Unanswered questions as Knox flies home
Amanda Knox heads home to Seattle after being acquitted, while the Kercher family are left with unanswered questions about who killed Meredith.
Above: footage of Amanda Knox at Rome Airport as she prepares to fly home to the US
Meredith Kercher’s mother, brother and sister spoke today of their shock at the verdict yesterday that allowed Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito to walk free after being found guilty in 2009 of the murder of their relative.
The family insisted on their respect for the court and said they accepted its decision to acquit the pair. “We don’t want the wrong people put away for a crime they didn’t commit,” said Stephanie, Meredith’s sister.
We don’t want the wrong people put away for a crime they didn’t commit. Stephanie Kercher, Meredith’s sister
However, an Italian public prosecutor will appeal against the verdictl to the court of cassation, Italy’s highest appeal court.
The Kercher family, from Coulsdon in Surrey, said they would give their full support to the appeal and that questions remained unanswered.
Ms Knox, 24, and Mr Sollecito, 27, were both acquitted of murder charges last night, and today Ms Knox began her trip home from Rome. Her former boyfriend, Mr Sollecito has been reunited with his father Francesco, from Bari in southern Italy.
‘Back to square one’
Rudy Guede, 24, is serving a 16 year prison sentence after being convicted of Ms Kercher’s murder in 2008, but the court at his trial agreed that he was not acting alone. Now that Ms Knox and Mr Sollecito have been cleared, it means that there could be other people involved in Meredith’s murder who are still at large.
“Ultimately, while we respect the decision of the court, we do find that we are now left looking at this again. We are left wondering who is guilty,” said Lyle, Meredith’s brother.
“Of course, if the two who were released yesterday were not the guilty parties, we are now obviously left wondering who is the other person or people, and really, for us, it feels very much almost like back to square one.
Until the truth comes out, we can’t forgive anyone. No-one has admitted to it. Stephanie Kercher
“It’s my understanding that the prosecutors will be going ahead to appeal the decision but I believe it’s actually someone higher up who decides that. We would support them fully in that,” he added.
The family said that the trial, which culminated in the verdict at the Perugia court on Monday, had been a nightmare and that it could take another year for the truth to emerge.
“Until the truth comes out, we can’t forgive anyone. No-one has admitted to it,” said Ms Kercher. “You don’t know how you’re going to feel. It’s obviously very upsetting whatever the outcome. It’s still difficult – we still have no answers.”
Speaking from the Conservative Party conference in Manchester, Prime Minister David Cameron said his thoughts were with the Kercher family.
“I think all of us should be thinking of them,” he told Sky News. “Obviously there is somebody in prison for the murder still, but one can’t help but think of the difficult time they will be going through.”
Meredith Kercher’s semi-naked body was found in her bedroom in November 2007 in the cottage she shared with Knox during her year abroad in the Italian city Perugia.
Ms Knox and Mr Sollecito were found guilty of murdering the Leeds student in December 2009, with Knox sentenced to 26 years behind bars and Sollecito 25.
Read more: What will the future hold for Amanda Knox?
