Coed placed at scene of roommate's death

PERUGIA, Italy, Oct. 27 (UPI) -- An American student living in Italy was at the scene when her British roommate, Meredith Kercher, was slain in their apartment, attorneys say.

Italian prosecutors say Amanda Knox of Seattle, her Italian boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito and Perugia, Italy, resident Rudy Guede all participated in the November 2007 rape and slaying of Kercher. But Knox and Sollecito have maintained a tacit pact in which they have agreed not to testify against each other, The Times of London reported.

That pact now seems to have been broken as Judge Paolo Micheli prepares to rule on whether Knox and Sollecito should be tried for murdering Kercher. The newspaper said Sollecito's attorneys have said they possess DNA evidence from Kercher's bloody bra strap that indicates Knox participated in the slaying, which, if true, would poke a hole in her contention that Guede was the sole killer.

Francesco Vinci, a forensic scientist testifying for Sollecito's defense, said the DNA traces were "too contaminated" to be usable as evidence, but showed the presence of "at least three people," the British newspaper said.

Prosecution and defense lawyers were to present their closing arguments Monday on whether Knox and Sollecito should be brought to trial.