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 Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito are shown outside her apartment following the murder of her roommate Meredith Kercher in November, 2007. (AP file) 
 
 Report: Amanda Knox's former boyfriend to abandon her alibi in final murder appeal 
 
 Amanda Knox's former boyfriend is reportedly abandoning her in his last and final appeal in the murder of Knox's roommate. 
 
 Lawyers for Raffaele Sollecito told Italian reporters Monday that Sollecito's appeal for his murder conviction will distance himself from Knox and potentially incriminate her. 
 
 Sollecito's lawyers were quoted in various news reports saying he "was home alone that night" or that he is "only sure about the fact that he was at home," leaving open the possibility that Knox was not there, IBT Times UK reports. 
 
 Sollecito and Knox have both stated repeatedly in their previous trials the two were together November 1, 2007 in his home in Perugia, Italy when Meredith Kercher was murdered in the apartment she shared with Knox and others. 
 
 "It's stunning because we've been hearing consistently Raffaele Sollecito had been corroborating Amanda Knox's account, essentially an alibi," says Anne Bremner, the attorney for the Friends of Amanda Knox. 
 
 Bremner says in addition to his testimony, Sollecito's memoir "Honor Bound" is based entirely on the premise he stood by Knox and told the truth because it was the right thing to do. 
 
 "The question is what does he have to do or feel he has to do to get through this thing. Maybe he's been advised to distance himself from Amanda Knox, but he can't deviate from what the truth is," Bremner says. 
 
 The couple was convicted in 2009. After several appeals and rulings, an appellate court upheld both convictions in January, sentencing Knox to 28-and-a-half years in prison, Sollecito to 26 years. 
 
 Both have maintained their innocence and are appealing to Italy's top court, the Court of Cassation in Rome. The case is expected to be heard in early 2015. 
 
 Prosecutors originally argued that Kercher was killed in a drug-fueled sex game gone awry ï¿½ an accusation that made the case a tabloid sensation. 
 
 But at the third trial, a new prosecutor argued that the violence stemmed from arguments between roommates Knox and Kercher about cleanliness and was triggered by a toilet left unflushed by a third defendant, Rudy Hermann Guede. 
 
 Guede, who is from the Ivory Coast, was convicted in a separate trial in a verdict that specified he did not commit the crime alone. He is serving a 16-year sentence. 
 
 Knox has repeatedly maintained her innocence and vowed that she is innocent. In her blog, she has written frequently about the injustice and lack of evidence in the case. 
 
 "Experts agreed that my DNA was not found anywhere in Meredith's room, while the DNA of the actual murderer, Rudy Guede, was found throughout that room and on Meredith's body," she wrote in her most recent post. "This forensic evidence directly refutes the multiple-assailant theory found in the new motivation document. This theory is not supported by any reliable forensic evidence." 
 
 If Knox's conviction is upheld by Italy's highest court, the country could request her extradition from the United States. But Bremner says her legal team would fight extradition as vigorously as possible. 
 
 The Associated Press contributed to this report. 
 
 
 
 Josh Kerns is an award winning reporter/anchor and host of KIRO Radio's Seattle Sounds (Sunday afternoons 5-6p) and a digital content producer for MyNorthwest.com. Josh Kerns , MyNorthwest.com 
 
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 Disqus ||||| Media caption The BBC's Alan Johnston in Rome says there could still be "years to go" in the case 
 
 Amanda Knox and ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito have had their acquittals for killing Briton Meredith Kercher in 2007 overturned and face a re-run of their appeal, Italy's top court has ruled. 
 
 The pair spent four years in jail but were freed on appeal in 2011 largely on the grounds DNA evidence was flawed. 
 
 Miss Knox said the news was "painful" but Miss Kercher's sister said she was happy with the decision. 
 
 Italian law cannot compel Miss Knox to return from the US for the review. 
 
 The American student lives in Seattle but, if convicted, Italy could seek her extradition. 
 
 Analysis The decision took longer than expected - two days. The prosecution argued successfully that the appellate court's decision to quash the original convictions had been made by a judge who had "lost his bearings". Sloppy forensic investigations by police are frequently cited in Italian murder trials and some high-profile cases like the murder of the British student are never fully solved. The reasons for the latest decision will not be made public for another three months. The clinching argument for a retrial appears to revolve around another accused, Rudy Guede, who is serving 16 years for the murder. "He didn't have an ectoplasm for an accomplice," the prosecutor argued. And while interest remains high in the Knox case, a new murder overnight in Perugia grabbed public attention. Few details are yet known about the victims of, or the motives for, this latest crime. 
 
 In a statement, Miss Knox said: "It was painful to receive the news that the Italian Supreme Court decided to send my case back for revision when the prosecution's theory of my involvement in Meredith's murder has been repeatedly revealed to be completely unfounded and unfair." 
 
 She added: "No matter what happens, my family and I will face this continuing legal battle as we always have, confident in the truth and with our heads held high in the face of wrongful accusations and unreasonable adversity." 
 
