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Patrick Diya Lumumba, 37, originally from the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo|Congo]], but a long-term resident of Perugia, owns a small bar ('Le Chic') in the city, and employed Amanda Knox occasionally as a barmaid. Married to a Polish woman, Ola, and the father of a one-year-old son, he is described as a 'gentle' man 'willing to help anybody' and had been a popular figure within the student community, organising concerts and events.{{fact}} |
Patrick Diya Lumumba, 37, originally from the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo|Congo]], but a long-term resident of Perugia, owns a small bar ('Le Chic') in the city, and employed Amanda Knox occasionally as a barmaid. Married to a Polish woman, Ola, and the father of a one-year-old son, he is described as a 'gentle' man 'willing to help anybody' and had been a popular figure within the student community, organising concerts and events.{{fact}} |
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Lumumba was arrested on [[6 November]] having been implicated by Knox's version of events which alleged that he was obsessed with Meredith Kercher and that he had visited her and engaged in 'sex-games' with Knox and Sollecito present.{{fact}} He denies that he had ever been in the house that Kercher and Knox shared and asserts that he was at his bar, as usual, on the evening of the murder.{{fact}} He initially struggled to find customers to confirm that he was present, and the first till receipt was not issued until after the time of the murder, however there are now reliable witnesses who confirm that he was at his bar at the time of the events.{{fact}} There is no forensic evidence linking Lumumba with the crime scene.{{fact}} He was released immediately after the arrest of Guede, but remains a suspect.{{fact}} His lawyers are pressing for him to be exonerated.{{fact}} |
Lumumba was arrested on [[6 November]] having been implicated by Knox's version of events which alleged that he was obsessed with Meredith Kercher and that he had visited her and engaged in 'sex-games' with Knox and Sollecito present.{{fact}} He denies that he had ever been in the house that Kercher and Knox shared and asserts that he was at his bar, as usual, on the evening of the murder.{{fact}} He initially struggled to find customers to confirm that he was present, and the first till receipt was not issued until after the time of the murder, however there are now reliable witnesses who confirm that he was at his bar at the time of the events.{{fact}} There is no forensic evidence linking Lumumba with the crime scene.{{fact}} He was released immediately after the arrest of Guede, but remains a suspect.{{fact}} His lawyers are pressing for him to be exonerated.{{fact}} The chief prosecutor in the case, Giuseppe Mignini has stated that there are no longer any serious indications linking Lumumba to the crime, although he was still under investigation <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/11/20/wmeredith520.xml |title=Fourth Meredith suspect arrested in Germany] |author=Malcolm Moore |publisher=[[Daily Telegraph]] |date=[[2007-11-21]] |accessdate=2007-12-06}}</ref>. |
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==Public reaction== |
==Public reaction== |
Revision as of 17:39, 6 December 2007
The murder of Meredith Kercher occurred on the night of November 1 2007 when the English student was stabbed to death in her bedroom at the cottage she shared in Perugia, Italy.
Two people, a man and a woman, were taken into custody as suspects in Italy, and a third man was held in Germany. A fourth suspect, a Congolese man, was released without charge.
Background
Meredith Susanna Cara Kercher was born on February 1986 in Southwark, England, but was settled in Coulsdon, South London. She was attending Leeds University.[1] She had been part of the Erasmus student exchange programme, and had gone to Italy to complete her degree course.[2][3]
Murder and investigation
Kercher was murdered on the evening of 1 November 2007 by two or more assailants.[4] She had spent the early part of the evening eating pizza and watching a film with friends, returning to her home alone at around 21:00.
