdon, Surrey: “I’m flying out there as soon as possible.

“I have heard a flatmate has identified her. I rang her mobile phone as soon as I heard, but it was turned off.

“I phoned the Foreign Office to try and get some answers. They confirmed the body has been identified and that they have her phone.”

Meredith was on an exchange programme and had only been in Italy since September, as part of her degree course at Leeds University.

She went to uni after studying at the all-girls Old Palace School of John Whitgift in Croydon.

Mr Kercher, a freelance journalist, said Meredith was one of five students from the uni who had gone to Perugia.

He added that he had been in contact with his ex-wife, Meredith’s mum, over the tragedy. Shortly before her death, Meredith posted dozens of pictures of herself laughing and hugging friends on her internet Facebook site.

She was photographed at a Halloween party, smiling and joking with pals. They included her housemates Sophie Purton, Amy Frost and Robyn Butterworth.

In some, Meredith is wearing a vampire outfit with a long black cloak and choker, and fake blood painted round her mouth.

Pictures on Facebook entitled “Halloween Perugia Stylieeeeee” also showed her standing next to a man in a blood-covered Scream mask and another dressed as a policeman. Meredith revealed on Facebook she was due to return for her mother’s birthday next weekend.

She wrote: “Hey, i’m back for a bit in nov for my mum’s bday, 9th til the 14th. then back again for xmas around the 15th.

“I am having a good time thanks, it’s starting to get really cold now tho but choc festival is on at the moment so just a good excuse to drink a lot of hot chocolate. How’s stuff at home?? xxx” Last night Italian TV told how detectives were led to the murder scene.

It was claimed that an elderly woman who lives nearby had reported receiving a telephone threat from a mystery woman.

When officers arrived to investigate they found a mobile phone in the pensioner’s garden. A trace on the phone revealed Meredith’s name and address.

Police took the phone round to Meredith’s house and arrived moments after her friends had discovered the bloodstains on the floor.

Pals in Perugia described brunette Meredith as “tranquil and interested in only her studies”.

Last night the house was surrounded by police as forensic scientists carried out a fingertip search of the building and land around it. Officers were also questioning Meredith’s housemates.

A police source said: “This was a particularly nasty murder and the victim was found with a deep cut to her throat.”

Last night stunned friends were posting tributes on Facebook.

One, Rachel Sampson, wrote: “Meredith, words cannot express how I feel right now, I'm thinking of you and can’t believe that one minute we were celebrating Halloween together, and then the next you’re gone. You're in my thoughts and prayers.”

A spokeswoman for the University of Leeds confirmed that Meredith was in the third year of a four-year European Studies degree, and had gone to Italy on a one-year exchange.

She said: “We are deeply shocked. A member of staff is on their way to Italy to provide support to her fellow students.”

Perugia lies 100 miles north of the capital Rome and is a popular destination for British students.

Late last night British consular official Moria McFarlane travelled to the murder scene from her base in Florence.

A post mortem will be held.

eddie wrote:Yes this is a weird case. hasn;t the court case started now?

Not as far as I know....LaMisty sent me some info and i'm trying to look at some details on it...

I came across this about Amanda Knox who apparently is a suspect...

http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=4192371&page=1

Amanda Knox's parents talk about her friendship with roommate Meredith Kercher.

I've watched her friends talking about this girl and how her My Space page has been twisted out of proportion....which isnt surprising as the press always make it worse than it is!


http://abcnews.go.com/International/comments?type=story&id=3938844

The comments are very interesting!

eddie wrote:I read some of the comments. But I have to say I think she was involved, maybe indirectly via her boyfreind?
Why did it take her 4 days to go to the police? And why did she, at first, give a false alibi?

I'm trying to read some things on it but it was so long ago now i'm getting mixed stories...but this is suspicious!