 A lawyer for Mr Sollecito, Giulia Buongiorno, said: "Today is Raffaele's birthday and I hoped it was an occasion to tell him and his family that everything was fine and over. Unfortunately I had to let them know that our legal case is still on and obviously they were very upset." 
 
 Mr Sollecito - who is now studying in Verona - will not have to return to jail while the new appeals process goes ahead. 
 
 Kercher family lawyer Francesco Maresca welcomed the decision to overturn the appeal. 
 
 "This is an important day for the Italian justice system," he said outside the court. 
 
 Miss Kercher's older sister, Stephanie, welcomed the decision as a step forward. 
 
 "Whilst we are not happy about going back to court, and it will not bring her back, we have to make sure we have done all we can for her," she said. 
 
 Miss Knox, now 25, and Mr Sollecito, 29, were originally sentenced to 26 and 25 years in prison for killing and sexually assaulting Meredith Kercher. 
 
 Kercher murder: Timeline Image copyright PA 1 November 2007 : Kercher is killed at her apartment in Perugia. Police find her a day later. 
 
 : Kercher is killed at her apartment in Perugia. Police find her a day later. 6 November 2007 : Kercher's US housemate Knox is arrested, along with Sollecito and Congolese national Patrick Diya Lumumba. 
 
 : Kercher's US housemate Knox is arrested, along with Sollecito and Congolese national Patrick Diya Lumumba. 20 November 2007 : Rudy Guede detained in Germany and extradited to Italy. Mr Lumumba released without charge 
 
 : Rudy Guede detained in Germany and extradited to Italy. Mr Lumumba released without charge 28 October 2008: Guede sentenced to 16 years. A judge rules Sollecito and Knox will face a murder trial 
 
 Guede sentenced to 16 years. A judge rules Sollecito and Knox will face a murder trial 4 December 2009: Knox and Sollecito found guilty of murder and sexual violence, and jailed for 26 and 25 years 
 
 Knox and Sollecito found guilty of murder and sexual violence, and jailed for 26 and 25 years 3 October 2011: Knox and Sollecito acquitted 
 
 Knox and Sollecito acquitted 26 March 2013: Re-run of appeals ordered. Acquittals overturned Kercher murder: Timeline Profile: Amanda Knox Profile: Raffaele Sollecito 
 
 Rudy Guede was convicted in a separate trial and sentenced to 16 years. The Ivory Coast national was found guilty of sexually assaulting and stabbing Ms Kercher. He admitted to being at the house on the night of the killing, but denies murder. 
 
 'Illogical' 
 
 Meredith Kercher, 21 and from Coulsdon in south London, was in Italy on a year abroad from Leeds University when she was killed in Perugia in November 2007. 
 
 She was found dead in her bedroom in the cottage she shared with Miss Knox. Her semi-naked body had more than 40 knife wounds, including a deep gash to the throat. 
 
 Prosecutors believed she was killed in a brutal sex game that went wrong. 
 
 Media caption Stephanie Kercher: "It's a step forward for us" 
 
 Miss Knox and Mr Sollecito were acquitted in October 2011 by an appeals court that criticised the prosecution case and noted that the murder weapon had never been found, that DNA tests were faulty and that no murder motive was provided. 
 
 Prosecutors appealed against that ruling and argued at the Court of Cassation on Monday that the acquittals were "contradictory and illogical". 
 
 Addressing the court, prosecutors urged the judges to "make sure the final curtain does not drop on this shocking and dire crime". 
 
 The court examined whether there had been procedural irregularities, rather than looking at the details of the case, and it will announce the reasons for its ruling within 90 days. 
 
 Lawyers for Miss Knox and Mr Sollecito looked grim-faced on Tuesday as they tried to get the details of the ruling from the court. 
 
 Knox lawyer Carlo Dalla Vedova said the decision was "shocking" and wanted to know the "motivations" for the ruling. 
 
 "She thought the nightmare was over," he said, adding that it was unlikely the new hearing would be held before early 2014. 
 
 Miss Knox and Mr Sollecito spoke to each other by telephone after the ruling was announced, according to a friend of Mr Sollecito quoted by the Italian news agency Ansa. 
 
 The new hearing will take place in Florence because Perugia has only one court of appeal. ||||| ROME (AP) — American Amanda Knox and her Italian ex-boyfriend expect to learn their fate Wednesday when Italy's highest court hears their appeal of their guilty verdicts in the brutal 2007 murder of Knox's British roommate. Several outcomes are possible, including confirmation of the verdicts, a new appeals round, or even a ruling that amounts to an acquittal in the sensational case that has captivated audiences on both sides of the Atlantic. 
 
 FILE - In this Nov. 2, 2007 file photo, Amanda Knox, left, and Raffaele Sollecito, are seen outside the rented house where 21-year-old British student Meredith Kercher was found dead in Perugia, Italy.... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this July 1, 2014 file photo Raffaele Sollecito speaks during a press conference in Rome. The founder of a heavily visited Wiki site about the prosecutions of U.S. star defendant Amanda Knox and her... (Associated Press) 
 
 FILE - In this Jan. 31, 2014 file photo Amanda Knox prepares to leave the set following a television interview, in New York. The founder of a heavily visited Wiki site about the prosecutions of U.S. star... (Associated Press) 
 
 Here is a look at the case, the possible outcomes and issues that might come into play. 
 
