Raffael Sollecito to return to Italy for murder trial

FLORENCE, Italy, Sept. 25 (UPI) -- Raffaele Sollecito will return to Italy for the retrial in the 2007 death of Meredith Kercher, Sollecito's father said.

Sollecito and Amanda Knox, his U.S. girlfriend at the time, were convicted in 2009 of killing Kercher, but an appeals court in Perugia, where the killing took place, acquitted them. Italy's top court in March returned the case to the appeals court.

Italy's top court said the appeals court dismissal of forensic evidence was flawed and it found the prosecutor's theory -- a sex game gone wrong -- could offer the best explanation of what happened.

Francesco Sollecito, Raffaele's father, said his son doesn't intend to flee to escape justice and plans to travel to Italy to defend himself.

The trial begins Monday.

"We have absolute respect for the institutions and my son does not intend to run away," the elder Sollecito told ANSA. "We are working without stop to show he is innocent in court."

Knox, who has written a book about her experience, is in Seattle and unlikely to attend the Florence trial. Sollecito has said he has nothing to worry about from the new trial.

Rudy Guede was convicted of murder in Kercher's death but the court said it is unlikely he acted alone.