The man convicted of murdering British student Meredith Kercher in Italy in 2007 has insisted he did not kill her, and pointed the finger at Amanda Knox.
Rudy Guede, 34, was formally released on Tuesday, 14 years after the murder and sexual assault of 21-year-old Kercher in Perugia.
Rudy Guede, pictured in December 2020, was freed from prison on November 23
Knox, Kercher’s American housemate, spent four years in prison for the crime but was acquitted in 2015, and continues to insist she was wrongfully convicted.
Guede told The Sun on Sunday: ‘The court convicted me of being an accessory to murder purely because my DNA was there but the (legal) documents say others were there and that I did not inflict the fatal wounds.’
Asked if he was speaking about Knox and her then-boyfriend, Raffaeele Sollecito, he told the paper: ‘I don’t want to say anything other than she should read the documents.
‘As I told you, they say others were there and that I did not inflict the stab wounds.
‘I know the truth and she knows the truth.’
Rudy Guede was freed from prison in Italy on Tuesday, after spending 13 years behind bars. He is seen before his freedom was fully restored, while on day release in Italy
Amanda Knox is seen in an Instagram photo. She now lives on an island off the coast of Seattle and makes podcasts
Knox has always insisted that she was innocent of Kercher’s murder
Guede, born in the Ivory Coast, was described as a ‘drifter’, without a steady job or income. Prosecutors argued that Guede broke into Kercher and Knox’s house to steal their rent money, knowing it would be there in cash as it was the end of the month.
His DNA was found at the scene, but he told The Sun that that is because he tried to help Kercher.
‘I’ve got blood on my hands because I tried to save her not kill her,’ he said.
Meredith Kercher, from Coulsdon, near London, said they were saddened that they were not warned of Guede’s release
‘The court accepted that I tried to save her by putting towels on her wounds.’
Guede expressed his condolences to the British family.
‘I want to say is to the Kercher family and how sorry I am for their loss,’ he said.
‘I have written a letter to them in which I explain to them how sorry I am but it’s too late to say sorry for not doing enough to save Meredith.’
Knox has not commented on Guede’s comments.
Her husband Christopher Robinson tweeted criticism of the reporter behind The Sun’s story.
‘Leave it to @nickpisa, who made his career off of vilifying @amandaknox, to give a platform to and amplify the lies of Rudy Guede, who without a doubt killed Meredith Kercher,’ he said.
‘This is cruel to Amanda as well as the Kercher family. All for a few clicks. Shame.’
Knox, who gave birth to their first child, a daughter named Eureka, this fall then retweeted his comment.
Kercher’s brother, Lyle, said of Guede’s release: ‘We knew this day would arrive but the suddenness — and lack of advance warning — has caught us off guard.’
Knox is seen with her husband, Christopher Robinson, a novelist. The pair legally wed in 2018, with another ceremony in February 2020
Knox and Sollecito both spent four years in prison after their convictions. Knox was also convicted of defamation for wrongly accusing Patrick Lumumba, a bar owner, of the murder. Pictured: Knox and Sollecito in 2007
Raffaele Sollecito, seen in July, is now an IT expert, based in Milan
Guede was convicted in 2008 for the murder after his DNA was discovered on Kercher’s body – despite his claims that he was in the bathroom listening to music when she was killed.
He was described as a model prisoner who put the past behind him and spent his days studying for his master’s degree.
‘Unfortunately there are many media outlets and newspapers that want to interview Rudy,’ said Claudio Mariani, a professor of criminology who helped with Guede’s rehabilitation.
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‘I say ‘unfortunately’ because Rudy is not a star and after 14 years he just wants to be forgotten.
‘There is nothing more to add to this story apart from the fact that the life of a young British woman was cut short and from her family we learned dignity and the value of silence.’
Meredith Kercher’s killer Rudy Guede (pictured waving from the window of a volunteer centre in 2016, file photo) has ben formally released from prison, 14 years after the grisly murder
Guede, 34, (pictured playing chess, file photo) was found guilty after his DNA was discovered on Kercher’s body despite his claims that he was in the bathroom when she was killed
Pictured: Rudy Guede, left, is greeted by an unidentified person as he leaves the penitentiary for a temporary release of thirty-six hours, in Viterbo, Italy, on June 25, 2016
Pictured: Rudy Guede seen playing chess recently while on day release. Those who know the killer say he is a model prisoner who has put the past behind him and spends his days studying for his master’s degree
Guede has been living outside jail on probation in the town of Viterbo since last year after his sentence was reduced for good behavior.
‘It’s the conclusive moment of a very sad affair,’ Fabrizio Ballarini, his lawyer, told the Italian press.
‘First thoughts must to go the victim and her family. Rudy has undergone an excellent course of reeducation.’
Guede is studying for a master’s in historical sciences at Roma Tre university and Ballarini previously told judges of his ‘high level of social integration’ and ‘irreproachable conduct.’
Meredith Kercher (left) was found dead in the apartment she shared with Amanda Knox (right) in 2007. Knox is seen appearing as a TV guest on Good Morning America, in September 2016
He was first offered day release from Viterbo prison in 2017 and he started working as a researcher and librarian at the Centre for Crime, Judicial and Sociological studies.
He lost an appeal to have his case overturned but has won the support of local activists who have helped him to reintegrate.
Guede even set up a chess tournament for the residents of Viterbo.
Kercher, from Coulsdon, Surrey, was killed just two months after moving to Italy for a study abroad program at Perugia’s prestigious university.
Her body was found in her bedroom, partially undressed, with multiple stab wounds.
Guede’s fingerprints were found at the scene along with a palm print in blood belonging to him.
He admitted to having been at the apartment but has always denied killing or sexually assaulting Kercher.
Rudy Guede was due to be formally released on January 4 but his lawyer on Tuesday confirmed his early release had been granted for good behavior (pictured: Guede after a court hearing in Perugia September 16, 2008)
Knox being escorted into court on September 26, 2008
Guede pictured being escorted by Italian penitentiary police officers as he leaves Perugia’s court after a hearing on September 26, 2008
He said he had gone into a ‘state of shock’ after finding her dead after he returned from the bathroom.
Following the murder, Guede fled by train to Germany where he was arrested days later.
He was charged with her murder and sexual assault and handed down a 30-year sentence, which was later cut to 16 years by an appeals court.
Knox and Sollecito both spent four years in prison after their convictions.
Knox was also convicted of defamation for wrongly accusing Patrick Lumumba, a bar owner, of the murder.
Lumumba spent two weeks in jail, only being released when someone came forward with an alibi.
Knox and Sollecito were acquitted in 2011 only to be convicted again in 2014 by a Florentine appeals court.
The appeals court ruled that the injuries inflicted on Kercher’s body could not have been inflicted by Guede alone.
However in 2015, Italy’s highest court overturned the decision in a final ruling, saying Knox and Sollecito’s convictions were the result of ‘stunning flaws’ in the investigation.
This post first appeared on Dailymail.co.uk
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