The conviction of American student Amanda Knox for the gruesome 2007 murder of her roommate is a relief to the slain woman's family, they said Saturday, but they are not celebrating.

In a Saturday press conference, the family of Meredith Kercher said Knox's conviction and 26-year jail sentence will not bring back their sister and daughter.

"Ultimately we are pleased with the decision, pleased that we've got a decision, but it's not a time for celebration," Meredith's brother, Lyle Kercher, told reporters.

"Meredith still leaves a big hole in our lives and her presence is missed every time we meet up as a family," John Kercher Jr., another of Meredith's brothers, said.

Knox, 22, was convicted late Friday. Her co-defendant and former boyfriend, Italian Raffaele Sollecito, was also convicted and given a 25-year sentence.

Knox spent Friday night in jail under close surveillance, according to her layer, Luciano Ghirga. However, he denied that she was under a suicide watch.

Kercher, 21, who hailed from Briton, and Knox, who was from Seattle, were roommates while they were students in Perugia.

Kercher was found in their apartment in a pool of blood on Nov. 2, 2007. Her throat had been slit.

During the year-long trial, prosecutors portrayed Knox as promiscuous and manipulative who grew to hate Kercher.

Prosecutors said that on the night of the murder, Nov. 1, Knox and Kercher argued, and that Knox, Sollecito and Ivory Coast national Rudy Hermann Guede brutally attacked and sexually assaulted Kercher under "the fumes of drugs and possibly alcohol."

Defence lawyers argued there was not enough evidence to convict Knox and Sollecito and that prosecutors failed to establish a clear motive. Knox said she was friends with Kercher and was saddened by her death.

Knox and Sollecito were also convicted of illegally carrying a weapon, a knife, and of staging a burglary at the home where the murder occurred.

Guede was previously convicted of the slaying and sentenced to 30 years in jail. He is appealing his conviction.

Knox was also convicted of defaming a Congolese man she initially accused of being the killer. He was later cleared of any wrongdoing and Knox said she made the accusation under police pressure.

Ghirga, Knox's lawyer, said Saturday he visited with his client for about an hour in the morning and described her as "tired and disappointed."

"She couldn't sleep all night, she was comforted by other inmates and police officials," Ghirga said. "She's worried for her parents, too, but she is keeping the faith needed for the next steps."

Knox's family and Sollecito's lawyers have announced they will appeal the convictions. However, it could be months for appeal proceedings to begin.

"It appears clear to us that the attacks on Amanda's character in much of the media and by the prosecution had a significant impact on the judges and jurors and apparently overshadowed the lack of evidence in the prosecution's case against her," the Knox family said in a statement.

Prosecutor Manuela Comodi said she will not appeal the ruling, even though the two accused did not get life in prison as she had requested.

With files from The Associated Press