Prosecutors began their closing statements in the murder trial against Amanda Knox and her one-time boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito regarding the 2007 murder of British student, Meredith Kercher.
Knox, an American student from the University of Washington, was staying in a flat with Kercher while studying languages in Italy for a year.
Knox, who was sentenced to 26 years in prison, and Sollecito sentenced to 25, were convicted of sexual assault and the murder of Kercher in the home that both exchanged students shared while in Italy.
After appealing to the lower courts conviction and an independent review of DNA evidence, Knox and Sollecito are receiving a retrial.
In the first trial, prosecutors stated that Knox’s DNA was found on the handle of a kitchen knife which was believed to be the murder weapon and that Kercher’s DNA was also found on the blade, according to Fox News.
Prosecutors also claimed that Sollecito’s DNA was found on the clasp of Kercher’s bra, which added to the evidence used against them.
The review of evidence for the retrial challenged the accusations against the suspects. The review raised suspicion that the police had made errors in the gathering of the evidence, according to Fox News.
The review led to the thought that tests performed on the evidence that was collected from the crime scene several weeks after the murder was less than standard and led to doubts regarding the pieces of evidence and traces of DNA.
Prosecutor Giancarlo Costagliola brought the jury’s attention to the main subject of the entire trial the young victim, Meredith Kercher.
Costagliola then continued to state the other evidence that would be used against the defendants, such as bloody footprints found in the flat that matched the defendants, cell phone activity and a witness’s testimony that contradicted the alibi given by Knox earlier in the case, according to Fox News.
According to ABC News, one of Knox’s lawyers, Maria Del Grasso, stated that they have been requesting for more DNA tests in all of the courts however the prosecutors always said no and were told that more DNA tests were useless.
“Today we hear all has changed…. We believe if the DNA profile is tainted, no DNA test can prove anything,” said Grasso according to ABC News.
Even with the closing statements of the prosecution, the Knox family is grateful for the appeal and for the court allowing the review of the evidence. The family is hopeful that Knox will be let free after four years behind bars.
A lawyer representing the Kercher family as well as the defense lawyers will be making their closing arguments next week.
Knox is expected to be addressing the court herself as her final appeal and attempt to proclaim her innocence.
According to Fox News, a verdict in the appeals trial of this case should be expected by the end of September or early October.
This article contains information from Fox News and ABC News.
