| Murder of Meredith Kercher | |
|---|---|
 Meredith Susanna Cara Kercher, known as Mez | |
| Born | 28 December 1985 Southwark, London, England |
| Died | 1 November 2007 (aged 21) Via della Pergola 7, Perugia, Umbria, Italy |
| Cause of death | Knife wounds leading to blood loss and suffocation |
| Burial | 14 December 2007 Mitcham Road Cemetery, Croydon, London |
| Prosecutor | Giuliano Mignini |
| Arrested | Amanda Knox Raffaele Sollecito Patrick Lumumba Rudy Guede |
| Convicted of sexual assault, murder | Guede (29 October 2008) Knox and Sollecito (4 December 2009) |
| Convictions overturned | Knox and Sollecito (3 October 2011) |
Rudy Guede, an Ivory Coast native raised in Perugia, was convicted in October 2008 of having sexually assaulted and murdered Kercher, and was sentenced to 30 years, reduced on appeal to 16 years in December 2009. Also charged were Amanda Knox, an American exchange student and flatmate of Kercher, and Knox's then-boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, an Italian student. Knox and Sollecito were convicted of sexual assault and murder in December 2009, and sentenced to 26 and 25 years respectively. Their convictions were overturned on appeal in October 2011 by a panel of six lay jurors and two judges, after independent court-appointed forensic experts discredited DNA evidence that had been crucial to the prosecution's case.
The murder and subsequent events, especially Knox's arrest and trial, received worldwide press coverage, often in the form of salacious tabloid reporting, particularly in Italy and England. Some observers criticized the media for not describing the case accurately and dispassionately, thus making wrongful convictions more likely to occur.
Amanda Knox
Amanda Knox
Amanda Knox
Amanda Knox
Amanda Knox
