Europe’s latest sensational trial stars an American: Amanda Knox goes on trial today in Umbria alongside her Italian ex-boyfriend for the murder of British student Meredith Kercher. According to The Independent, “the question of Ms Knox's sexual appetites, and how far she will go to gratify them, go to the heart of this disturbing case.” Ms. Kercher, who was stabbed to death in November 2007, is believed to have been murdered during a “sexual game”—or, according to the prosecutor of one man already serving time for the murder, “a satanic Halloween rite.” As she has awaited trial in prison, Knox has become something of an Italian national obsession. “The vivacious, sexually adventurous, guitar-playing student from Seattle has become a minor celebrity in Italy, ranked in a poll in December as one of Italy's ‘women of the year.’”

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