Knox's Mom Says Daughter, Victim Got Along

U.S. Student On Trial For Murder In Italy; Dad Of Knox's Co-Suspect: Son Wouldn't "Hurt A Fly"

(CBS/ AP)  The mother of an American student accused of killing her British roommate in Italy said Friday that her daughter and the victim "got along great."

Amanda Knox is on trial on charges of murder and sexual violence in the 2007 slaying of Meredith Kercher in Perugia, central Italy. Her mother, Edda Mellas, took the stand on Friday. She said there were no problems between her daughter and Kercher.

"They got along great," Mellas told the eight-member jury. "She told me about the fun things she and Meredith did," she said, without elaborating.

Knox's father, Curt, told CBS' The Early Show from Seattle that his ex-wife's testimony conveyed the real "shock" their daughter was in at the time of the murder.

"We're now getting a new side of the story," he said.

Last week, Knox testified she was stunned by the death of Kercher, whom she considered her friend. This contrasted with previous testimony by other witnesses that Kercher had complained about Knox's bathroom habits and had expressed surprise at her apparent promiscuity.

Knox is on trial together with her Italian former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito. Both deny wrongdoing.

Mellas also testified about three phone calls she received from Knox on Nov. 2, 2007, the morning Kercher's body was found in her bedroom.

"In her first call, she said she thought somebody was in the house," Mellas said.

Last week, Knox recalled going home that morning to find the front door open. She said she took a shower and saw blood in one of the apartment's bathrooms.

The second and third calls were made after Kercher's body was discovered, Mellas said.

"She was very upset, it was disturbing," Mellas said.

Also on Friday, Sollecito's father testified his son was never violent and would not "hurt a fly."

Francesco Sollecito also told the court that his son liked to carry "small knives" in his pockets, a habit he picked up when he was younger.

Kercher was stabbed in the neck.

Prosecutors say that a kitchen knife found at Sollecito's apartment is compatible with Kercher's wounds. The knife has the victim's DNA on the blade and Knox's on the handle.

Police have testified that Sollecito carried a different knife to the police station after the killing.

Prosecutors believe Knox, Sollecito and a third person already convicted in a separate trial went to Kercher's home the night of the murder and killed the British woman in what began as a sex game.

Sollecito, 25, has said he was at his own apartment the entire night of Nov. 1. He said he does not remember if Knox spent the whole night with him or just part of it.

Knox said she spent the night at Sollecito's apartment and went back to her place the following morning.

Both suspects have been jailed since shortly after the slaying.

The third person involved, Ivory Coast national Rudy Hermann Guede, denied wrongdoing but was convicted of murder last year and sentenced to 30 years in prison.

[wordsurf_08]

humpfree bogart and his woman seen to forget a whole lot from a little bit of we.ed smokin.... sounds like there's other things mixed in there, to forget if someone, your own girlfriend even, was there with you all night or not. i'd guess only smoking something hardcore like heroin, cra.ck or pcp would cause you to forget something that concrete. hard to imagine a little we.ed would have that effect.

[excoachken]

The girl had an affair with another student and smoked some dope, so you people want her to die. On top of that you attack her mother, who has a good reason to question the "evidence" CREATED by an historically attention grabbing prosecutor. Why not research the case a little more before relying on your own prejudice to find guilt? I hope that if I am accused of such a crime, that you are not on my jury, either.

[saturn05]

I could honestly say I could not be on her jury. I have always felt before I could be professional in my verdict by just studying the evidence, but with this one, I just oculdn't do that. She looks like a psycho and acts like one as well. I hope the evidence proves she is guilty.

[TheMasses0004]

Knox's Mom Says Daughter, Victim Got Along
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Like mother like daughter. The mother is partly to blame for the upbringing and subsequent actions by her offspring. If Knox if found guilty, most likely her mom's a scumbag too.

[mrs_trepidatious]

Ya they got along until her wicked evil daughter killed her.