THE US STUDENT and her Italian ex-boyfriend convicted of murdering a young British woman in Italy in November 2007 are back in court today as their appeal case continues.
The appeals by Amanda Knox and Raffaela Sollecito centre on traces of DNA found on the victim’s bra clasp and the knife believed to have been used as the murder weapon. Both deny the murder.
Meredith Kercher, 21, was stabbed to death in the apartment she and Knox shared in Perugia.
Two independent forensic experts today told the court that they believe some of the DNA evidence used in the original trial fell below international standards for evidence collection, and they may have been contaminated.
Italian forensic expert Stefano Conti told the court that the bra clasp from which DNA evidence was gleaned was not collected until 46 days after the murder, pointing out that in that space of time, several objects were moved around the murder scene.
The second independent expert said that the original DNA testing on the knife used in evidence did not follow international recommendations.
The hearing will continue on Saturday.
- Additional reporting by the AP
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