ROME (CNN) — Italian Supreme Court judges ruled Tuesday that American Amanda Knox should stand trial again for the death of her former roommate in Italy.
Knox spent four years in prison before an appellate court overturned her murder conviction in the 2007 death of Meredith Kercher in Perugia.
Knox, who returned to the United States in 2011, was not in court for Tuesday’s ruling. But her attorney issued a statement, saying Knox is “upset” by the ruling and she’s ready to fight it.
Prosecutors argued that despite the appellate decision, they still believe Knox and her former boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, are responsible for the death.
“We are still convinced that they are the co-authors of Meredith’s homicide,” Perugia prosecutor Giovanni Galati said, according to the Italian news agency ANSA.
The Supreme Court judges in Rome also ordered that Sollecito face a new trial over Kercher’s death.
Judge Saverio Chieffi told the court he would publish the reasoning behind his decision within 60 days, after which the parties would have 45 days to present their case. This means the earliest possible date for a new trial would be July.
Knox may be ordered to return to Italy for the retrial, to be heard in an appellate court in Florence.
If she refuses, the Italian government could appeal to the U.S. government for her extradition.