A very special thanks to editor John Wordsworth at John Blake Publishing for wanting to do this book and for wanting to do it with me. He could have had his pick of any number of writers eager to do this story, but I am grateful he chose me. After reading my thrice-weekly blog on True Crime Report (www.truecrimereport.com), John asked me if Id be interested in writing a book on the Meredith Kercher case. Naturally, who could say no? I enjoyed working with John on this project, without whose skills and enthusiasm this book would not have made if off the presses.
I am, of course, also very grateful to John Blake, publisher of John Blake Publishing, who was immediately keen on doing a book about this case even though he and his company had never worked with me before. He took a calculated risk in doing this book with me, and I am appreciative of the trust and faith he placed in me to get a manuscript to him in short order. I am, of course, also grateful to everyone who has worked behind the scenes at John Blake Publishing to get this project off the ground and to see it through to completion.
Finally, as always, I am eternally grateful to my family Teresita, Kirsten, and Sarah for their continued support during the often gruelling hours working on projects such as this that take me away from them. You guys are the greatest!
The story that you are about to read is a complicated one in which the guilt or innocence of those accused is not always clear. I have made every effort to preserve the dignity of the deceased and hope that I have, at least to some extent, preserved the essence of who Meredith Kercher was in life. While the details of the murder may be repugnant to some readers, it was never my intention to offend or to appear gratuitous with regard to the homicidal violence and allegations of sexual abuse committed against this truly innocent victim.
I have been following this case closely since it first broke in November 2007, and the depiction of events herein is based on hundreds of hours of research and preparation before sitting down and writing the first word. For purposes of clarity I decided early on to present the story in chronological order, as the events unfolded, from the moments before Merediths body was discovered, through the often confusing and complex police investigation, and to the subsequent trials and verdicts.
No attempt has been made to fictionalize any aspect of this tragic story, so none of the characters portrayed are invented or are composites from my imagination. I have attempted to present the facts of the case as they are known and as they have been presented to the public in various media formats, including newspapers, magazines, tabloids, television and radio news, and entertainment programs, as well as what happened in the courtroom at the various stages that this case has gone through. Dialogue of some of those involved was quoted from news sources that include, but is not limited to, CNN, MSNBC, Court TV, Daily Mail, The Guardian, The Sunday Times, Corriere Della Sera, Corriere DellUmbria, and CBS News, among other news outlets, as well as selected official documents that were leaked during the investigation.
While many people have come out in support of Amanda Knox, almost from the cases outset, I have refrained from doing so here because it was my intention that this book focus on what happened to Meredith and not on the media buzz surrounding Amanda. Although including some of those details has been unavoidable, I thought it best to leave those issues, for the most part, for others who will undoubtedly choose to write a book or books about the perceived travesty of justice that some believe occurred in this case. I have instead attempted to maintain a neutral position with regard to the accused although, due to the complexity of the case and the media swarm that has surrounded it, this has not been easy. It was my desire to show what happened, and then let the reader decide who was truly guilty or not and whether or not justice has been served.
G.C.K.
D ECEMBER 2009
T he medieval hillside city of Perugia, capital of the Umbrian region of Italy, situated near the Tiber River between Rome and Florence, is a notable artistic centre whose neighbouring town, Citta della Pieve, was home to painter Pietro Vannucci (also known as Perugino), who taught the great Renaissance artist Raphael. With a modern population of more than 160,000, Perugia was originally a mere settlement which historians have dated back to 310 BC. Known for having a transitional and prevalently Mediterranean climate, winters are not particularly cold and summers are pleasant and often breezy. Despite its historic past, today Perugia is renowned for its chocolate, being home to the Perugina chocolate company which makes Baci, or chocolate kisses, that are popular throughout Italy and elsewhere. The city also hosts a chocolate festival that begins in October and runs into November, enjoyed by the local residents and tourists alike.
Unfortunately, Perugia is now more widely known for the gruesome and sensational, sex-related murder of Meredith Kercher, a beautiful young foreign exchange student who succumbed to a slow and agonizing death. Meredith had moved to Perugia from her home in England to finish her studies at the Universita per Stranieri the University of Foreigners which attracts some 8,000 students a year from all over the world to study the Italian language and culture. The sordid details of this tragic case, as well as the questionable aspects of who had committed the crime and why, kept much of the UK and Europe riveted, especially as speculation heightened in the run-up to the Italian courts verdict in late 2009. And as one of the prime suspects was an American honor student, interest in the case crossed the Atlantic and kept many in the United States equally engrossed. It also brought into focus the apparently often wild student life in Perugia, going far beyond the intended cultural and educational enrichment of their parents expectations, with students drifting into frequent open sexual relationships, combined with drinking and drug-taking. There were clearly dark aspects beneath the surface of this otherwise idyllic university town.
Just 21 years old at the time of her death, Meredith Susanna Cara Kercher, also known as Mez to her family and friends, was born in February 1986 in the London borough of Southwark, to an Indian mother and English father. She had a natural beauty, which some attributed to the blood mix of her parents, with flowing brown hair, brown eyes and a radiant smile sufficient to melt any young mans heart, and a personality just as pleasing as her looks. Meredith was in her third year of studies at the University of Leeds, working towards a degree in European studies when she entered the European Region Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students (ERASMUS) student exchange programme and travelled to Italy in August 2007 to complete the course of study for her degree but primarily to study the Italian language.
It was an exciting time in her life, as it is for most her age, made all the more thrilling by being away from her home in the South London suburb of Coulsdon, living and studying in a foreign country. She made friends right away, and enjoyed the pizza and kebab restaurants that are scattered about the hillside town of Perugia. Although known as quiet and studious, she also enjoyed the nightlife that was accentuated by loud bars and dancing, but stayed away from the citys growing drug scene. She had quickly found a place to stay, in a charming little hillside villa overlooking lush foliage in the valley below, which she shared with three student housemates. However, instead of it all being the time of her life, no one could have envisaged particularly Meredith and her family that the move to Italy would end in a tragedy of the greatest magnitude, and that she would return home to her grieving family inside a coffin.