Kercher: Court To Decide On Knox Re-Trial

By Nick Pisa, Sky News Reporter

Murdered Meredith Kercher's sister has spoken of the ''unanswered questions'' surrounding the death ahead of today's final appeal.

Stephanie Kercher said she hoped for answers as Italian Supreme Court judges decide whether Amanda Knox and her former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito should stand trial again or confirm their appeal hearing which saw them sensationally cleared of the brutal killing.

Meredith, 21, was found semi-naked and with her throat cut in her bedroom in the house she shared with fellow student Ms Knox and two other women in the town of Perugia.

Her sister said: "There are lots of questions without answers and that's why we are looking for the truth. We miss Meredith terribly and nothing will bring her back. We hope that the Supreme Court hearing will help to find some answers to what happened that night in November 2007 when our lives changed forever.

"'We still get messages of support from all over the world. Meredith will never be forgotten but it's also important not to forget what happened, a beautiful young girl, my little sister, taken away from us too early in a brutal manner, with many aspects to still clarify.''

Ms Knox, 25, and Mr Sollecito, 29, are said to be anxiously awaiting the outcome of the hearing in Rome which will take place at the imposing Supreme Court building on the banks of the River Tiber.

Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito were acquitted on appeal

Judges will rule whether there are grounds for a new trial or if the case against them should uphold the appeal verdict of October 2011 which cleared them of the murder after they had initially been found guilty in 2009, with Ms Knox getting 26 years and Mr Sollecito, 25 years in jail.

The case made headlines around the world amid tales of sex games and drugs and there were traumatic scenes when they were convicted initially and when they were cleared after a fresh hearing heard how the police investigation had been bungled and was riddled with flaws.

Defence lawyers and experts acting for the pair revealed how evidence had been contaminated or poorly handled by forensic teams and that the conviction should be considered unsafe.

They were immediately freed with Ms Knox returning to her home in Seattle while Mr Sollecito went back to Bisceglie on the southern Italian coast near Bari.

Under Italian law there are three tiers of the judicial system and Monday's hearing in Rome will be behind closed doors with neither of them in attendance, with only their lawyers representing them.

A panel of judges will rule whether the Italian legal code was applied correctly and fairly in both trials and if they find grounds they can order a retrial - as prosecutors in Perugia have demanded - or they can close the case completely.

The case will decided purely on paperwork and legal documents with no new witnesses giving evidence and neither of them will be in court and a decision is expected by late this evening.

Meredith Kercher's mother, brother and sister

Luciano Ghirga, Ms Knox's lawyer, said: "She is very anxious about the hearing but she is waiting for it knowing full well that the outcome is very important.'"

Since returning to the US she has maintained a low profile in Seattle although she has written a book about her four years in an Italian jail and she is due to give an interview to American TV station ABC next month ahead of its release.

Mr Sollecito has also written a book and has already given an interview on Italian TV about the case where he said he and Ms Knox were no longer lovers but they were still in touch - he visited her earlier this year and they speak on Skype regularly.

He is now studying in Verona and they have always insisted they are innocent of Leeds University student Meredith's murder. She had only been in Italy for two months before she was killed having arrived from Coulsdon for a year long course as part of her degree.

His father, Francesco, said: "'He is working hard on his studies. He's working on a project involving the movement of surgical instruments during operations. He is calm and serene even if we are all in a state of apprehension.''

During the investigation and trial much was made of Ms Knox's character with prosecutors saying she was highly sexual and had manipulated Mr Sollecito - but her lawyers dismissed the theory.

Drifter Rudy Guede is serving 16 years for the murder having initially being sentenced to 30 but this was later reduced on appeal.

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