Amanda Knox has been called many things as her epochal murder trial has twisted and turned through the Italian courts. But yesterday beat all as a lawyer labeled her a “she-devil” and “witch.” With that, Knox became a prime candidate to become a feminist icon. The lawyer, Carlo Pacelli, represents Diya “Patrick” Lumumba, a bar owner who at one point was unjustly accused by Knox of playing a role in the murder of her onetime roommate. Knox said she had been pressured to do so by police. But Pacelli had another explanation. “Who is Amanda Knox?” Pacelli asked, then proceeded to answer: “Both a (saint) and a demonic, satanic, diabolical she-devil, which leads her toward borderline behavior . . . .She is a spell-casting witch, a virtuoso of deceit.” Now any self-respecting feminist feels the hairs stand up on the back of her neck when she hears the word “witch” bandied about, and it’s not in reference to a bunch of hippie Wiccans. The appellation conjures up the specter of the Salem witch trials, which any history student knows were used as a way to punish women seen as getting out of line. To call a woman a witch is to cast aside logic and evidence and rely on notions of evil mysticism, something women supposedly have a lock on. The Knox case–and the voluminous press coverage that has attended it–can certainly be seen in this way. The physical evidence put forward by prosecutors has been sparse and unconvincing. And much of the fascination with the onetime University of Washington student has focused on her character. While the witch label is a new one, her image as a sexy party girl has been ever-present from the start, as has her nickname “Foxy Knoxy”–all it took to damn Knox in some eyes. (See one London Times piece headlined “Diary reveals Foxy Knoxy’s sex secrets.”)The pillorying of women for their sexuality is, of course, another feminist bane. This treatment of Knox has not been unnoticed by feminists. On a British blog called “the f word,” Philippa Willitts wrote:The fact that Amanda Knox appears to be a young woman with some confidence in her sexuality has certainly worked against her. That she had condoms and a vibrator in a see-through bag has been widely reported, as some kind of proof that she was deranged enough to kill her housemate in a sex game. On another blog, Gender Across Borders, Seattle writer Elizabeth Switaj assails the “virgin-whore” complex that seems to be at work in the Knox case. Both writers posted their observations before the “w” word came up in court yesterday. By all rights, the sisterhood should really get riled up now. Follow The Daily Weekly on Facebook and Twitter.