Italian appellate judge stands by acquittal of Knox

FILE -- In this file photo taken on Oct. 3, 2011, Judge Claudio Pratillo Hellmann, left, reads out the the verdict that overturns Amanda Knox's conviction and acquits her of murdering her British roommate Meredith Kercher, at the Perugia court, Italy. (AP Photo/Alessandro Bianchi, Pool)

MILAN, Italy -- The Italian presiding appellate judge who acquitted American student Amanda Knox in the murder of her British roommate says he remains certain there is no evidence of her guilt.

Now retired, Judge Pratillo Hellmann was quoted Thursday by Italian newspapers as saying the only evidence that tied Knox and co-defendant Raffaele Sollecito to the crime was refuted by new expert testimony entered on appeal.

Italy's highest criminal court this week overturned the acquittals and ordered a new appeals trial for Knox and Sollecito. The two had been found guilty in the 2007 murder of 21-year-old Meredith Kercher, whose throat was slashed. An Ivorian man is serving a 16-year sentence for her slaying.

Hellmann said he would draw the same conclusion again "without a doubt."