The judge who delivered the verdict from the eight-person jury said the evidence linking the two to the crime was "not reliable" – echoing concerns raised previously by forensic scientists in both the US and Italy. Following the verdict, Knox is expected to return to the US.
In November 2007, 21-year-old Meredith Kercher – a British university student on an exchange programme in Perugia, Italy – was found half-naked and dead in the flat she shared with two Italian women and Knox, a college student who was also studying abroad. A year later, Perugia resident Rudy Guede was convicted of sexually assaulting and murdering Kercher. Guede is currently serving a 16-year sentence.
In December 2009, in a separate trial, Knox and her boyfriend at the time, Raffaele Sollecito, were also convicted of murdering Kercher and sentenced to 26 and 25 years in prison, respectively.
The forensic evidence tying Guede to the crime scene was strong: DNA matching Guede's was on and inside Kercher's body, as well as on her shirt, bra and handbag. Guede's bloody handprint was also found on a pillow in Kercher's room."
via New Scientist /continue reading
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