PERUGIA, Italy, Jan. 11 (UPI) -- The parents of a British co-ed slain in Italy are fighting to keep the trial of her accused killers private to spare their daughter's dignity, observers say.
Italian prosecutors say Meredith Kercher was stabbed to death 14 months ago in Perugia, Italy, by her 21-year-old American roommate, Amanda Knox, and Knox's 24-year-old Italian boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, when she refused to participate with them in a round of "perverse" group sex. Kercher's parents are now fighting Knox to keep the upcoming trial private, The Sunday Times of London reported.
Kercher attorney Francesco Maresca says in addition to preserving the slain woman's dignity, a closed trial would also be in the best interests of justice.
"During the committal hearings, media pressure influenced the testimony of witnesses who had to be marched past television cameras or who were interviewed before they testified," Maresca told The Times.
But Knox's parents say their daughter's reputation has been "trashed" by prosecutorial media leaks and contend an open trial is the only way she can get a fair trial, the newspaper said.
