Man sentenced for British co-ed's death

PERUGIA, Italy, Oct. 28 (UPI) -- An Italian judge Tuesday convicted and sentenced a man to 30 years in prison for murdering a British exchange student last year.

The judge also charged an American college student and her Italian former boyfriend with the crime, The New York Times reported.

Prosecutors alleged the three took part in a sex party fed by drugs in which Meredith Kercher, an unwilling participant, died.

Kercher, 21, was found dead Nov. 2, 2006, with her throat slit.

During a pre-trial hearing, Perugia prosecutor Giuliano Mignini rejected defense claims that police forensic experts contaminated DNA evidence that placed all three suspects -- Ivory Coast immigrant Rudy Guede, Kercher's American roommate Amanda Knox of Seattle, and Knox's ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito -- at the crime scene.

Kercher's parents, her sister and brother said they hoped for "justice" for Kercher, announcing they also would seek compensation for her loss.