A court in Perugia is set to decide whether to authorise a second post-mortem examination on the body of murdered British exchange student Meredith Kercher.
A decision is expected on Tuesday morning after lawyers and experts gathered before the town's public prosecutor, judge Claudia Matteini, to discuss whether results from the original autopsy are sufficient to more accurately establish the time and cause of Miss Kercher's death.
If a second examination is ruled out, it could clear the way for the 21-year-old's body to be buried.
After two hours of discussions on Monday, the lawyer representing the Kercher family, Francesco Maresca, said they were "just waiting to be able to have a funeral."
The Leeds University student from Coulsdon, Surrey, was murdered at her home in Perugia on the night of November 1.
Three people are currently in custody in connection with the killing: Miss Kercher's American housemate Amanda Knox, 20, Italian Raffaele Sollecito, 23, and 20-year-old Rudy Hermann Guede, an Ivorian with joint Italian nationality who is awaiting extradition from Germany.
A fourth man, Congolese bar owner Diya "Patrick" Lumumba, 38, was released from custody last week but remains a suspect in the case.
All four deny sexually assaulting and murdering Miss Kercher.
Legal representatives for all four suspects attended yesterday's hearing, as did state-appointed experts and the lead investigator in the case, Giuliano Mignini.
Mr Mignini has urged experts not to go back to the body.
