Meredith autopsy verdict delayed
Decision on whether second post-mortem needed in Meredith Kercher case delayed until tomorrow
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Monday, 26, Nov 2007 07:31
Italian pathologists have asked for more time to decide whether a second post-mortem is needed to determine how Meredith Kercher died.
A court in Perugia said that it hoped to make an announcement tomorrow, more than three weeks after the 21-year-old UK student was found dead in her apartment with her throat cut.
According to reports, forensic scientists do not believe they will be able to conclusively say what time Ms Kercher died or the specifics of her death until next year after a preliminary post-mortem proved inconclusive.
Her family, from Coulsdon, south London, have been waiting since November 2nd when their daughter's body was found, to bury her.
In court today a lawyer representing the Kerchers pleaded for the student's body to be released.
"The family is just waiting to be able to have a funeral," said Francesco Maresca.
"The wait has obviously been extremely painful for them."
Four people have been arrested in connection with Ms Kercher's murder, with three still in custody.
A judge has already ruled that Ms Kercher's flatmate, American student Amanda Knox, 20, and her boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, 23, can be held without charge for another year.
Congolese-born barman Patrick Diya Lumumba, 38, has been released from custody but has not been cleared.
The fourth suspect in the case, 20-year-old Ivorian Rudy Hermann Guede, was arrested in Germany last week after Italian police issued a warrant for his arrest through Interpol.
All four deny any involvement in Ms Kercher's death, which police have linked to a violent sexual assault.