By David Lohr
(Continued)
Also on Nov. 5, an unknown person posted a mock advertisement on the front door of the Universitą per Stranieri. The tasteless joke offered Meredith's room for rent and stated that the prospective tenant should be an "English Girl, preferably an Erasmus student." The phone number listed on note was fictitious and was determined to be the date of Meredith's death. Police say they are still investigating the matter.
The following day, Police Chief Arturo De Felice held a brief press conference, announcing that three suspects were being held on suspicion of "participating in manslaughter and sexual violence," in connection with Meredith's murder. While he stopped short of naming the suspects, the media later identified them as Amanda Knox, Raffaele Sollecito and Patrick Diya Lumumba, 37.
"All three participated in this crime," De Felice said. "The motive was sexual, and the victim rebelled. The motive appears to have been a sexual attack. However, Miss Kercher was the victim, and that's all. She was morally innocent of what occurred."
Afterwards, Italy's Interior Minister, Giuliano Amato, stated: "It's an ugly story in which people — friends in her home — tried to force her into relations she didn't want."
As news of the breakthrough spread, pathologist Lalli made his own statement to the media, in which he seemed to backpedal earlier statements that the sexual activity was "definitely" not rape. He cited bruises on Meredith's body as being indicative of a struggle and said: "I cannot rule out that sex took place under the threat of violence."
The exact events leading up to the arrest of Knox, Sollecito and Lumumba remain unclear; however, it appears Knox broke down during questioning and gave police details implicating the trio and contradicted her earlier claims that she wasn't in the apartment the night of Meredith's murder. Part of her alleged confession was published yesterday in the Corriere Della Sera newspaper.
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