KNDO/KNDU Tri-Cities, Yakima, WA | Life requested for US suspect in Italy murder case
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Associated Press - November 21, 2009 5:45 PM ET
PERUGIA, Italy (AP) - Italian prosecutors on Saturday requested life in prison for an American student and her ex-boyfriend accused in the fatal stabbing of her British roommate during a drug-fueled sex game.
In their closing arguments, prosecutors said Amanda Knox of Seattle and Italian Raffaele Sollecito should be convicted on charges of murder and sexual violence for the 2007 slaying of Meredith Kercher. Knox and Sollecito deny wrongdoing.
The 22-year-old Knox took a deep breath when Prosecutor Giuliano Mignini requested life imprisonment -- Italy's stiffest punishment. She then told the court the accusations against her were "pure fantasy."
Knox has been jailed for more than two years since her arrest shortly after the slaying. Defense lawyers begin their closing arguments late next week.
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