Guede has admitted being at the house the night Kercher was murdered, and his DNA has been found on her body and elsewhere at the crime scene. But he maintains that he was in the bathroom listening to his iPod at the time and then saw two people rushing out of the house before he discovered Kercher in a pool of blood.

He said he panicked and fled to Germany, where he was detained while traveling by train.

I am Amanda Knox's stepdad.
Let me start off by stating that Amanda is absolutely innocent.
A number of press outlets in the US as well as in the UK have hired detectives and have come to the same conclusion.
Feel free to ask me anything and I will answer as best as I can, though it may take me a while to answer since I am very busy at work these days.

The main points of the case against her, as presented by the prosecution, are:
* A knife found at her boyfriend’s house that had Amanda’s DNA on the handle and (the prosecution claims) Meredith’s DNA on the blade.
* Footprints in blood (the prosecution claims) of Amanda in her home.
* A speck of Amanda’s blood on the tap of her bathroom sink.
* An eyewitness that claims to have seen Amanda, her boyfriend Raffaele, and Rudy Guede "casing out her own home on the night before the murder, or the night of (he is not sure)
* an intercepted statement by Amanda to her mother and father, taken from the prison visitation room, which states "I was there. I cannot lie."


So, she was arrested on Nov 5th, 2007. To date, she has not been charged. The pre-trial began on Sept 14th 2008. The function of this pre-trial is to determine if there is enough evidence to charge her and if the evidence is valid.
So far, there have been a number of hearings about various portions of the evidence and dispositions of the witnesses.

Of note, the eyewitness, an Albanian man by the name of Hekuran Kokomani, deemed "the super-witness" was found to be completely crazy. The judge found him to be "unreliable" as a witness. Those in attendance were even laughing when he was spinning his tale on the stand. His story had changed, for the third time, and even as he spoke, when questioned by a lawyer, judge, or prosecution, he would change aspects of the tale. When asked how he could identify Amanda, he stated he could certainly ID her because she had a big gap between her front teeth. To this the judge asked Amanda to stand up and smile at the people of the court. She did and showed everyone that there was no gap.
He went on to state that he had met Amanda in July at a bar in Perugia, Italy, along with Raffaele, and Amanda’s Italian American uncle. The court record shows that Amanda did not arrive in Italy until mid-September. Her uncle’s are all German, and she had not met Raffaele until just 2 weeks prior to the murder and he was in Bari, Italy, previous to this.

As for the knife...it is only "compatible" with 2 of the 4 wounds inflicted on Meredith Kercher and only because it is a knife which has a blade and a point. The wounds, according to forensic examination, show that the knife used was serrated. The knife taken from Raffaele’s house is not. The DNA on the handle is Amanda’s. A point that was never disputed. in fact she told the police, on the night of her interrogation, that she had spent the night previous at Raffaele’s house and they had prepared a meal which consisted of a whole fish. They used the knife to clean the fish. The DNA on the blade consists of a microscopic speck. The scientific police (think Italian version of the FBI) were not able to determine if it was blood, skin, etc. Also, they were not able to show their findings, even after the hearing had been rescheduled twice by the judge, due to their inability to produce a DNA chart that showed what was found on the knife cross-referenced with the DNA of Meredith. On the third hearing, they showed up with a summary of their theories, the person who collected and examined the DNA and that persons boss. The judge, at the first hearing, had requested of the scientific police, that they have the evidence reexamined by a third party person to validate the work done and to offer their opinion at court. That’s why they brought the boss along. He was the impartial third party. He stated that he was impartial since he was qualified and had not done the work himself. They were forced to say that what was found on the blade was so small in quantity and so weak that it would not meet admission criteria. For those who know what RFU's are, the highest peak was 41, and the rest were even lower. The lowest that can be admitted is 50. 80+ would be considered a good match. When asked if they performed the required second test, per policy, they said no. When asked why, they said they used the entire specimen for the first test. At this point, defense asked another person to the stand. This person was another DNA lab tech. He stated that even when the sample is small, it is supposed to be divided so as to be able to perform the second test, per policy, and that the results were to be amplified. Then the first lab tech took the stand again and said it was her choice to use all the sample on the first test.
We the family had the findings analyzed by a leading lab in the US and they stated that the potential for match was in the neighborhood of 0.02%

