DNA casts doubt on knife in Knox case

AP Expert testimony has again cast doubt on whether a knife was the murder weapon used by Amanda Knox.

A new DNA test on a kitchen knife failed to conclusively prove that it was the murder weapon used by US student Amanda Knox and her boyfriend to kill her British roommate.

An expert witness testified on Wednesday that the minuscule DNA trace on the knife handle near the blade showed "considerable affinity" with Knox's own DNA.

That confirmed what was already known from two previous trials: that Knox's DNA was on the knife handle, identified through another trace.

No DNA belonging to the slain British student, Meredith Kercher, or Knox's boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito was identified. Previous genetic evidence on the blade linked to Kercher had been contested at earlier stages.

Outside the court, Knox defence lawyer Carlo Dalla Vedova said the testimony confirms his contention that the knife was used by Knox solely for preparing food.

"The report confirms that this is a kitchen knife. It is not a murder weapon," Dalla Vedova said.

Luca Maori, a defence lawyer for Sollecito, said the trace's very existence also indicated the knife had not been washed.

"It is something very important," he said. "It is absurd to use it for a murder and put it back in the drawer."

Prosecutors deferred comment for their summations, which are due later this month.

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DNA casts doubt on knife in Knox case