MARTINEZ, Calif. — Middle-school teacher Marjorie Briner, the woman who clothed, fed and cared for Susan Polk's youngest son after Polk was arrested for stabbing her husband to death in October 2002, was called to the stand Tuesday as a hostile defense witness in Polk's first-degree murder trial.

Polk, who is acting as her own attorney in her self-defense case, has made daily speeches in court about her belief that Briner and her husband Dan are part of a conspiracy to loot her estate.

"I have not gained a single cent from your estate," Briner told Polk during a tense exchange.

Polk claims the Briners brainwashed her estranged sons Adam, 23, a UCLA graduate student, and Gabriel, 19, a high school senior. She accused Marjorie of bad-mouthing her to her children, calling Polk "crazy and delusional."

But "crazy and delusional," Briner said, were Adam and Gabriel's descriptions of their mother.

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"From the very beginning, Dan and I tried to stay as neutral as possible. I tried never to use those words. Because those were words that made you very upset," she told jurors.

Polk believes Briner tried to sway her son Eli Polk, 20, into testifying against her. She accused Briner of smearing Eli's character.

"I don't care about smearing Eli's character," Briner said. "I think Eli is the most tragic figure in this whole thing."

Eli was the only son to stand by his mother after the death of his father, Felix Polk. Eli is currently in custody on a domestic violence charge related to a girlfriend, and for violating a restraining order as well as the probation conditions from a 2005 felony conviction. Eli lived with his brother Gabriel and the Briners for a short period after his father's death.

He testified last week that he moved out because the Briners were pressuring him to turn against his mother.

Polk claims she stabbed her husband in self-defense, and says he died of a heart attack in the middle of their struggle, not from his 27 wounds. Eli defended his mother in eight days of emotional testimony.

He said that his brothers were swept up in the conspiracy to loot the family estate.

"I think Eli would say anything that you wanted him to," Briner told Polk, adding later, "Gabriel describes Eli as 'Mom's trained attack dog.' I think Eli stands up for you regardless of the truth."

"Isn't it true that you are the attack dog?" Polk said bitterly.

The Briners did not know Susan Polk or her husband before Gabriel came to live with them and they have no direct knowledge of the circumstances surrounding Felix's death.

Polk and Briner met for the first time in court several weeks ago when Polk asked that Briner be removed from the courtroom because she was a potential witness. Briner seemed eager finally to be able to testify about the accusations.

The two women spoke sharply Tuesday, often cutting one another off, causing the court reporter to ask them both to stop talking so she could catch up. The judge took a five-minute recess, with Polk sitting time-out in a holding cell, because the defendant ignored the court reporter's repeated requests.

Polk interrupted many of Briner's narrative answers, demanding yes-or-no responses. Polk often glared at Briner, the woman whom her son Gabriel has taken to calling his foster mother, and Briner never looked away.

Briner said her son Andy is close friends with Adam Polk, and they decided to take Gabriel in after he was orphaned by his father's death and his mother's incarceration.

Briner said that initially her husband cashed Gabriel's social security checks, which were roughly $1,200 a month. They gave Gabriel a minimum of $400 a month allowance, which increased as he became better at handling his own money.

Gabriel now cashes his own checks and gives them $677 a month to offset expenses, Briner said. His social security was to end when he turned 18 or when he graduated from high school. Gabriel will graduate this May.

"By keeping Gabriel back a year, you scored yourself another year of social security?" Polk asked.

Briner balked. "No, it's ludicrous," she said, noting that she and her husband have spent $30,000 or more of their own money on Gabriel and Adam.