With regard to the intercepted statement, the judge ordered the original audio to be produced, since he would not provide the defense with a copy, and given to a third party translation company in Italy, so that it could be properly transcribed. The prosecutor had a prison guard translate it, and then the prosecutor cut out all the leading and following conversation so that it was not in context. The findings are: She was talking about her initial interrogation. The police were yelling at her, hitting her, and telling her that she was not being truthful when she would say that she was at Raffaele’s and not at her home. Her statement was basically this: "They kept hitting me and yelling at me that I was lying but I can't lie. Why would I lie? I was there! I was at Raffaele’s all night long!"


As for the rest of the evidence...it has not been discussed yet, in court, but we had our experts review the reports on the footprints and blood droplet and their findings are:

The footprints were analyzed by way of Luminol but the police missed a critical step. The use of Luminol is to show where evidence is. Now, I am told that Luminol reacts with more than just blood. It reacts with most cleaners as well as many bodily fluids and given the correct circumstances, humidity. Another big point about Luminol is that it shows where potential evidence is. As such, you are supposed to then go and take samples of what was revealed by Luminol and have it analyzed to see what it is. The police missed this step. They applied Luminol, took pictures, and said her footprints were in blood, and since they were no longer visible, they must have been cleaned up.

As for the blood droplet linked to Amanda on her own faucet, first off, it was her bathroom so it is not irregular to have your own bodily fluids found in your own bathroom. She had recently had about 4 ear piercings and a couple of them had become rather infected. She had a box of cotton swabs next to the sink that she used to clean the piercings and a small amount of her blood was found on that box too.

The police also tried to say that due to the blood being there, they could tell that she was there on the night of the murder. Now, we have asked many experts if one can tell when a droplet of blood was deposited and how long it has been there. They have all said it is impossible.

The police have also found DNA of Amanda mixed with the blood of Meredith in her bidet. Well, Meredith could have used the bidet and we know Amanda did try it once (We don't have one in the house she grew up in, and they are not common in the US). There was also visible blood drops of Meredith found in the bidet the day after her murder, as well as a rather large, obviously male, footprint left in Meredith’s blood, on the floor mat in front of the bidet. They found no blood of Amanda in the bidet, just DNA and when the policeman took the samples from the bidet, they used a single swab and cleaned almost half the bowl with it. This is not proper procedure for collecting samples.


On to evidence that was used against her in order to have her detained but was later proved to be false or misleading, from the Nov 30th hearing as well as the Dec 17th hearing as well as at the supreme court hearing in March:

The police and prosecution claimed, in court, that Amanda called Rudy Guede, the individual who fled to Germany after the murder took place, and has a lot of evidence on, around, and inside of Meredith, both before and after the murder via her cell phone. Her phone records do not reflect this. In fact, she has never called him and did not even know him really. She knew of him because he occasionally visited the boys who lived below Amanda but had never associated with him at all.

The police and prosecution stated that Raffaele purchased 2 bottles of bleach on the morning after the murder. This is false. They did find 2 bottles of bleach in his house, but they also found receipts that matched the bottles Julian date code printed on them. One bottle was purchased almost a year previous and the other was from several months previous to the murder. One bottle was slightly used and the other was not opened and still full.

