A new autopsy will not be needed to determine the time and cause of death of a 22-year-old British exchange student who was brutally murdered here earlier this month.
The decision was made by Preliminary Hearings Judge (GIP) Claudia Matteini after she read a report by forensic experts which concluded that evidence gathered already was sufficient to establish not only the cause and time of death but also whether the victim had been sexually assaulted.
The family of Meredith Kercher was immediately informed of the judge's decision, which cleared the way for her burial.
Kercher was found November 2 with her throat slashed in the house she shared here with three other girls.
Police later arrested Kercher's 20-year-old American roommate Amanda Marie Knox, the roommate's 24-year-old Italian boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito and Democratic Republic of Congo national Diya 'Patrick? Lumumba, 38, on suspicion of murder.
Lumumba, a long-time Perugia resident and pub operator, was released for total lack of evidence last week. He had been arrested based on testimony given by Knox
This followed the arrest in Germany of another suspect, 21-year-old Ivory Coast national Rudy Hermann Guede, whose DNA had been found at the scene of the crime and on the victim.
Guede has admitted that he had sex with Kercher but claims he was in the bathroom when the murder was committed.
Police believe they have a strong case against Knox, Solletico and Guede and their arrests are expected to be confirmed by the GIP in a hearing on Friday.
Sources close to the investigation said Knox and Solletico have given several conflicting and contradictory versions of their whereabouts at the time of the murder and afterwards.
Solletico has asked to speak again with investigators and is expected to reveal new details of the night of the murder and his now-ex girlfriend.
Magistrates said they will question the university student on December 6.
Investigators believe that Knox and Sollecito tried to throughly clean the scene of the crime, to the point that only one of Knox's fingerprints had been found in an apartment where she had lived for months.
Two empty bottles of bleach were later found in Sollecito's apartment and his maid told police that it was not the same brand she always used there.
Police also found a large kitchen knife which had the victim's DNA on the blade and Knox's DNA on the handle.
Knox's blood was also found in the bathroom she shared with the victim which police suspect was left from a nosebleed after the apartment was cleaned, indicating she was at the scene of the crime.
An examination of Sollecito's computer revealed that it had not been used just before and after the estimated time of death, from 9pm to 2am on the night between November 1 and 2, thus contradicting the student's claim that he had been working alone on his thesis that night.
Police also have a footprint left in Kercher's blood which matched the size and make of sneakers owned by Sollecito.
The evidence against Guede places him both with Kercher and at the time of her murder. This included his bloody fingerprint which was found on Kercher's pillow and his DNA matched DNA in the toilet at the scene of the crime and in a vaginal swab of the victim.
The former semiprofessional basketball player reportedly told police he saw the murderer, who he claimed was white, and had scuffled with him before running away.
The Ivory Coast national also claimed that he had tried to help Kercher but had then panicked and fled the scene when he realised she was dead.
Investigators are still trying to determine the motive for Kercher's murder and working on hypotheses related to sexual activities and theft.
