Amanda Knox Testifies

The prosecution used the trial and her testimony as an opportunity to air salacious details of Knox's social life, evidently in an attempt to paint her as a wild, unpredictable woman who might be capable of anything.

The Kercher family's lawyer, Francesco Maresca, grilled Knox about a $279 ticket she received after throwing a raucous party just off the University of Washington's Seattle campus. Maresca painted this as a drug-fueled, hedonistic bash that had ended with students cavorting naked and throwing rocks at the cops. Knox admitted only to the party's keg of beer, and brushed off the ticket as a mere noise complaint. Her friends had helped pay the fine.

Knox's prison HIV scare led Maresca to dwell on her sexual history, causing the young woman to acknowledge that she slept with Sollecito on their first date. To put a more wholesome spin on things and emphasize how close they became, Amanda also volunteered that they cooked meals together every day.

But according to love letters that the press has accessed, their relationship is uncertain now. In February, after seeing Sollecito in the trial's opening days, Knox wrote him an affectionate letter telling him she wants to see him again and to be able to hug him. She speculated about what might have beenbut told him that anything is impossible now, because she's realized that it's her college boyfriend, D.J., whom she really loves.

More lascivious tidbits will no doubt turn up, but Amanda isn't expected to testify again. Her mother, Edda Mellas, will testify Friday, June 19. Commentators familiar with the case believe she will have to answer questions about her daughter's calls to her immediately after the crime's discovery. Then the trial will likely adjourn for a few monthsin Italy the judicial system takes the summer offand resume again in October.