Although prosecutors have been presenting their case in the trial of former UW student Amanda Knox that began more than two months ago, the road to deciphering the truth has just begun.

Knox traveled to Perugia, Italy to study abroad in 2007. On Nov. 2 of that year, Knox’s British roommate, Meredith Kercher, was found murdered in their residence.

Knox and former boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, are now being tried for the crime. A third suspect, Rudy Guede, was convicted of murder last year and received a 30-year sentence.

Both Sollecito and Knox have denied wrongdoing in the case.

“Many of the witnesses heard so far have made mistakes that would normally show a witness to be unreliable,” said Knox’s friend and UW student DJ Johnsrud. “Many have contradicted either themselves or known information in very significant ways.”

The trial, which began in January, has focused on suspicions regarding Knox’s character and behavior after the murder. As witnesses have been questioned, testimonies that contradict known facts about the crime have presented an obstacle for the prosecution’s case.

“Other witnesses have provided testimony that, if true, would be very harmful to Amanda’s case, but for many of them, it took months to come forward,” Johnsrud said. “Additionally, some of these witnesses had done interviews with local media well before they [had] ever even talked to the police.”

The Italian court is held only two days a week and isn’t expected to reach a verdict until this fall.

In addition to longer trials, the Italian justice system gives defendants the right to contest information throughout the proceedings, which Knox has exercised in court.

“So far, the prosecution has not presented anything definitive that ties her to the crime,” Johnsrud said. “One would hope that if they’re going to take away 30 years of Amanda’s life, that they would have something a little more concrete than ‘strange’ behavior.”

Media coverage of the trial has been widespread, and the Internet has allowed some reporters to file stories before the conclusion of a day’s proceedings. The resulting coverage has not represented all testimonies and cross-examinations of the trial, Johnsrud said.

“Many of the reporters attending Amanda’s trial will leave early to get their report out,” said Johnsrud. “As a result, cross-examination of the witnesses so far has not been talked about very much in the media.”

Throughout the process, however, Knox’s supporters have remained hopeful.

“Both Amanda and everyone who supports her [have] been steadily gaining confidence in a favorable outcome from the trial,” Johnsrud said. “We’re growing more and more confident that she will be released.”

Reach editorial assistant Lexie Krell at news@dailyuw.com.