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29 September 2011
Last updated at 07:11 ET
Convicted murderer Amanda Knox is the victim of "a tragic judicial case", her defence lawyer has said.
Knox and and her ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito are appealing their 2009 convictions for murdering UK student Meredith Kercher in Italy in 2007.
Defence lawyer Carlo Dalla Vedova told the appeals court in Perugia that Knox had spent some 1,000 days behind bars, despite being innocent.
Judge Claudio Pratillo Hellmann said a verdict would be delivered on Monday.
In his closing arguments, Mr Vedova urged the panel hearing the case to see past the image of Knox he said had been created by media and the prosecution.
Continue reading the main story Meredith Kercher murder: Key dates
"She was a girl who was quite different from how she has been depicted," he said. "How many times have we heard Amanda Knox saying 'Why don't they believe me?'"
American Knox, 24, and Italian Sollecito, 26, were convicted in 2009 of murdering Miss Kercher four years ago in her bedroom of the flat she and Knox shared in the central Italian city of Perugia.
Miss Kercher was on an exchange year from Leeds University.
Knox was sentenced to 26 years in prison, while 27-year-old Italian Sollecito was given 25 years.
Knox and Sollecito have spent almost a year appealing against their convictions. Knox's appeal case has centred on a review of DNA evidence which indicated it was flawed.
A third person - Rudy Guede, 21 - was also convicted of Miss Kercher's murder in a separate trial and is serving a 16-year term.
Guede also denied wrongdoing but his conviction has been upheld on appeal.
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Knox and and her ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito are appealing their 2009 convictions for murdering UK student Meredith Kercher in Italy in 2007.
Defence lawyer Carlo Dalla Vedova told the appeals court in Perugia that Knox had spent some 1,000 days behind bars, despite being innocent.
Judge Claudio Pratillo Hellmann said a verdict would be delivered on Monday.
In his closing arguments, Mr Vedova urged the panel hearing the case to see past the image of Knox he said had been created by media and the prosecution.
Continue reading the main story Meredith Kercher murder: Key dates
- 1 November, 2007: Meredith Kercher, 21, murdered at home in Perugia, Italy
- 6 November: American housemate Amanda Knox, 20, arrested, with Italian boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, 23, and barman Patrick Diya Lumumba, 38; held on charges of conspiracy to commit manslaughter and sexual violence
- 19 November: Rudy Guede, 20, named as suspect and arrested the following day in Germany; Mr Lumumba released without charge
- 11 July 2008: Prosecutors urge murder charge for Knox, Sollecito and Guede. Guede seeks fast-track trial. All three deny involvement
- 28 October: Guede found guilty and jailed for 30 years. His sentence cut to 16 years on appeal
- 4 December 2009: Knox and Sollecito found guilty and sentenced to 26 and 25 years
- 1 June 2010: Knox in court accused of slander after claims of police violence during questioning
- 24 November: Knox and Sollecito appeal begins
- 25 July 2011: Appeal court hears of possible DNA evidence contamination; prosecutors reject claim
- 23 September: Appeal court closing arguments begin
"She was a girl who was quite different from how she has been depicted," he said. "How many times have we heard Amanda Knox saying 'Why don't they believe me?'"
American Knox, 24, and Italian Sollecito, 26, were convicted in 2009 of murdering Miss Kercher four years ago in her bedroom of the flat she and Knox shared in the central Italian city of Perugia.
Miss Kercher was on an exchange year from Leeds University.
Knox was sentenced to 26 years in prison, while 27-year-old Italian Sollecito was given 25 years.
Knox and Sollecito have spent almost a year appealing against their convictions. Knox's appeal case has centred on a review of DNA evidence which indicated it was flawed.
A third person - Rudy Guede, 21 - was also convicted of Miss Kercher's murder in a separate trial and is serving a 16-year term.
Guede also denied wrongdoing but his conviction has been upheld on appeal.
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