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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Jury out in Kercher murder trial | Jury out in Kercher murder trial |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| The jury in the trial of two students accused of killing Briton Meredith Kercher in Italy has been sent out to consider its verdict. | The jury in the trial of two students accused of killing Briton Meredith Kercher in Italy has been sent out to consider its verdict. |
| American Amanda Knox, 22, and her Italian ex-lover Raffaele Sollecito, 25, deny murder and sexual violence. | American Amanda Knox, 22, and her Italian ex-lover Raffaele Sollecito, 25, deny murder and sexual violence. |
| Miss Kercher, 21, a Leeds University exchange student from Coulsdon, south London, was found with her throat slit in her Perugia room in November 2007. | Miss Kercher, 21, a Leeds University exchange student from Coulsdon, south London, was found with her throat slit in her Perugia room in November 2007. |
| Rudy Guede, 22, from Ivory Coast, is already serving 30 years for the crime. | Rudy Guede, 22, from Ivory Coast, is already serving 30 years for the crime. |
| He has launched an appeal after he was convicted in a separate trial. | He has launched an appeal after he was convicted in a separate trial. |
| Prosecutors in Miss Knox's and Mr Sollecito's trial say Guede was only one of three killers who acted together, under "the fumes of drugs and possibly alcohol". | Prosecutors in Miss Knox's and Mr Sollecito's trial say Guede was only one of three killers who acted together, under "the fumes of drugs and possibly alcohol". |
| KEY EVENTS IN CASE 2 November 2007: Miss Kercher found with throat cut6 November 2007: Police arrest Amanda Knox, Rafael Sollecito and local bar owner Patrick Lumumba19 November 2007: A fourth suspect, Rudy Guede is arrested. Mr Lumumba is released without charge28 October 2008: Judge Micheli jails Guede for 30 years for killing Miss Kercher16 January 2009: Trial of Miss Knox and Mr Sollecito begins4 December 2009: Judge and jury retire to consider case | |
| They claim Miss Kercher was stabbed to death after what had started as an extreme sex game. | They claim Miss Kercher was stabbed to death after what had started as an extreme sex game. |
| On Thursday, Miss Knox, who has been the subject of intense media interest, told the jury in Italian she should not be branded a killer. | On Thursday, Miss Knox, who has been the subject of intense media interest, told the jury in Italian she should not be branded a killer. |
| "The first thing to say is that I am not calm," she said. | "The first thing to say is that I am not calm," she said. |
| "I am afraid of being defined as something I am not and by actions that are not mine. | "I am afraid of being defined as something I am not and by actions that are not mine. |
| "I'm afraid of having the mask of a murderer forced on to my skin." | "I'm afraid of having the mask of a murderer forced on to my skin." |
| She added she was "confused, sad, frustrated" about the two years she had already been in jail awaiting trial. | She added she was "confused, sad, frustrated" about the two years she had already been in jail awaiting trial. |
| Miss Knox's sister, Deanna, said as she arrived at court on Friday that she was nervous about the outcome and had had a sleepless night. | Miss Knox's sister, Deanna, said as she arrived at court on Friday that she was nervous about the outcome and had had a sleepless night. |
| "The wait is going to be awful. All I want to do is take her home so I've got a good feeling about it. I'm still nervous." | "The wait is going to be awful. All I want to do is take her home so I've got a good feeling about it. I'm still nervous." |
| Miss Knox's father, Curt Knox, insisted: "Our attorneys have more than presented evidence that would show that she's innocent." | Miss Knox's father, Curt Knox, insisted: "Our attorneys have more than presented evidence that would show that she's innocent." |
| Amanda Knox addressed the court on Thursday to plead her innocence | |
| Miss Kercher had been sharing a house with Miss Knox, from Seattle, while spending a year abroad in Perugia, an Umbrian hilltop town. | |
| Prosecutors claim Mr Sollecito held Miss Kercher down while his then-girlfriend stabbed her to death. | |
| Mr Sollecito told the court on Thursday that no motive had emerged for his alleged role in the murder. | |
| "I am not violent, I never have been. I wasn't at the house [where Miss Kercher died] that night," he said. | |
| However, prosecutor Manuela Comodi argued that "we live in an age of violence with no motive" and suggested the reason for the murder was a mystery. | |
| "We don't know what sparks these things," she said, citing DNA evidence allegedly linking Mr Sollecito to the crime. |