A Moldovan dancer who was on the bridge of the Costa Concordia cruise ship when it crashed into a reef off Italy electrified the captain's manslaughter trial Tuesday by testifying reluctantly that the two were lovers.
Domnica Cemortan, 26, made the admission only after being warned by the judge that she risked criminal charges if she did not answer the question.
The ship's former captain, Francesco Schettino, is the sole defendant on trial in the Tuscan town of Grosseto. He is charged with manslaughter for the 32 people who died in the crash, with causing the shipwreck on the night of Jan. 13, 2012, and with abandoning ship while many passengers and crew were still aboard. He risks 20 years in jail if convicted.
Cemortan was questioned by prosecutors and lawyers for survivors who have attached civil suits to the manslaughter trial. - AP