‘I heard scream and Foxy Knoxy fled just before Meredith died’

A man appealing against his conviction for the murder of Meredith Kercher claims he heard her argue with fellow suspect Amanda Knox minutes before he found the British student dying in agony.

Rudy Guede, 22, told a court he found Miss Kercher bleeding heavily from a gaping knife wound to her throat.

He said he held her hand as she tried to speak but then he "went into shock".
Guede said he saw Knox's "silhouette" as she ran from the house the women shared in Perugia.

Guede told a court in the Italian town he had "not raped or killed" Meredith, 21, from Coulsdon in Surrey.

But he apologised to her family for not doing enough to save her when he found her.

Ivory Coast born Guede was sentenced to 30 years for Meredith's murder and sexual assault in October last year following a fast-track hearing.

His appeal is being heard two days before the murder trial resumes of American Knox, 22, and her former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, 25.

Knox, who called herself Foxy Knoxy on her Facebook entry, and Sollecito deny the charge.

Guede said: "I heard the voices of Amanda and Meredith. They were discussing missing money. I heard Meredith say, We need to talk.' Then I heard a loud scream. It was above the volume of the music.

"I came out and went into Meredith's bedroom and I saw a male silhouette. I put my left hand on his right shoulder. I saw Meredith on the floor and this person tried to hit me.

"I fell over and this person ran out and I heard them say, Let's go, there's a negro here.' I heard the footsteps of two people running away but I didn't have courage to run out after them.

"I tried to stop the flow of blood. I just saw Meredith agonising.

"I held her hand and asked her what happened, she was trying to speak, it was tragic. I lost it. I just went into shock I didn't know what happened." Guede fled to Germany where he was arrested.

In court, Guede turned to Francesco Maresca, the lawyer representing the Kercher family, and said: "I want to tell Meredith's family that I didn't kill or rape their little girl.

"I am not the one who take that life away. The only thing my conscience can answer to is that I did not do enough to save her — although I don't even know if my actions would have saved her."

Guede's lawyers are asking for witnesses to be re-interviewed and evidence re-examined.

The appeal continues.