Court schedule sees Knox trial ending before Christmas

FLORENCE, Italy, Sept. 14 (UPI) -- An Italian court said the upcoming trial of Amanda Knox will likely be concluded in late November, which means a verdict could be announced by Christmas.

The appeals trial of Knox and her ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito begins Sept. 30, and the latest court schedule released Friday in Florence said the final session of the proceedings was on the docket for Nov. 26.

The timetable means the court could announce its verdict before Christmas, Italy's ANSA news agency said.

Knox and Sollecito are accused of killing Knox's British roommate, Meredith Kercher, at their apartment in the Italian college town of Perugia in 2007. Both were convicted in the original case; however, the conviction was thrown out on appeal in 2011.

Yet another court ruling in the spring sent the case into court again. ANSA said the latest appellate ruling determined the decision to throw out certain forensic evidence was flawed.