The police and prosecution claimed that Amanda had been seen, the morning after, at a Laundromat, with a black man, cleaning her clothes that she had worn the previous night. Later this story changed to her being seen throwing, again with a black man, throwing her clothes away in a dumpster. In reality, her clothes we on her bed, where they had been the entire time since she had changed, the morning of her arrival to her home, after the murder, and the police had documented this, on that very same day in their CSI video. I would go into detail about the events of that morning but they have been well publicized in the press.
In a nutshell, she came home, noting that the front door was ajar. She thought that was odd but dismissed it and proceeded to undress and then ran to the shower. When she got out, as she was drying her hair, she noticed the blood on the bathmat. She then got a bit worried and after quickly dressing, went to use the hair dryer in the other bathroom and found that someone had not flushed. She thought this was very odd and decided to return to Raffaele’s so that he could come back with her and see for himself. When they returned, they found that a window had been broken and Meredith’s door was locked. She banged on it, thinking that she was asleep, without result. Then she tried calling Meredith, as well as the rest of the girls that lived there. Then she called her mom and I, explained what she saw, we told her to hang up and call the police. Raffaele called, since she was not fluent at the time. Moments later the postal police had showed up with Meredith’s 2 cell phones. which were found by a neighbor in her back yard. Amanda and Raffaele explained what was going on, and asked that they break down the door. They did and discovered the body.

The police also vilified the text message sent by Amanda to her boss. She texted her boss asking if he needed help at the bar and he said no, because the bar was very slow that night, to which she responded Ok, have a good evening and "See you later". This final statement was taken, by the police, as some previously concocted plan for her and her boss to meet up later that night. They never bothered to check her boss for an alibi, to which he had one. Instead they tapped his phone, arrested Amanda, and beat on her all night long and well into the next morning, until she did not know what was real and they could convince her of their version of events. Then they announced to the press that the case was closed, had Patrick arrested, as well as Amanda and Raffaele, and said that Amanda had confessed to the murder, when in fact her statements, even though completely coerced and FALSE, did not say any such thing. Merely that she was in the kitchen on the night of the murder. Meanwhile, at the first hearing, the judge and prosecutor both claimed that Amanda, Raffaele, and Patrick we all very evil, blood crazed, drug addicted, perverts, and murderers. Only after proof that someone else was at the scene, and that the someone else had a record on file with the police which included DNA that was matched to the crime scene, did they bother to look into Patrick’s alibi, of which he had 13 people, patrons of his bar, that said they saw him at his bar on the night of the crime.

There are so many facets of this terrible situation and the press have really made a mess of the details such that you cannot hardly trust what is printed. The entire case, to date, is held under secrecy rules so unless it was leaked by someone, and you can trust the leak, or what that person was given to leak, it should be regarded with suspicion.
The pre-trial will end on the 27th or 28th of this month. The result of this proceeding will either be exoneration, or charges being filed. If charges are filed, then a decision will be made to either release her pending the trial, keep her in prison, or to place her on home arrest in Italy. Obviously, we feel that the first option is the only appropriate option for both Amanda and Raffaele.
The next court date is on the 18th. This will be a terrible day since the prosecutor will be presenting his closing arguments. The press will have a field day with it.

One more thing...as a sidenote. The prosecutor himself goes on trial, for a different case, on November 9th of this year, for much the same behavior that he has displayed in Amanda's case. If you would like to read about it, check out the book written by Douglas Preston called The Monster of Florence. The book is divided into two sections. The first is about the killer, who is a grizly monster of a person and the second half...well, I won't ruin the book but our prosecutor is the monster. Also, Tom Cruse just bought the rights to the book in order to turn it into a movie because it is such a crazy story, and a true story.

Oh well. It is late and I must be getting home now.
Sorry for the incredibly long post.

-Chris

PS
Feel free to ask questions and I will try to pop in from time to time in order to answer them.
Due to my schedule, it may well be more than a week before I get the time to return here, but I hope not.

I've read up on this case a bit at the beginning but its great that you've taken all this time in explaining what really happened. The press have been harsh on Amanda for some You Tube videos she had. That shouldnt have had any bearing on any news stories about this case at all but thats the british press for you. You are guilty just because you are arrested. I wish you and your family luck.

this case was very talked by our media

Sorry to say this but they spoke about the arguidos as the real criminals!

pm wrote:this case was very talked by our media

Sorry to say this but they spoke about the arguidos as the real criminals!

