Cops: Death of Murdered Student's Father 'Unexplained'

John Kercher suffered fatal injuries in suspected hit-and-run in London
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 10, 2020 2:11 AM CST
Meredith Kercher's Father Dies in Suspected Hit-and-Run
John Kercher and Stephanie Kercher, Meredith's sister, are seen during a press conference in Perugia, Italy, Saturday, Dec. 5, 2009.   (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito)

More heartbreak for the Kercher family: John Kercher, father of murdered British student Meredith Kercher, has died after a suspected hit-and-run near his London home. The 77-year-old journalist and children's book author was found on the sidewalk in Croydon, south London on Jan. 13 with injuries including a broken arm and leg, the Guardian reports. Police announced Friday that he had died on Feb. 1. "We are currently treating the death of this man as unexplained and our thoughts are with his family at this very sad time," said Metropolitan Police spokesman Steve Andrews.

"Despite thorough inquiries made so far, including speaking to witnesses and examining potential CCTV opportunities, we’ve not as yet been able to establish how the man came to sustain his injuries," Andrews said, per the Evening Standard. "We are keeping an open mind as to the circumstances of his death, including whether he may have been involved in a collision." Meredith Kercher, 21, was murdered in Perugia, Italy in 2007. She had been sharing an apartment with American student Amanda Knox, who was convicted of the murder in 2009 along with her Italian boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito. They were found not guilty on appeal in 2011, found guilty again in 2014, and finally exonerated in 2015. An Ivorian man, Rudy Guede, is currently serving a prison sentence for the murder. (In 2010, John Kercher said he was furious about Knox becoming a "minor celebrity.")

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