Raffaele Sollecito Awaits Retrial, Regrets Nothing

Raffaele Sollecito characterizes his life as being “on hold” as he awaits retrial in the Meredith Kercher murder case, but even still, he doesn’t regret his brief relationship with suspect Amanda Knox.

Sollecito will face retrial on September 30, after being found guilty (along with Knox) in December 2009 of murdering Kercher, a British exchange student. They appealed the convictions, which were thrown out in October 2011. But Italy’s highest criminal court ruled that an appeals court must rehear the case once again.

“Every tiny little day, it is constantly on my shoulder, because these trials, this kind of situation, has put my life on hold,” Raffaele Sollecito told ITV’s Daybreak.

“I cannot find a normal life, a job, a career or something to focus on instead of thinking about the trial, about the documents, about what will happen, about how to pay lawyers, how to pay my bills.”

Both he and Knox maintained their innocence, even claiming that they were not in the apartment with Kercher when she died. Prosecutors claim that she was an unfortunate victim of a drug-fueled sex game gone wrong.

Though Kercher’s throat was slashed, the murder weapon was never recovered, DNA tests proved inconclusive, and motive was never established.

Despite the harrowing nature of his life these past few years, Sollecito does not regret his relationship with Knox.

“It was a teenage romance, it was a blossoming, we were eager to date each other, to see each other every day. But as soon as we dated and we started to have this romance, it was shut down, it was destroyed by events and circumstances.”

Knox’s lawyer revealed last month that she won’t be returning to Italy for the trial.

Currently, Rudy Guede is serving a 16-year prison sentence in Italy for sexually assaulting and killing Kercher. He admitted during the trial that he was in her apartment at the time of her death, but like Knox and Raffaele Sollecito, denies involvement.