Murdered student laid to rest
Friday, 14 Dec 2007 14:14
Meredith Kercher was laid to rest today
Mourners attended the funeral of murdered British student Meredith Kercher today, six weeks after she was found dead at her home in Italy.
The 21-year-old from Coulsdon, Surrey, was discovered with her throat cut on November 2nd, at her flat in Perugia.
Ms Kercher's family - parents Arline and John, sister Stephanie and brothers, John and Lyle - were the last to arrive at Croydon Parish Church in south London for her funeral, for which hundreds gathered to pay their final respects.
Among the other mourners were Ms Kercher's friends from the University of Leeds, where she studied.
The vicar of Croydon, the Rev Colin Boswell, conducted the funeral service – which was followed by a private burial at nearby Mitcham Road Cemetery.
He later told reporters the congregation had listened to Ms Kercher's favourite piece of music – the U2 track With or Without You.
Four people are suspected of involvement in the student's death, with Italian police believing Ms Kercher may also have been subject to a violent sexual attack.
One of the suspects, Ms Kercher's former flatmate, Amanda Knox, 20, said this week she was "stunned by [the] senseless tragedy" of her murder.
Ms Knox - whose Italian boyfriend, 23-year-old Raffaele Sollecito, has also been arrested in connection with Ms Kercher's murder – told Italian newspaper La Repubblica the British student was a "sweet and sensitive girl".
The American student, who has been in custody for more than a month and has denied any involvement in Ms Kercher's death, also dismissed suggestions she had a blazing row with her shortly before her death.
"It's not true we argued every day," she said to La Repubblica in a written answer from behind bars, "I liked living with her."
As well as Ms Knox and Mr Sollecito, Italian police investigating Ms Kercher's murder have arrested Ivorian-born Rudy Hermann Guede, 20, and barman Patrick Diya Lumumba, 38, who has since been released from custody but not cleared.
All four have denied involvement in Ms Kercher's death.