Pathologists initially put the time of death as between midnight and 02:00 although there is more recent evidence suggesting a time of death between 20:30 and 23:00.[2][5]
The following morning, the Postal Police came to investigate the discovery of two cell phones in a nearby garden, one which was registered to Ms Kercher.[3] When they breached the door to Kercher's room, which had been locked from the inside, they reportedly found Kercher lying beneath a duvet in her room "soaked in blood."[6] Police have said Kercher's throat was slit with a shard of glass or a pen-knife, but have not yet located the murder weapon.[7] Police intially believed that the killer or killers escaped through a broken window in Kercher's room, since the door was locked when they arrived,[2][7][8] but now suspect the break-in was staged.[citation needed] The following morning, Knox was spotted by two men at a laundromat on Via Fabretti washing clothes and a pair of shoes with a "North African" man.[9][10]
Judge Matteini, citing a pathology report, added that Kercher's carotid artery had not been ruptured in the attack, and that she likely died of a "relatively slow and agonizing death."[11]
Suspects
Three suspects are currently being held in connection with this case. Amanda Knox, aged 20, and her Italian student boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, aged 23, are both being held in Perugia. Rudy Hermann Guede, a 21 year old Ivorian-Italian, and boyfriend of Kercher was arrested in Germany on November 20 and was extradited to Italy on 6 December. [12][13]
Amanda Knox
Amanda Knox, aged 20, a student from Seattle, Washington, USA, was arrested on the morning of 6 November for her alleged involvement in Kercher's murder. Knox was a student at the University of Washington and had been living with Kercher in Perugia while she was enrolled in ERASMUS programme in Italy. She had a part-time job serving at 'Le Chic' the bar owned by Patrick Lumumba, also a suspect in the case. According to statements published by The Times, Knox told the police that she had been in the house when the murder took place and had "heard the screams", [4][14]however, she has subsequently given several different versions of the events of the night of the murder, saying her memory was clouded by having taken drugs, and now asserts that she spent the whole evening and night with her boyfriend at his flat.[3]
In one of her earlier statements to the police, Knox said that she received a text message from Patrick Lumumba on the evening of 1 November at a nearby basketball court and that they went back to Knox's residence on Via della Pergola.[4] She went on to say,[4]
I don't remember if my friend Meredith was already there or whether she came later. What I can say is that the two of them (Meredith and Patrick) went off together... Patrick and Meredith went off together into Meredith's room while I think I stayed in the kitchen. I can't remember how long they were in the bedroom together, I can only say that at a certain point I heard Meredith screaming and I was so frightened I put my fingers in my ears. I don't remember anything after that, my head is really confused. I don’t remember if Meredith called out or if I heard thuds because I was upset, but I can imagine what was happening...I'm not sure whether Raffaele was there too that evening but I do remember waking up at his house in his bed and that in the morning I went back to where I lived, where I found the door open.
Knox appeared before a magistrate on the morning of 9 November and was ordered held, along with Sollecito and Lumumba, for up to one year while the police continue their investigation.[15] In a leaked report published by The Times, Judge Claudia Matteini suggested that Knox and Sollecito had been seeking to "experience extreme sensations, intense sexual relations which break up the monotony of everyday life," and had attempted to persuade Kercher to participate in a sexual encounter.[11][16] The report continued,[16]
They went together to the apartment on via della Pergola 7, to which only Amanda had the key. It was roughly at this time that both Sollecito and Knox switched off their mobile phones until the following morning.
According to police reports, two pieces of evidence link Knox to the murder; imprints of her hand on the victim's cheek suggest that she may have held her down while she was being sexually assaulted and traces of her DNA and that of the victim, found on a kitchen knife at her boyfriend's flat.
Raffaele Sollecito
Raffaele Sollecito, 23 years old and at the point of completing a degree at Perugia University at the time of the murder, was Knox's boyfriend.[citation needed] The son of a urologist from Bari, and from an affluent family, he had been dating Knox for 2 weeks.[citation needed]
Sollecito claims that he returned to his flat and spent the evening surfing the internet on the night of the murder.[citation needed] It is thought that his alibi is not substantiated by records of his internet service provider. Like Knox, he has changed his recollection of the evening claiming that his memory was impaired by having smoked marijuana with Knox that afternoon.[citation needed]
A footprint found in blood in Kercher's room is compatible with the footwear worn by Sollecito, but he alleges that it is that of Rudy Guede.[citation needed]
Rudy Hermann Guede
Police arrested a fourth suspect, Rudy Hermann Guede, 20, who originated from the Ivory Coast, on November 20. The Italian police announced Guede was arrested in Wiesbaden, Germany in an Interpol operation that traced Guede when he logged into his Facebook account.[13][12]
DNA tests indicate that Guede had sex with Kercher before her murder. [17] and that faeces found in the toilet are his.
Guede's account of the evening is that he and the victim had consensual sex, after which he left the room to use the toilet.[citation needed] In the meantime, a stranger entered the house and stabbed Kercher.[citation needed] He states that he tussled with the murderer but that the man escaped, after which he became so frightened that he fled the scene and made his way to Germany.[citation needed]
Patrick Lumumba
Patrick Diya Lumumba, 37, originally from the Congo, but a long-term resident of Perugia, owns a small bar ('Le Chic') in the city, and employed Amanda Knox occasionally as a barmaid. Married to a Polish woman, Ola, and the father of a one-year-old son, he is described as a 'gentle' man 'willing to help anybody' and had been a popular figure within the student community, organising concerts and events.[citation needed]
Lumumba was arrested on 6 November having been implicated by Knox's version of events which alleged that he was obsessed with Meredith Kercher and that he had visited her and engaged in 'sex-games' with Knox and Sollecito present.[citation needed] He denies that he had ever been in the house that Kercher and Knox shared and asserts that he was at his bar, as usual, on the evening of the murder.[citation needed] He initially struggled to find customers to confirm that he was present, and the first till receipt was not issued until after the time of the murder, however there are now reliable witnesses who confirm that he was at his bar at the time of the events.[citation needed] There is no forensic evidence linking Lumumba with the crime scene.[citation needed] He was released immediately after the arrest of Guede, but remains a suspect.[citation needed] His lawyers are pressing for him to be exonerated.[citation needed] The chief prosecutor in the case, Giuseppe Mignini has stated that there are no longer any serious indications linking Lumumba to the crime, although he was still under investigation [18].
