U.S. student to testify at trial in Italy

PERUGIA, Italy, June 11 (UPI) -- Amanda Knox, the U.S. college student charged with killing her roommate in Italy, faces the test of her life when she testifies at her trial, observers say.

Knox is scheduled to take the witness stand Friday. Given the pace of the trial, with court sessions only two days a week, her testimony could be spread out over a long time, ABC News reported.

Meredith Kercher, 21, a student at the University of Leeds who grew up in London, was found dead in the house she and Knox shared while spending a year abroad in Perugia. Prosecutors say Kercher refused to participate in a sex game with Knox, her then-boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, and a third defendant, Rudy Guede, who has already been convicted and sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Curt Knox of Seattle told ABC's "20 20" that his daughter has been a victim of "character assassination." He does not believe the witness stand will be dangerous for her.

"It's not a risk because she is 100 percent innocent," Knox said. "She knows that and wants to tell the truth."

Amanda Knox was a student at the University of Washington, where her classmates will be graduating this weekend. Instead of finishing out her time in Perugia and returning to Seattle, she is on trial with Sollecito and faces a life sentence if convicted.