Italian judge to decide whether to charge American student with killing her roommate

An Italian judge was to decide whether to charge an American student in connection with the death of her British roommate.

Amanda Marie Knox, a 20-year-old student from Seattle , has been detained in this central Italian city since Tuesday, along with two other suspects in the case: her Italian boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, 24, and Diya "Patrick" Lumumba, a 38-year-old Congolese who runs a bar where Knox works.

The three have been detained in connection with the sexual assault and killing of British student Meredith Kercher, 21, who was found dead Nov. 2.

Judge Claudia Matteini had been expected to decide Thursday on whether to keep the three behind bars, but she postponed the decision until Friday, lawyers said.

Kercher's body was found in the apartment she shared with Knox and police said she died fighting off a sexual attack. The coroner said Kercher was stabbed in the neck, but police say no murder weapon has been found.

Knox's attorney, Luciano Ghirga, said Knox was well, but stressed by the experience.

"We maintain her innocence, and the prosecutor maintains she contributed to the crime," Ghirga said.

The other two suspects also denied involvement in the killing.

Lumumba "worked at his pub like every evening," said his lawyer, Carlo Pacelli, adding he could provide evidence supporting the claim. Sollecito's attorney, Tiziano Tedeschi, said his client was innocent and that "he wasn't at the crime scene."

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Author`s name Angela Antonova
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