ROME — Prosecutors wrapped up their investigation Thursday into the slaying of a British student, paving the way for possible indictments of her American roommate and two other suspects.
Amanda Knox, 20, of Seattle; her former Italian boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito; and Ivory Coast citizen Rudy Hermann Guede have been jailed since Nov. 6 in connection with the death of Meredith Kercher.
Kercher, a 21-year-old student from Leeds University in England, was found dead in a pool of blood in a house she shared with Knox in the Umbrian college town of Perugia.
Prosecutors say the three suspects strangled and stabbed Kercher, according to a court document officially notifying the defense that the investigation is over.
The document says Guede committed sexual violence on Kercher, with the help of Knox and Sollecito. It also says Knox and Sollecito tried to make it appear that an attempted robbery had taken place in the house.
All three suspects have denied any wrongdoing.
The defense now has 20 days to request further questioning or produce more documents before prosecutors either seek indictments or drop the accusations.
Knox, a student at the University of Washington, and Sollecito have given conflicting statements, according to other court documents.
Sollecito has said he was at his own apartment in Perugia, working at his computer. He said he does not remember if Knox spent the whole night with him.
Knox has insisted she was not at home during the slaying, although at one point in the investigation she accused a Congolese pub owner, Diya “Patrick” Lumumba, of killing Kercher. Lumumba was arrested but quickly released for lack of evidence. He was formally cleared last month.
Knox’s DNA was found on the handle of a knife that prosecutors say might have been used in the slaying, while Kercher’s DNA was found on the blade.
DNA testing has found that Guede, 21, whose fingerprint was found in bloodstains on Kercher’s pillow, had sex with Kercher the night she died.
In an e-mailed statement, the family of Knox said that the prosecutor “has been wedded to the theory that Amanda and two others were responsible for Meredith’s murder.”
“We know our daughter is innocent, and we will continue to support her in every way possible,” the statement said.
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