 THE CASE: 
 
 Meredith Kercher, a 21-year-old student from Britain, was found dead Nov. 2, 2007 in the apartment she shared with Knox in the Umbrian city of Perugia where both women were studying. Kercher's throat was slashed and she had been sexually assaulted. 
 
 Knox, now 27, and Raffaele Sollecito, who turns 31 on Thursday, were convicted of the murder by a trial court in Perugia in 2009. They were freed in 2011 after a Perugia appellate court overturned the convictions. They found themselves back in an appellate court after the Court of Cassation vacated the acquittals in 2013 in a harsh rebuke of the Perugia chief appellate judge's reasoning. 
 
 Last year, an appeals court in Florence convicted the pair, sentencing Knox to 28 ½ years and Sollecito to 25 years. The court ruled that the pair acted in concert with Rudy Hermann Guede, a drifter born in the Ivory Coast who is serving a 16-year sentence for his role in the murder. 
 
 Knox, who spent nearly four years in jail during the investigation and after her lower court conviction, remains free in the United States. She has vowed never to return willingly to Italy. 
 
 IF THE CONVICTION IS CONFIRMED: 
 
 If the high court upholds the Florence convictions, the prosecutor's office in Florence would issue an order to execute the sentences. In the case of Sollecito, who has remained in Italy, police would seek to take him into custody immediately after receiving the order. For Knox, the situation is more complicated. The prosecutor would ask the Justice Ministry to seek her extradition, and the Justice Ministry must decide whether to comply. 
 
 Italy and the United States have an extradition treaty, and there is no formal reason for the request not to be made, according to Andrea Scella, a professor of criminal law and process at the University of Udine. However, extradition retains a political element, and the government could decide not to advance a request, accepting any political consequences from the Parliament or voters, he said. 
 
 Issues like the severity of the crime and the length of the penalty influence extradition requests. Italy's request could propose having Knox serve the sentence in the United States, as an alternative. 
 
 The timing of Italy's request is uncertain, but could unfold over months or longer. 
 
 IF THE HIGH COURT ORDERS A NEW TRIAL: 
 
 The high court can throw out all or any part of the Florence appeals court guilty verdict and order yet another appeals trial — the third in this case. It is not unprecedented in Italy for a case to be sent back to for multiple appellate rounds. In fact, one case involving the 1972 murder of a police commissioner reached the Court of Cassation nine times before the verdicts were finalized, 28 years after the murder. 
 
 No appellate trial date can be set until the reasoning for the court's decision is issued, which would contain very specific directions to the new appeals court on which elements of the case needed to be re-examined. The court has 90 days to issue its reasoning. 
 
 IF THE COURT ACQUITS: 
 
 The high court can throw out the guilty verdict without ordering a new trial, which is tantamount to acquittal. Such a decision is rare, experts say, and would require the court to give a full reasoning for its decision — also within 90 days. 
 
 For Knox and Sollecito, it would be "case closed" for their criminal court proceedings. Knox would be able to travel to Europe and Italy without risk of arrest. Sollecito, whose passport has been seized, would have his freedom to travel restored. 
 
 THE ROGUE JUROR'S INTERVIEW: 
 
 One of the civilian jurors on the panel that convicted the pair in the Florence appellate case gave an interview last week to the magazine Oggi saying she believed there was not enough evidence "to justify such a severe conviction." The interview, which violates secrecy of the deliberations, appeared to confirm rumors that the guilty finding was not unanimous. However, unanimous decisions are not required and it is unlikely to be mentioned in any of the legal teams' arguments before the high court nor have any bearing on the decision.
– A major turnaround in the Amanda Knox case: For years, she and ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito have faced authorities as a pair, and both had their more than 20-year sentences upheld by an appeals court in January. But Sollecito has increasingly been distancing himself from Knox, as part of what CNN describes as a new defense strategy begun in February with an eye on his final appeal in 2015. Perhaps the boldest salvo in that about-face came at a news conference in Rome today, during which Sollecito himself called Knox's story on the morning Meredith Kercher was found "imagination and hallucination." Knox spent the night with him, but not the full evening, his lawyers now say, per the Local: "For the entire first part of the evening, they were not together. It’s this first part of the evening that’s new [to his defense]." Still, Sollecito said, "I'm not here to change my story," and added, "Amanda and I still believe she is innocent." A lawyer for the Friends of Amanda Knox responds, per mynorthwest.com: "It's stunning, because we've been hearing consistently Raffaele Sollecito had been corroborating Amanda Knox's account, essentially an alibi"—even in his memoir, Honor Bound. "Maybe he's been advised to distance himself from Amanda Knox, but he can't deviate from what the truth is."