New Details and Evidence Emerge in Meredith Kercher Case

November 13, 2007

PERUGIA, Italy (Crime Library) — There have been some surprising new developments in the case of 21-year-old Meredith Kercher, a third-year European studies student from Coulsdon, south London, who was murdered earlier this month. Chief among them are extracts from a report on the case authored by Judge Claudia Matteini, of the Civil and Penal Tribunal of Perugia, which were leaked to the media Friday and published by Timesonline.co.uk.

According to the report, in which Matteini reconstructs the events of November 1 based on eyewitness accounts, police evidence, and the suspect's statements, the three suspects in this case, Amanda Knox, 20, Raffaele Sollecito, 24, and Patrick Diya Lumumba, 37, spent the entire afternoon smoking hashish. At some point the group divided, and at 8:30 p.m., Knox received a message from Lumumba, confirming an appointment the two had previously arraigned to help him have an "encounter" with Meredith.

Raffaele Sollecito

"Raffaele Sollecito, bored with the same old evenings, and wanting to experience extreme sensations, intense sexual relations which break up the monotony of everyday life, went out with Amanda and met Lumumba at Piazza Grimana at 9:00 p.m.," the report reads. "They went together to the apartment on via della Pergola 7, to which only Amanda had the key. It was roughly at this time that both Sollecito and Knox switched off their mobile phones until the following morning."

Amanda Knox

The judge alleges that once inside the apartment, Knox went into Meredith's bedroom with Lumumba and Sollecito, and the two men "demanded some kind of sexual act, which [Meredith] refused to do." She was then threatened with a knife and ultimately stabbed in the neck.

"The three, realizing what had happened, quickly left the house, creating a mess with the intention of simulating a break-in, spreading blood everywhere."

The report then details information regarding the arrival of police at the scene and their decision to break down Meredith's bedroom door.

Crime scene photo

"When the door was opened there was a chilling scene, in that the room was found in disorder with blood stains everywhere, on the ground and on the walls. A foot could be seen under the duvet of the bed... There are the bruises and the lesions on the neck, which suggest that Meredith was held by the neck, leaving bruising compatible with the pressure of fingers, and subsequently threatened with a knife held to her throat. Meredith was held down, and bruises indicate a sexual act carried out or attempted in a hurry or against the girl's wishes."

Meredith Kercher

When Knox first spoke with police, she told them she was not home when Meredith was murdered. She said she had spent the night with Sollecito and when she returned the following morning, she discovered the apartment had been ransacked. However, during interrogation Knox broke down and admitted to being present when Meredith was killed.

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