Meredith murder suspect 'a pleasure seeker', says boyfriend
The Italian man held in connection with the murder of British exchange student Meredith Kercher said today his girlfriend and fellow suspect Amanda Knox was a pleasure seeker who “could not distinguish dream from reality”.
Raffaele Sollecito continued to protest his innocence in the case and said he felt sorry for Miss Kercher, a quiet girl who “did not deserve the end she met”.
Sollecito, 23, made the remarks in a letter to his father, written from the prison in Perugia where he is currently being held, and published in the Italian newspapers.
Sollecito and Knox, 20, have been in custody since November 6 suspected of sexually abusing and killing 21-year-old Miss Kercher from Coulsdon, Surrey.
Another man, Rudy Hermann Guede, 20, is currently awaiting extradition from Germany where he was arrested on Tuesday. All three deny killing Miss Kercher.
In the letter, Sollecito relayed his initial impressions of American Knox and said that although “her only thought was the pursuit of pleasure at every moment”, he found it impossible to believe that she had killed her housemate.
He also described how, after more than a fortnight in prison, he understood what it was like to “walk through hell”.
And he promised his father that he would never again smoke cannabis.
He said: “My life has changed forever and there is no way of turning back. I can only pick up the broken pieces and try to put them back together.”
The letter was published as lawyers acting for Sollecito explained the reasons behind a request that he be re-interviewed by the lead investigator in the case, Giuliano Mignini.
The request was submitted yesterday but no date has yet been set for the interview.
It could come as early as Thursday, the day before the cases against Knox and Sollecito are due to be reviewed in court.
Delfo Berretti, one of Sollecito’s legal team, said: “We submitted the request because Raffaele wants to clarify some of the points from his original interview in light of certain things that have come out since.
“He certainly won’t be changing his story. He just wants to re-clarify a few things.”
Today the lawyers also presented Mr Mignini with expert analysis of Sollecito’s computer and of a footprint taken from the room where Miss Kercher’s body was found.
A submission from Professor Giovanni Arcudi argued that the photograph of the footprint taken in Miss Kercher’s room was not of sufficient quality to conclude whether it was made by a shoe found in Sollecito’s apartment.
The findings of Fabio Formenti and Emilio Luchetta argue that there is evidence of “human activity” on the laptop between 9.10pm on the night of November 1, when Miss Kercher was murdered, and 3.32am on the morning of November 2.
Sollecito maintains he was at home using his computer at the time of the killing.
The evidence contradicts previous findings from police that the laptop was not being used at that time. Results of conclusive investigations by scientific police into the computer – which could establish who, if anyone, was using it - are still awaited.
It also emerged today that a court hearing on Monday could decide whether or not to authorise a second post mortem examination on Miss Kercher’s body.
Lawyers acting for released Congolese barman Diya “Patrick” Lumumba, who left prison on Tuesday, had previously requested the hearing to more accurately establish the time the victim was killed.
Perugia’s prosecutor general, judge Claudia Matteini, is expected to decide whether or not experts should be granted permission to carry out a second autopsy or to use data from the original, Mr Berretti said.
The decision could clear the way for Miss Kercher’s body to be buried.
