Murder In Italy

From left, Italian student Raffaele Sollecito, slain British woman Meredith Kercher and her American roommate Amanda Knox. More than a year after Kercher's death, Knox and Sollecito went on trial Friday Jan. 16, 2009, on charges of murder and sexual violence. They were both convicted of murder on Dec. 5, 2009, facing sentences of 26 years and 25 years respectively.

Amanda Knox, left, and Raffaele Sollecito, look on outside the rented house where 21-year-old British student Meredith Kercher was found dead, in Perugia, Italy, Friday, Nov. 2, 2007.

U.S. murder suspect Amanda Knox testifies during a hearing in the Meredith Kercher murder trial, in Perugia, Italy, Friday, June 12, 2009. She said she was confused and pressured by police who hit her and called her a stupid liar when she was questioned in the days after her British roommate was killed.

U.S. murder suspect Amanda Knox meets her lawyer Carlo Della Vedova, right, upon arrival for a hearing in the Meredith Kercher murder trial, in Perugia, Italy, Friday, June 12, 2009. Knox and her former Italian boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, are on trial for the murder of Knox's British roommate, student Meredith Kercher, found dead in the house they shared in Nov. 2007.

Murder suspect Amanda Knox, center, is escorted in a courtroom as her ex-boyfriend and Italian murder suspect Raffaele Sollecito, foreground left, talks to his lawyer, not pictured, during a hearing, in Perugia, Italy, Friday, April 3, 2009. Knox and former boyfriend Sollecito are on trial for the murder of Knox's roommate British student Meredith Kercher, found dead in the house she shared with Knox in Nov. 2007.

Amanda Knox, right, escorted by a Penitentiary guard arrives at court in Perugia, Italy, Friday, Jan. 16, 2009. Knox, an American college student from Seattle and her Italian former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito went on trial Friday accused of sexually assaulting and murdering her roommate, Meredith Kercher, in a slaying that shocked Italy.

Raffaele Sollecito, center, escorted by Penitentiary guards, arrives at court in Perugia, Italy, Friday, Jan. 16, 2009. Sollecito and Amanda Knox, accused of sexually assaulting and murdering Knox' roommate, Meredith Kercher, appeared in front of an eight-member jury in the tiny courthouse in Perugia, central Italy, for the first session of what is expected to be a long trial.

Amanda Knox smiles at her lawyer Luciano Ghirga as she arrives at court in Perugia, Italy, Friday, Jan. 16, 2009.

Raffaele Sollecito looks on during the first day of trial in Perugia, Italy, Friday, Jan. 16, 2009.

Amanda Knox reacts during the first day of trial at Perugia's court, Italy, Friday, Jan. 16, 2009.

Trial Begins — AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino

Amanda Knox looks on during the first day of trial at court in Perugia, Italy, Friday, Jan. 16, 2009.

American murder suspect Amanda Knox is escorted Sept. 26, 2008, by Italian penitentiary police officers from Perugia's court after a hearing in central Italy. A judge ruled Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008, that Knox and her former Italian boyfriend must stand trial in the murder of a British woman in 2007. An Ivory Coast national was convicted Tuesday of murder in the case.

American murder suspect Amanda Knox is escorted Sept. 26, 2008, by Italian penitentiary police officers from Perugia's court at the end of a hearing in central Italy. A judge indicted Knox, of Seattle, and Raffaele Sollecito on charges of murder and sexual violence in the slaying of Meredith Kercher in Perugia last year. The trial will start Dec. 4.

Carlo Dalla Vedova, the Italian lawyer for Amanda Knox, arrives outside Perugia's court, central Italy, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008. Meredith Kercher, a 21-year-old student from England, was found dead Nov. 2 in the apartment she shared with Knox. She died from a stab wound to the neck. Prosecutors allege that Kercher died during what began as a sex game.

The family of Meredith Kercher, from left: father John Kercher, sister Stephanie, brothers Lyle, and John and mother Arline, answer questions during a press conference after a judge charged American student Amanda Knox of Seattle and her former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito in the murder and sexual assault of Meredith Kercher in Perugia, central Italy, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008. Another man was already convicted of murder.

Congolese pub owner Diya "Patrick" Lumumba, left facing camera, and his lawyer Carlo Pacelli, right, speak to journalists outside Perugia's court, central Italy, Tuesday, Oct 28, 2008. Lumumba was arrested shortly after the murder of Meredith Kercher, but was later cleared of any wrongdoing.

Francesco Maresca, the lawyer for the Kercher family, arrives outside Perugia's court, central Italy, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008. Prosecutors allege that Kercher died during what began as a sex game, with Sollecito holding her by the shoulders from behind while Knox touched her with the point of a knife and Guede tried to sexually assault her. Prosecutors say Knox then fatally stabbed Kercher in the throat.

Nicodemo Gentile, the lawyer for Rudy Hermann Guede, arrives outside Perugia's court, central Italy, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008. Guede, of Ivory Coast, was found guilty in the murder of British student Meredith Kercher and sentenced to 30 years in jail after his defense requested a fast-track trial. Prosecutors had asked for life in prison, but the sentence is normally reduced to 30 years in fast-track trials.

Italian prosecutor Manuela Comodi is seen outside Perugia's court, central Italy, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008. Prosecutors say Knox's DNA was found on the handle of a knife that might have been used in the slaying, while Kercher's DNA was found on the blade. They say they found Sollecito's DNA on the victim's bra.

U.S. murder suspect Amanda Knox is escorted by penitentiary police officers during a break in the trial at the court in Perugia, central Italy, Thursday, Dec. 3, 2009. On Dec. 5, an Italian jury convicted Knox of murdering her British roommate in 2007 and sentenced the American to 26 years in prison. Her Italian ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito was also convicted and sentenced to 25 years.