If Rein Curtis’s testimony in her own defense had left jurors and court watchers sick to their stomachs, revulsed by a side of life they might never have imagined, what would happen now as Deputy Prosecutor Dawn Karina rose to cross examine her?

Rein eyed Karina warily as she faced questions not designed to make her look even marginally innocent.

“When detectives Levin and Wood contacted you on March 24, 2008, they advised you of your Miranda warnings? Correct?” Karina began.

“That’s correct.”

Yes, Rein agreed that it was her signature on the bottom of the rights form, and her initials after each warning. Yes, David Levin had offered to...