BARNSTABLE, Mass. — A cousin of murdered fashion writer Christa Worthington acknowledged Friday at the trial of the accused killer that she told police Worthington was a "neurotic and troubled" woman who had problematic relationships with several men before her death five years ago in Cape Cod.

The witness, Jan Worthington, testified that she told state troopers that the 46-year-old victim was in conflict with one ex-boyfriend who believed she had tricked him into impregnating her and was "stalking" another former lover, the son of Gloria Vanderbilt.

"She was looking for him in places so she could talk to him," Worthington told jurors. "She hadn't found the right guy in her life, and she was looking for that."

The testimony from Worthington, who was called to the stand by prosecutors because she was the first emergency medical technician at the crime scene, came during cross-examination by a lawyer for the defendant, Christopher McCowen.

The 33-year-old garbage collector is standing trial for first-degree murder, aggravated rape and armed burglary. Worthington was found stabbed to death in her cottage in the cape town of Truro in January 2002. Her 2-year-old daughter, Ava, was found clinging to the bloody body.

Story continues

Prosecutors maintain that the victim only knew McCowen, an ex-convict, as the man who picked up her trash. His defense has said the presence of McCowen's DNA on the victim's body is proof only that they had consensual sex.

They say the killing occurred later at the hands of an unknown perpetrator.

In an apparent attempt to highlight other suspects, the defense lawyer, Robert George, grilled Jan Worthington about her statements to police concerning Tony Jackett, the married man who fathered Ava.

"He had told me and his wife had told me that they felt that Christa had tricked him because he was led to believe that Christa could not have a baby," Worthington testified.

She said she also mentioned another former boyfriend, Stan Stokowski, who Christa Worthington described to friends as Vanderbilt's son.

"You told them that Christa took the break-up hard?" George asked.

"Yes," Worthington said.

She did not elaborate on why or when the relationship came to an end, but another ex-boyfriend and onetime murder suspect, Tim Arnold, testified Thursday that the demise of the romance led Christa Worthington to move from New York City to the cape, a childhood vacation spot.

Assistant District Attorney Robert Welsh III objected to the questions as irrelevant, but the judge, Justice Gary Nickerson, said it was permissible to impeach the credibility of the witness.

The defense lawyer also suggested Jan Worthington had embellished her role at the crime scene to "enhance the salability" of an HBO documentary about the murder.

She testified Thursday she was paid $20,000 by the cable network and $40,000 for a "movie-of-the-week" on the case to be aired on Lifetime.