I've been reading Chris's post above and I must say that this case is quite fresh to me...I did hear it on the news a while back and but it seems that Amanda was beaten.....and there seems to be alot here that the press hasnt told us about....

Firstly what is the motive for Amanda killing her friend?

There is none! I just cant see that she had anything to do with it at all! Yes she was in the apartment and her DNA was in the apartment but there would be if they shared a flat!

Ambersuz wrote:

pm wrote:this case was very talked by our media

Sorry to say this but they spoke about the arguidos as the real criminals!

I've been reading Chris's post above and I must say that this case is quite fresh to me...I did hear it on the news a while back and but it seems that Amanda was beaten.....and there seems to be alot here that the press hasnt told us about....

Firstly what is the motive for Amanda killing her friend?

There is none! I just cant see that she had anything to do with it at all! Yes she was in the apartment and her DNA was in the apartment but there would be if they shared a flat!

Amanda's is knows as foxy knoxy was she perhaps jealous of meredith...I dont know but my instinct is that she is involved. sorry chris

Tosca wrote:

Ambersuz wrote:

pm wrote:this case was very talked by our media

Sorry to say this but they spoke about the arguidos as the real criminals!

I've been reading Chris's post above and I must say that this case is quite fresh to me...I did hear it on the news a while back and but it seems that Amanda was beaten.....and there seems to be alot here that the press hasnt told us about....

Firstly what is the motive for Amanda killing her friend?

There is none! I just cant see that she had anything to do with it at all! Yes she was in the apartment and her DNA was in the apartment but there would be if they shared a flat!

Amanda's is knows as foxy knoxy was she perhaps jealous of meredith...I dont know but my instinct is that she is involved. sorry chris

Well I'm foxy and so are you...but it doesnt make us killers!

Plus isnt that what the press have named her?

Look how nasty the press were to Murat....Pedo...glass eye etc...was it true?

Ambersuz wrote:

Tosca wrote:

Ambersuz wrote:

pm wrote:this case was very talked by our media

Sorry to say this but they spoke about the arguidos as the real criminals!

I've been reading Chris's post above and I must say that this case is quite fresh to me...I did hear it on the news a while back and but it seems that Amanda was beaten.....and there seems to be alot here that the press hasnt told us about....

Firstly what is the motive for Amanda killing her friend?

There is none! I just cant see that she had anything to do with it at all! Yes she was in the apartment and her DNA was in the apartment but there would be if they shared a flat!

Amanda's is knows as foxy knoxy was she perhaps jealous of meredith...I dont know but my instinct is that she is involved. sorry chris

Well I'm foxy and so are you...but it doesnt make us killers!

Plus isnt that what the press have named her?

Look how nasty the press were to Murat....Pedo...glass eye etc...was it true?

Point taken, I have followed this case a little ...I just hope justice is served and the right person/ppl are charged

I always think its wrong when the media drag up stuff to make the 'suspect' look guilty. I think that showing Amanda in her dress up outfits was wrong as it made her look sadistic. Also they always seem to show the same old expressionless pictures which make her look callous. As previously mentioned naming her 'Foxy Noxy' is just another stain on her integrity.

sadistic image + collous expression + 'Foxy Noxy' nickname.......This is what people will form an opinion on, it's not right! She sounds like a murderer..... The media have far too much influence.

poinksy wrote:I always think its wrong when the media drag up stuff to make the 'suspect' look guilty. I think that showing Amanda in her dress up outfits was wrong as it made her look sadistic. Also they always seem to show the same old expressionless pictures which make her look callous. As previously mentioned naming her 'Foxy Noxy' is just another stain on her integrity.

sadistic image + collous expression + 'Foxy Noxy' nickname.......This is what people will form an opinion on, it's not right! She sounds like a murderer..... The media have far too much influence.