Public reaction
After the initial publication of Knox's 'confession', many news media sources began to uncover information about her background online.[19][20] Both Knox's Myspace profile and videos that she had previously posted to Youtube were used in some cases to cite her instability.[19][20] The news media's investigation of events has been viewed with scrutiny by online bloggers and others.[20][21] Some students at Knox's university have called the allegations "shocking," and believe that it "is not something she would do."[22]
Tributes
Kercher's family travelled to Italy and visited the place where Meredith's friends in Perugia commemorated her, on the steps of Perugia Cathedral. Her father left a rose and a condolence note stating "Love you forever Meredith, all my love. Dad".[23] There was a candlelit vigil on the night of Monday 5 November in Perugia in memory of Meredith.[24] The students of the University of Leeds, commemorated her as well.[25] The Facebook community dedicated several pages and a huge number of messages and comments to her memory.[24]
References
- ^ "Students hold vigil for Meredith". BBC news. 2007-11-07. Retrieved 2007-11-19.
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(help) - ^ a b c Richard Owen (2007-11-06). "Meredith Kercher 'killed after refusing orgy'". The Times. Retrieved 2007-11-06.
{{cite web}}
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(help); Unknown parameter|coauthors=
ignored (|author=
suggested) (help) - ^ a b c Richard Owen (2007-11-06). "Woman 'confesses role' in British student's murder in Perugia". The Times. Retrieved 2007-11-06.
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(help) - ^ a b c d "Excerpts from the witness statements". The Times. 2007-11-06. Retrieved 2007-11-07.
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(help) - ^ "Timing is crucial after police raise doubts on Meredith Kercher suspect's alibi'". The Times. 2007-11-12. Retrieved 2007-11-12.
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(help) - ^ John Follain (2007-11-04). "Student killer leaves bloody footprint clue". The Times. Retrieved 2007-11-07.
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(help) - ^ a b Richard Owen (2007-11-06). "Diary of murdered student could hold clues to her killer, police say". The Times. Retrieved 2007-11-06.
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(help) - ^ "Seattle woman held in slaying of British student". KOMO TV. 2007-11-06. Retrieved 2007-11-06.
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(help) - ^ "Perugia murder. Meredith said there were too many men in the house". Corriere della Sera. 2007-11-08. Retrieved 2007-11-08.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ Richard Owen (2007-11-08). "Meredith Kercher was worried by US flatmate's 'strange men'". The Times. Retrieved 2007-11-08.
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(help) - ^ a b Richard Owen (2007-11-09). "Judge says Meredith Kercher was murdered for resisting brutal sex game". The Times. Retrieved 2007-11-09.
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(help) - ^ a b "Fourth arrest over student murder". BBC news. 2007-11-20. Retrieved 2007-11-20.
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(help) - ^ a b "Fourth Meredith suspect arrested in Germany". The Times. 2007-11-20. Retrieved 2007-11-20.
{{cite news}}
: Check date values in:|date=
(help) - ^ Vanessa Ho (2007-11-07). "Seattle woman heard fatal attack unfold in Italy". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved 2007-11-07.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|date=
(help) - ^ "Student from Seattle to remain in jail in Italian death probe". The Seattle Times. 2007-11-09. Retrieved 2007-11-09.
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(help) - ^ a b "Meredith Kercher: Judge's report". The Times. 2007-11-09. Retrieved 2007-11-09.
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(help) - ^ John Follain (2007-11-25). "Dying Meredith Kercher 'whispered initials of killer'". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 2007-11-28.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ Malcolm Moore (2007-11-21). "Fourth Meredith suspect arrested in Germany]". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2007-12-06.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ a b Colin Fernandez (2007-11-06). "Foxy Knoxy: Inside the twisted world of murdered Meredith's flatmate". The Daily Mail. Retrieved 2007-11-06.
{{cite web}}
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(help); Unknown parameter|coauthor=
ignored (|author=
suggested) (help) - ^ a b c Monica Guzman (2007-11-07). "Amanda Knox and the Internet: Are we being fair?". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved 2007-11-07.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ "Caso Chiuso? For Real?". Seattlest.com. 2007-11-07. Retrieved 2007-11-07.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ Christine Siderius (2007-11-07). "UW student held in Italy slaying". Seattle Times. Retrieved 2007-11-07.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ "Judge considers ruling on Meredith suspects". The Daily Mirror. 2007-11-06. Retrieved 2007-11-08.
- ^ a b "Candlelight Vigil For Meredith". The Guardian. 2007-11-08. Retrieved 2007-11-08.
- ^ "Police 'Find Knife' In Meredith Case". Sky News. 2007-11-07. Retrieved 2007-11-19.
{{cite web}}
: Check|url=
value (help)