Erstellt am: 26. 3. 2013 - 14:45 Uhr

Meredith Kercher murder trial reopened

Reality Check: Retrial ordered for Amanda Knox, gay marriage debate in the USA goes to Supreme Court.

It was a case that enthralled the world and divided opinion wherever it was discussed. The murder of British student, Meredith Kercher, in Perugia, Italy, in 2007 was dramatic and full of contradictions and inconsistencies.

EPA/DAN LEVINE

Amanda Knox will not have to return to Italy for the retrial but, if convicted, could face extradition.

While the American student, Amanda Knox, became the high profile suspect, the two men accused with her attracted far less attention. In fact, the one who was actually convicted of the murder and sentenced to 30 years in prison, Rudy Guede, barely gets a mention in most coverage of the trial. It's Knox, and to a much lesser extent, her former boyfriend, Rafaelle Sollecito, who were always at the centre of attention.

After 4 years in prison, they were both acquitted on appeal in 2011. Amanda Knox returned to her home in the US, and Sollecito to his home town in Italy. It looked as though the drama was over.

However, now Italy's highest court has ordered a retrial, saying the appeal judge had "lost his bearings".

Josephine McKenna reports from Rome on the significance of the retrial and what is likely to happen next.

• Gay marriage hearings in US Supreme Court

Priscilla Huff reports from Washington DC as the Supreme Court begins its hearings on two landmark cases on gay marriage.

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