Meredith Kercher
12/28/1985 – 11/1/2007
Today marks the sixth anniversary of the brutal murder of Meredith Susanna Cara Kercher at the age of 21 in the city of Perugia, Italy. Ironically, her death occurred on a national holiday known as the Day of the Dead.
For the past several years, John Douglas and I have been investigating her murder, and since we concluded definitively that Amanda Knox and her boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were innocent of the crime, we have been writing and speaking out in their defense. Just yesterday, John addressed a press briefing on Capitol Hill, along with Judge Mike Heavey of Seattle and former FBI Special Agent Steve Moore. The day before, I addressed undergraduate and graduate students in the Criminology Department of George Mason University in Virginia.
But as John says, “No matter who hires me or asks me to look at a case, I’m always working for the victim.” In this case, no one hired us, but we take John’s pledge very seriously.
And today is a day to remember Meredith.
Meredith was an exotic beauty, the product of an English father and a Pakistani mother whose ethnic characteristics had mixed perfectly in their daughter. She tended to be quiet and introspective, but had a zany, goofy side that came out when she was relaxed in social situations. She hailed from Coulsdon, Surrey, south of London, and attended Leeds University. She was taking a course in modern history and political theory as an exchange student at the University of Perugia, in the beautiful medieval and Renaissance Umbrian hill town about a hundred miles north of Rome. She wanted to follow her father, John, into a career in journalism. She had worked at Gatwick Airport, near her home, to raise money for the overseas program.
Her nickname was Mez and she was popular and fun loving, a great friend to three women with whom she shared a rented cottage on the edge of town: 20-year-old Amanda Knox of Seattle, Filomena Romanelli and Laura Mezzetti, both 29-year-old beginning attorneys. She also had a posse of British girls with whom she hung out.
As Amanda described her:
“Smart, kind, caring, fun. Meredith liked to sleep in late, read thrillers on the patio in the afternoons, go out dancing with her girlfriends in the evenings. Everyday, she went to class, did her homework, and phoned her parents. She was interested in journalism, international relations, and cinema. She made friends easily and was conscientious toward other people’s feelings. She smiled and laughed often.”
She was killed only because she happened to come home and was the only one in the cottage when Rudy Guede – a 20-year-old immigrant from the Ivory Coast who had been living in Perugia since the age of five – had broken in to steal money and valuables. Since Meredith could identify him, he killed her savagely with repeated stabs of a knife he brought with him. He also assaulted her sexually as an added crime of opportunity, but not until he had killed her or nearly so, because crime scene analysis proves that Meredith fought bravely and fiercely.
John and I have been devoting so much attention to this case because of its high profile, and because the misconceptions and injustice perpetrated against Amanda and Raffaele is like a toxic virus – if it is allowed to spread, it will consume everything in its path. As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., wrote from Birmingham Jail:
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
That is also the motivation for Judge Heavey, Special Agent Moore, Tom Wright and Jim Lovering of Seattle, and writers Douglas Preston and Krista Errickson, who have joined forces to seek justice for these two. Together, we are all completing an e-book that lays out the case in full.
But none of us has ever lost sight of the fact that ultimately, we are all working for Meredith. Her bright legacy and cherished memory deserve nothing but the truth.
May you rest in peace, Meredith. You will not be forgotten.
This case is fascinating for many reasons. Not least of all is the psychology behind those who so vociferously and unremittingly condemn Amanda and Raffaele on so little evidence.
The amount of hatred directed at two people, to whom they have no personal connection, is truly astounding. It can only be explained by some sick psychological need.
As Tom Mininger said, most people assume anyone arrested is guilty. I know I did. But, once I began to investigate the actual facts and evidence of the case, it quickly became apparent that Amanda and Raffaele are innocent and Guede alone killed Meredith. Thanks to people like Steve Moore, John Douglas, Judge Heavey, Mark Olshaker, Candace Dempsey, Doug Preston, Nina Burleigh, Greg Hampikian, Mark Waterbury, and Ron Hendry, the truth could not be suppressed.
To memory of Meredith….who did no wrong…was the unsuspecting and innocent victim….of the lone rapist/ murderer Rudy Guede, who confessed/ was convicted and acted alone.
I hope it is some solace to her family and to her, that at least the criminal who did do this crime is in a European prison for it (I believe in the US we would have generally sentenced him to execution).
Even though the Perugia persecutor (prosecutor) made the case of Meredith’s horrible murder falsely about himself and Knox and Sollecito, it is good to remember…. Meredith (the victim).
I wish there was more on the internet about ‘her’….and not about the comic opera farce created by the persecution of the innocents, but he is relentless dragging the farce out to the….nth degree.
Real justice is being done slowly. Justice for Meredith was done when Guede was put away, but it was not enough (and it never is) in my opinion if we could execute him 100 times it would not be worth 1 of her.
In memory…..Meredith.
When it comes to criminal justice most people (including myself) start out assuming the accused are guilty. It’s just human nature whether we like it or not. That’s why it is an eternal battle for a civilized society to try and enforce the concept of innocent until proven guilty.
While most of us think we are being objective, the truth is that most people and websites have a bias toward either prosecuting the “guilty” or protecting the “innocent”.
I think this website is a rare place where the victim really does comes first. Mr. Douglas and Mr. Olshaker will not hesitate to applaud or criticize law enforcement, defend or attack the accused, based on EVIDENCE. I thank you both for this.
Thank you for your continued support, Tom. And it really meant a lot to us that you showed up at our Capitol Hill briefing. And it’s great to know there are people like you out there.
Thank you both for your sensitive comments.
This is a fitting memorium to a poor woman victimized and wronged. It is good that you focused upon her, it is too easy to take sides in this matter. In the end, true and certain justice for Meridith is what is being sought.
Sad that the victim seemed almost forgotten in Italy amist the witch-hunt for Amanda. It’s very good of you guys to devote your own time and resources to helping both those families. Thank you.