A suspect in the murder of a British student here last November has been cleared of all charges and the case against his been officially shelved.
Diya 'Patrick' Lumumba, a Democratic Republic of Congo national and long-time city resident, was arrested for the the brutal murder of 22-year-old Meredith Kercher after he was accused by one of the other suspects, Kercher's 20-year-old American roommate Amanda Marie Knox.
Knox, who was arrested with her 24-year-old Italian boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, at first claimed that it was 38-year-old pub operator and musician who had carried out the crime.
Lumumba has always denied any involvement in the murder and even provided an alibi for the night Kercher was killed: a lecturer who testified that he was with him at his pub.
The Congolese's position was also helped by the fact investigators found no forensic evidence placing Lumumba at the scene of the crime.
Knox later retracted her accusation and apologised for involving Lumumba in one of the several versions of the murder night she gave police.
Lumumba was released but remained under investigation. His is release coincided with the arrest of a fourth suspect in Germany, 21-year-old Ivory Coast national Rudy Hermann Guede, whose DNA had been found at the scene of the crime and on the victim.
Kercher, 22, was found November 2 with her throat slashed in the house she shared here with three other girls.
In a preliminary report filed at the end of last year, investigators said they were convinced they had identified most, if not all, of the people responsible for the murder but were still uncertain as to the motive for the killing.
However, Guede told police that Knox and Kercher hated each other and that on night of her death Kercher noticed that 250 euros were missing from a drawer and that she blamed Knox for the theft.
Police claim the forensic evidence they have gathered so far against the three suspects is rock and hope to wrap up their probe before the end of the summer.
Last month Italy's highest appeals court ruled that Knox, Sollecito and Guede should remain in custody awaiting trial.