I dont think shes guilty at all. You are right here about the media. When you look at the videos her friends have put up for her she looks like a fun loving girl with not a care in the world.

The moment the press mention the word *killer* they can assume she is by the nonsense they print with it and as we know from the Mccann case people will believe anything.

Thanks for the summary Chris. I've followed the case for a very long time and have come to the conclusion that Amanda is totally innocent. There is no motive, no murder weapon, plenty of keystone cops, an abusive prosecutor now fighting abuse of power charges against him, a terrible initial rush to judgment. In the end this will be down right embarrassing for the Italians.

I also note that the press has backed off their harsh stories about Amanda in recent weeks as the evidence against her simply falls apart.

Kula wrote:Thanks for the summary Chris. I've followed the case for a very long time and have come to the conclusion that Amanda is totally innocent. There is no motive, no murder weapon, plenty of keystone cops, an abusive prosecutor now fighting abuse of power charges against him, a terrible initial rush to judgment. In the end this will be down right embarrassing for the Italians.

I also note that the press has backed off their harsh stories about Amanda in recent weeks as the evidence against her simply falls apart.

You're right kula.....I've been trying to find latest news about this case and there doesnt seem to be very much at all....

I thought that Amanda was guilty to be honest - I am with Tosca on this one.

I have read what you posted, cmellas, and I will try to keep an open mind....but instinctively, I feel, she is guilty. Sorry.

I hope justice is served and the correct person/people go to jail for the murder of this very beautiful girl.

Interesting comments here. It looks like this is a group of people who have gained a healthy skepticism about what public authorities and the media put out.

It's natural to believe what the authorities say, because usually when they arrest someone, they have a good reason and a pretty clear idea of what happened. But there are exceptions, and this is one of them.

Here's a good article that just came out a few days ago:

http://www.radaronline.com/from-the-magazine/2008/10/amanda_knox_trial_meredith_kercher_murder_rudy_guede_raffael_sollecito_01.php

Charlie Wilkes wrote:Interesting comments here. It looks like this is a group of people who have gained a healthy skepticism about what public authorities and the media put out.

It's natural to believe what the authorities say, because usually when they arrest someone, they have a good reason and a pretty clear idea of what happened. But there are exceptions, and this is one of them.

Here's a good article that just came out a few days ago:

http://www.radaronline.com/from-the-magazine/2008/10/amanda_knox_trial_meredith_kercher_murder_rudy_guede_raffael_sollecito_01.php

You are right....many people only believe what they read....

The link you just left here is interesting and ChrisM said a few things to me by pm the other day which actually are now mentioned in this article.....

Personally I think what with the language barrier...the pressure Amanda was under at the time the authorities and the press have made her a scapegoat to arrest someone...anyone!

I do not forget that Meredith is the real victim here but if Amanda is totally innocent then she is also a victim but at least she is being given the chance to prove her innocence.....hopefully at the end of this month many people may change their minds....

I must add here that Giuliano Mignini is also an eye opener!

http://www.sundayherald.com/international/shinternational/display.var.2446098.0.tom_cruise_film_a_threat_to_truth.php

eddie wrote:I thought that Amanda was guilty to be honest - I am with Tosca on this one.

I have read what you posted, cmellas, and I will try to keep an open mind....but instinctively, I feel, she is guilty. Sorry.

I hope justice is served and the correct person/people go to jail for the murder of this very beautiful girl.

Please feel free to outline what it is that makes you feel as though she is guilty and, if I can, I will see if I can offer clarity to the matter.

cmellas wrote:

eddie wrote:I thought that Amanda was guilty to be honest - I am with Tosca on this one.

I have read what you posted, cmellas, and I will try to keep an open mind....but instinctively, I feel, she is guilty. Sorry.

I hope justice is served and the correct person/people go to jail for the murder of this very beautiful girl.

