Rudy Guede

Rudy Guede was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the murder of Meredith Kercher. His sentence was reduced to 16 years on appeal and later confirmed by Italy's Supreme Court.

Rudy Guede was a drug dealer that was well known by the police. He became a suspect in the Meredith Kercher murder after his bloody fingerprint was discovered at the crime scene. When police tried to contact Guede they discovered he had fled to Germany. He was stopped in Germany trying to board a train without a ticket and was immediately extradited back to Italy. Guede was confronted with overwhelming DNA evidence that put him at the crime scene at the time if the murder.

Guede lied repeatedly throughout the case, modifying his stories, based on news reports as it best suited his defense. Guede was recorded during a Skype conversation before his arrest telling a friend that the reports on the news were incorrect. He said Amanda Knox was not present the night the crime took place. After his arrest Guede realized he had no way out and repeatedly modified his story to help his own defense. His latest story suggests he was being intimate with Meredith in her room when he suddenly needed to use the bathroom. While he was in the bathroom Amanda and Raffaele came in and murdered Meredith. Of course, none of his stories were accepted as his conviction has been finalized by the Italian Supreme Court.

Guede's attorneys did an excellent job of securing the most lenient punishment possible for his crime by convincing the court that Guede was merely an accomplice. Guede received a reduced sentence of 16 years on appeal, of which he will only serve a fraction, leaving many years of freedom in his future. The sad truth is that Guede will be eligible for work release in 2014.

How can we say with complete certainty that Rudy Guede murdered Meredith Kercher? Unlike Amanda and Raffaele, Guede was arrested after the evidence collected at the crime scene was analyzed and that evidence points right to him—no one else, just him. There was no rush to judgment when it came to arresting Rudy Guede. Investigators found Guede’s hand print on a pillow case found under the victim’s body. The fingerprints led police to their suspect.

The evidence of Guede’s guilt is irrefutable and should have been more than sufficient to secure a life sentence. Guede admitted he was in Meredith’s room at the time of the attack. His DNA, along with Meredith’s blood, was found on Meredith's purse. His shoeprints, set in Meredith’s blood, were found in the bedroom and in the hallway leading out the front door. As mentioned above, his handprint, in Meredith’s blood, was found on a pillowcase underneath her body. Most importantly, Guede’s DNA was found inside Meredith’s body.

Guede also had a history of break-ins similar to that seen at the cottage. One week prior to the murder, Guede was caught breaking into a nursery school by the school's owner, Maria Del Prato, when she arrived unexpectedly during off hours with two repairmen. Del Prato along with the repairmen kept Guede at the nursery and called the police.

When police searched Guede's backpack they found a laptop and cell phone that had recently been stolen from a Perugian law office. The break-in at the law office was very similar to the break-in at the cottage as Guede entered through an elevated window broken with a rock in both occasions. In the nursery school break-in, Guede was found in the possession of a large knife said to be stolen from the school’s kitchen. He was also in possession of a woman’s gold watch which tied him to another break-in occurring four days earlier. Guede’s break-in at the nursery no doubt made him a suspect in a previous burglary of the nursery in which cash had been stolen.

In the month prior to Meredith Kercher’s murder, Guede had gone on a crime spree. His activities were no secret to the police yet they never managed to properly investigate Guede and never took him into custody. Why? The sad reality is, if the police had done their job properly Meredith Kercher would still be alive today and Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito would have never been wrongfully convicted.

The evidence against Rudy Guede:

Guede admitted he was in the room.

Guede's DNA was found in and on Meredith's body.

Guede's DNA along with Meredith’s blood, was found on Meredith's purse.

Guede's excrement was found in the toilet.

Guede's shoe prints, set in Meredith’s blood, were found in the bedroom and hallway.

Guede's handprint, in Meredith’s blood, was found on a pillow case in Meredith's room.

Guede had a cut on his right hand that was still visible when he was arrested.

Guede fled the country.

All of the evidence at the crime scene pointed to Rudy Guede. Amanda and Raffaele left no evidence at the crime scene. Why? Because Amanda and Raffaele were not there.

Rudy Guede murdered Meredith Kercher and he acted alone.