After hearing over six hours of arguments today, Italy's high court has decided to delay its ruling on whether to overturn Amanda Knox's acquittal of a murder charge until tomorrow.
The Amanda Knox case gained international recognition back in 2007 when she was arrested for the killing of her study abroad roommate Meredith Kercher in Perugia, Italy. The trial took a total of two years, but eventually she was found guilty of murder along with her then-boyfriend Rafaele Sollecito.
The case garnered attention worldwide, and especially in both the United States and Italy. After their conviction, both Knox and Sollecito appealed the verdict and were instead acquitted of the charges in 2011. In total, Knox spent four years in prison.
Prosecutors believed that both Knox and Sollecito conspired to kill Kercher, but instead it was Rudy Hermann Guede, an acquaintance of Knox, who was found to be guilty during the proceedings. These findings, however, did not deter prosecutors from continuing with their case against Knox and Sollecito, who they claimed murdered Kercher after a drug-fueled sexual assault.
"We are still convinced that they are the co-authors of Meredith's homicide," Italian news agency ANSA quoted prosecutor Giovanni Galati as saying.
If the judges uphold the 2011 finding of Knox and Sollecito's innocence, then the results will be final and there will be no possibility of another retrial. If, however, they find enough evidence to warrant another trial, then Knox will be asked to return to Italy. She was not present for these latest hearings.
Even then, it is still uncertain how the whole situation will play out. Italy would have to request extradition of Knox from the United States. In America, however, defendants cannot be tried twice on the same allegation, and it is possible that the US will block extradition of Knox for this reason.
Originally, it was expected that the court would reach a verdict today, but the decision was delayed until 10 a.m. tomorrow due to the severity of the case. A lawyer for Sollecito declined to say whether that decision gave any indication about the outcome of the trial.
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