Knox Admits Drug Use On Night Of Murder

(CBS/AP)  Last updated 8:50 a.m. Eastern.

An American student accused of killing her British roommate took the witness stand for the first time Friday, telling the Italian court that she occasionally used drugs at the time of the 2007 slaying.

"Every once in a while, with friends," Amanda Knox said, speaking English, in reply to a question from a lawyer. She said it was marijuana.

Knox and co-defendant Raffaele Sollecito have told police they had taken drugs the night that British student Meredith Kercher was killed. They said they could not remember events clearly because of that.

Knox smiled as she walked into the court in Perugia, central Italy, before her testimony. Dressed in a white shirt and white trousers, she had her hair pulled in a ponytail. She was called as a witness for civil plaintiffs and her own defense.

Knox and Sollecito, her former Italian boyfriend, have always denied wrongdoing.

"She's a bit nervous about going on to the stand, but she's also quite confident in what she has to say and that the truth will come out during her testimony," the American's father, Curt Knox, on Thursday.

"She is going to be telling the truth and answering all of the questions, and hopefully the court will see that and see that she had nothing to do with this and that she's 100 percent innocent," Knox told Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith, speaking from Perugia.

Prosecutors contend that Knox, an exchange student from Seattle, and Sollecito, her boyfriend at the time, murdered the 21-year-old Kercher during what began as a sex game. They deny wrongdoing.

Kercher was found Nov. 2, 2007, in a pool of blood in the apartment she shared with Knox.

Ivory Coast national Rudy Hermann Guede was found guilty of murder and sexual violence and was sentenced to 30 years in prison in a separate procedure.

Under Italian law the accused do not take an oath, and are under no obligation to tell the truth, reports CBS News correspondent Allen Pizzey.

The first questions asked of Knox were about how she met Guede, an itinerant drug dealer.

Knox replied in English, admitting to the occasional marijuana use, reports Pizzey. She claimed that police had repeatedly called her a "stupid liar."

If the jury of three men and three women does not believe Knox's version of events, she faces the prospect of life in prison, says Pizzey. The trial is expected to go on for another five months, but it may all hinge on what the court hears from the college student in the next 48 hours.

[rogerlen]

Well so far, I hear nothing that could implicate her for murder, and since her supposedly former drug dealer boyfriend is in jail for the murder and gets a reduced sentence for implicating her, just makes this smell more fishy..she admitted to nothing more than they tortured her into admitting, even her in the usa we are not allowed to use the methods they used, adn would never interrogate a person accused of a crime like this with out her lawyer present. and they are the ones that should be brought up on charges here in the usa. and if she was on Drugs as they say there would have been a ton load of evidence all over. I just hope her Attorney is very good and smart.

[DoubleHappiness88]

So drug use should stay illegal, in my view.
That's AS I SEE IT. I'm Mike "Mainer Mike" Brown.
Posted by mainermike at 7:59 AM
_________________________________________
The above is more proof that marijuana causes paranoid hysteria in those who
DO NOT smoke it.

[DoubleHappiness88]

Marijuana smokers do not have reputations as murderers but they may swipe your cookies.

After smoking and making love, I cannot believe a marijuana smoker could do anything but take a nap.....unless there were cookies in the room.

[opalred]

Okay... I dont want tis to turn into a debate over marijuana. I guess what I was trying to get at is that its not marijuana as the drug that causes it.. its the person using it that allows such things to happen. even though its not the way it should be, it has become more and more obvious that its become more in a humans nature to put the blame on anything other then themselves. Which is really a sad thing, this world has just fallen apart beneath us. The stories between the two are different each wanting to blame the other, not to mention how the stories keep changing.

I agree to an extent that marijuna should be kept illegal, but there are both pros and cons with it. Making it legal could allow children to have more access to it, but alcohol is by far a worse poison and minors are easily able to get a hold of it and by making it legal then that just might take control out of gangs, druglords and so on therefor making it more controlled by the government and could benefit a lot more in the healthcare field. Thiough, the pros and cons can balance out pretty well. Bottom line, people should know the difference between right and wrong and no law is ever going to prevent a bad decision.

[James_for_Today]

Yes we all know what fiendish things people do while under marijuanas influence. Satan takes over the mind and the next thing you know they are standing in the middle of the kitchen finishing an entire bag of Doritos!

[mainermike]

This is AS I SEE IT, by Mike "Mainer Mike" Brown.

Maybe you can smoke marijuana responsibly. Maybe.

But if it were legalized for anybody to use, some would use it irresponsibly, and create havoc because of it.

Also, marijuana use often leads to use and abuse of more serious drugs.

So drug use should stay illegal, in my view.

That's AS I SEE IT. I'm Mike "Mainer Mike" Brown.

[opalred]

I believe that the whole marijuana excuse is just that.. an excuse. I am a responsible young adult and I openly admit to using the drug everyday. Teh only time a marijuana has an affect to where you lose the whole conception of whats going on around you is when it is used with another drug, laced or what not. I smoke everyday, there are no harmful chemicals in it and has been known to help more then its hurt.. matter of fact cant believe that anyones been killed from it. marijuana is no excuse here.. it just dosent cause anyone to commit a murder and its a sad thought that someone could be allowed a lighter sentence just because they were under the influence of drugs. Im not defending the use of marijuana in any way shape or form and I would suggest to refrain from breaking any law... but our government as well as some others are so corrupt anymore I just dont know how stable any law really is.

[mainermike]

This is AS I SEE IT, by Mike "Mainer Mike" Brown.

I know of a story where two men got into an arguement. One of them was high on drugs. The arguement turned into a fist fight. The man that was high won the fight, and kept beating and beating his foe until he died.

The individual that was high recieved a light sentence considering what he did.

I hope the Italian courts don't give this Knox character a break when they sentence her. And I believe she'll be found guilty. Being on high is no excuse to do whatever you want.

And that's a message anyone who uses drugs should hear.

That's AS I SEE IT. I'm Mike "Mainer Mike" Brown.

[mrs_trepidatious]

I think that she killed her roommate while on drugs. And I don?t believe she was only on marijuana that fateful night.
Posted by jesuseyes
====================
Yes we all know what fiendish things people do while under marijuanas influence. Satan takes over the mind and the next thing you know they are standing in the middle of a bunch of people killed by stab wounds with a bloody knife in their hand!

[mrs_trepidatious]

Hmm, this is interesting-in another article, they said that she spoke "fluent Italian", so as not to be misunderstood-I am not sure one can be fluent in a language after one year? Also not sure why she is smiling all the time....If I were innocent, I would be crying, not smilin and shouting it from the rooftops, especially after a year in prison in a foreign country. And now, after all this time of the parents saying she is such an innocent victim, she herself says she was over there partying a lot and hooks up with a foreign stranger in the first week. The truth is coming out.
Posted by dsnj1-2009
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Yes she has the word FLOOZY written all over her forehead!