Italian Judge Delays Decision on Holding American Student in Roommate's Death

PERUGIA, Italy – A judge on Thursday put off for a day a decision on whether there was sufficient evidence to keep a student from Seattle in jail in connection with the death of her British roommate, a defense lawyer said.

Judge Claudia Matteini said she would decide Friday whether Amanda Marie Knox, 20, should remain in jail pending further investigation into the death of Meredith Kercher, Knox's lawyer, Luciano Ghirga, told reporters outside the courthouse.

Matteini was still weighing whether to continue to hold Knox's Italian boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, 24, and a Congolese resident, Lumumba "Patrick" Diya, 38, Ghirga said.

The three were detained Tuesday for investigation in the sexual assault and death of Kercher, 21, whose body was found Friday in the apartment she shared with Knox, authorities said.

Police said she died fighting off a sexual attack. The coroner said Kercher was stabbed in the neck, but police say no murder weapon has been found.

Ghirga said Knox was well but under stress.

"We maintain her innocence, and the prosecutor maintains she contributed to the crime," Ghirga said.

Sollecito's lawyer, Tiziano Tedeschi, told reporters as he arrived at the courthouse that he was "serene" and had "total faith in the judge."

"He [Sollecito] is innocent. He wasn't at the crime scene," Tedeschi said later.

In her profile on the MySpace.com social networking site, Knox wrote that she was majoring in Italian and German and minoring in creative writing.

She wrote on her blog last month that she was in "one of my most happiest places right now" and mentioned her house, language classes, working at Diya's bar six nights a week and observations on Italian life.

"Everything shuts down in the middle of the day so everyone can have a 3 hour lunch break. i love it," she wrote. "i wish we had that in america. ... Having that time in the middle of the day reminds you that life really isnt all about going to work and making money. its about who you are and what you choose to do and who you choose to spend your time with."

She signed off by wishing her friends well: "Vi voglio bene."

Dozens of red commemorative candles continued to burn Wednesday evening in Kercher's memory on the stairs of Perugia's medieval cathedral, but many foreign students continued to party as usual.

"The Americans still come out as if nothing happened," said Esteban Garcia Pascual, the Argentine-born owner of a downtown pub that is popular among foreign students. "They go out and have fun and continue their adventure."