Witness comes forward in student's death

PERUGIA, Italy, Nov. 17 (UPI) -- A new witness may cast doubt on defendant Amanda Knox's alibi in the death of roommate Meredith Kercher in Italy, court officials said.

The witness came forward just two weeks before the start of Knox's trial in the death and sexual assault of Kercher, a British student studying in Perugia in Umbria, The Times of London reported Monday. Also accused is Raffaele Sollecito, Knox's one-time Italian boyfriend, and Rudy Guede, an Ivory Coast immigrant, who was sentenced to 30 years in prison for his role in the crime.

Knox and Sollecito both deny the charges, claiming they spent the night of the killing, Nov. 2, 2007, at Sollecito's apartment. However, a man who said he knew Sollecito and Knox told prosecutors he saw Knox near the cottage she shared with Kercher the morning Kercher's body was found.

The man said, "I saw Amanda shopping ... the morning Meredith's body was found," Il Giornale dell'Umbria newspaper reported.

The prosecution alleged Knox and Sollecito broke a cottage window to simulate a break-in and attempted to clean the scene, the British newspaper reported.

The trial of Knox and Sollecito is set to begin Dec 4.