Please feel free to outline what it is that makes you feel as though she is guilty and, if I can, I will see if I can offer clarity to the matter.

I dont think she is guilty. I think the other guy is. I cant remember his name not the one she used to work for the other black guy.

Standing Tall wrote:

cmellas wrote:

eddie wrote:I thought that Amanda was guilty to be honest - I am with Tosca on this one.

I have read what you posted, cmellas, and I will try to keep an open mind....but instinctively, I feel, she is guilty. Sorry.

I hope justice is served and the correct person/people go to jail for the murder of this very beautiful girl.

Please feel free to outline what it is that makes you feel as though she is guilty and, if I can, I will see if I can offer clarity to the matter.

I dont think she is guilty. I think the other guy is. I cant remember his name not the one she used to work for the other black guy.

Sorry Cmellas, i have only just seen your reply to me. I will outline my thoughts to you when i have more time.
Thanks for replying to me. I will get back to you x

Two people accused of killing British student Meredith Kercher tried to clean up the victim's blood, a lawyer claims.

Valter Biscotti, for third suspect Rudy Hermann Guede, told an Italian court that traces of blood diluted with water were found at the scene.

He suggested Mr Guede's co-defendants Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito had tried to wash away the evidence.

Miss Kercher, 21, from south London, died on 2 November 2007, having had her throat cut at her rented Perugia home.

The Leeds University student was spending a year abroad in the Umbrian town when she was killed. Her semi-naked body was found in her bedroom.

Prosecutors claim she died during a bungled sex game.

Mr Guede, 21, from the Ivory Coast, has admitted to being in the house on the night Miss Kercher was murdered but - like his fellow suspects - denies any wrongdoing.

He claims he was in the bathroom when Miss Kercher was attacked and that he rushed into the bedroom to try to rescue her.

Lawyers for Miss Kercher's housemate Miss Knox, 21, from Seattle, and the American's then boyfriend Mr Sollecito, 24, from Italy, have both said they believed the murder was committed by a lone killer.

But Mr Biscotti said it was predictable they would try to pin the blame on Mr Guede.

"Just because Rudy was at the scene of the crime it doesn't make him guilty," Mr Biscotti told reporters during a break from the closed hearing on Saturday.

"He has not changed his story about what happened that night and we showed in court this morning that there was no proof linking him to the crime."

Mr Guede saw and heard Miss Knox at the scene of the crime, he said, and he also saw a man he believed to be Mr Sollecito although he did not recognise him.

"We think the pair probably came back to the house to clean up afterwards because there was found to be blood diluted with water," he said.

Mr Guede is currently being tried in a fast-track process, which he requested because he feared a pact between the former lovers to frame him.

Judge Paolo Micheli will decide early next week whether to convict or acquit him. He will decide at the same time whether Ms Knox and Mr Sollecito should stand trial.

Mr Sollecito's lawyers argued at the pre-trial hearing that he could not have been involved in the murder because he was downloading a cartoon at home at the time.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7691182.stm

"Just because Rudy was at the scene of the crime it doesn't make him guilty," Mr Biscotti told reporters during a break from the closed hearing on Saturday.


thats right but he ran back home to another country and that does make him very guilty. If you got nothing to hide, you stay put like the American girl who had plenty of time to ran back to the USA.

I think they all sound guilty tbh. Of course we will wait and see the outcome but I really believe they all have something to hide.

eddie wrote:I think they all sound guilty tbh. Of course we will wait and see the outcome but I really believe they all have something to hide.

I cant see it. Just looking at the other couple i dont know why they would do it. The other guy had sex with her and then fled.

MsTaken wrote:

eddie wrote:I think they all sound guilty tbh. Of course we will wait and see the outcome but I really believe they all have something to hide.

I cant see it. Just looking at the other couple i dont know why they would do it. The other guy had sex with her and then fled.

I don't know MsT, just a feeling...of course I may be well off the mark!