Details remain somewhat sketchy, but it is clear that on that fall night Meredith was sexually assaulted and brutally murdered inside her bedroom. Evidence collected at the scene suggested Knox was involved in the crime. During police questioning, Knox initially said she was not in the apartment at the time of Meredith's murder but admitted she had been doing drugs and was confused. During further questioning, she said she was present at the time Meredith was killed but implicated another person, Patrick Lumumba, in the murder.
According to Knox, Lumumba and Meredith had gone into the bedroom together, and a short time later, she heard Meredith scream but was too afraid to do anything. However, not long after making this revelation, Knox retracted her statement and reverted to her original contention that she was not home.
Knox's boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, was also a suspect. While he denied any involvement, a footprint in a pool of blood at the crime scene proved to be a match for his footwear. In addition, a knife with DNA from both Knox and Meredith was found at his residence.
The case took another twist when investigators found a diary Knox had been keeping about the murder.
"Perhaps this is what happened," she wrote. "Raffaele went to Meredith's house, raped her and killed her, and then came home, where he put my fingerprints — while I slept — on the knife. But I can't begin to understand why Raffaele would have done it."
According to Knox, Lumumba and Meredith had gone into the bedroom together, and a short time later, she heard Meredith scream but was too afraid to do anything. However, not long after making this revelation, Knox retracted her statement and reverted to her original contention that she was not home.
Knox's boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, was also a suspect. While he denied any involvement, a footprint in a pool of blood at the crime scene proved to be a match for his footwear. In addition, a knife with DNA from both Knox and Meredith was found at his residence.
The case took another twist when investigators found a diary Knox had been keeping about the murder.
"Perhaps this is what happened," she wrote. "Raffaele went to Meredith's house, raped her and killed her, and then came home, where he put my fingerprints — while I slept — on the knife. But I can't begin to understand why Raffaele would have done it."
When police questioned Lumumba, he denied being at the apartment on the night of the murder and claimed he was working at his bar. Due to a lack of physical evidence, Lumumba was released from police custody.
The final suspect in the case is Rudy Hermann Guede. According to police, his DNA was found on the victim. When police questioned him, he admitted to having consensual sex with Meredith but claimed he was in the bathroom when he heard her screaming for her life. He said he became frightened and fled the scene. His statements did not sit well with investigators, and following his extradition to Germany, he was put in jail with Knox and Sollecito.
As with many cases today, investigators turned to the Internet for information and checked Meredith's Facebook.com page for any possible clues in the case. They also checked into the online presence of Amanda Knox, who had profiles on both Facebook.com and MySpace.com. Her now defunct MySpace profile was listed under the screen name FoxyKnoxy.
Both of Knox's Internet profiles were pretty common for a young college student, albeit for one blog post she made. In it, she referred to a fictional story she had written in December 2006, titled "Baby Brother." The story was about two brothers who drugged and raped a young girl.
Sollecito also had an online presence, in the form of a profile on Wayn.com. In his profile, he wrote, "I'm very honest, peaceable, sweet but sometimes totally creazy [sic]." He also had several pictures on the profile, which have since been deleted.
The physical evidence found at the scene is substantial and, in the interim, several other pieces have fallen into place. By Italian law, police can detain the suspects for up to one year before they are formally charged. Prosecutors expect to have all of the lab results back by mid-2008, and then expect to take a year of preparation before the case goes to trial, around mid-2009.
http://investigation.discovery.com/investigation/internet-cases/kercher/kercher.html
The final suspect in the case is Rudy Hermann Guede. According to police, his DNA was found on the victim. When police questioned him, he admitted to having consensual sex with Meredith but claimed he was in the bathroom when he heard her screaming for her life. He said he became frightened and fled the scene. His statements did not sit well with investigators, and following his extradition to Germany, he was put in jail with Knox and Sollecito.
As with many cases today, investigators turned to the Internet for information and checked Meredith's Facebook.com page for any possible clues in the case. They also checked into the online presence of Amanda Knox, who had profiles on both Facebook.com and MySpace.com. Her now defunct MySpace profile was listed under the screen name FoxyKnoxy.
Both of Knox's Internet profiles were pretty common for a young college student, albeit for one blog post she made. In it, she referred to a fictional story she had written in December 2006, titled "Baby Brother." The story was about two brothers who drugged and raped a young girl.
Sollecito also had an online presence, in the form of a profile on Wayn.com. In his profile, he wrote, "I'm very honest, peaceable, sweet but sometimes totally creazy [sic]." He also had several pictures on the profile, which have since been deleted.
The physical evidence found at the scene is substantial and, in the interim, several other pieces have fallen into place. By Italian law, police can detain the suspects for up to one year before they are formally charged. Prosecutors expect to have all of the lab results back by mid-2008, and then expect to take a year of preparation before the case goes to trial, around mid-2009.
http://investigation.discovery.com/investigation/internet-cases/kercher/kercher.html
