According to accounts presented in court, Pring-Wilson and Colono engaged in a verbal altercation outside of a Cambridge pizza parlor in the early morning hours of April 12, as Pring-Wilson walked by the car in which Colono was seated with two others.

Details surrounding the subsequent physical confrontation remain in dispute, but both the prosecution and the defense agree that Pring-Wilson stabbed Colono five times.

Pring-Wilson, who is currently under house arrest in Somerville, claims he acted in self-defense, but the prosecution argues that he attacked Colono.

The case immediately attracted national media attention. Court TV is covering the case—and is planning to broadcast the trial.

Catherine Crier, who hosts a daily legal talk show on the network, says the case appeals to the public because it presents a twist on a typical class conflict.

“The defendant’s resume...could work both for and against him. Many people will feel that a spotless record, good family and prestigious school should give subtle credence to his story,” Crier writes in an e-mail. “Others might see the reverse, a spoiled young man living a life of privilege, who tried to bully someone he perceived as ‘beneath’ his station.”

But defense attorney Denner says that the extent to which the media has framed the case as a battle between haves and have-nots is a gross exaggeration of the truth.

“The appeal is obviously the purported clash of class structures which really isn’t true,” Denner says. “It’s a fault line that the media can run with.”

Denner adds that regardless of the outcome of the case, he thinks Harvard’s reputation will emerge unscathed.

“I think Harvard is an institution that outlasts any good or bad publicity it gets over time. It exists beyond that and transcends momentary consideration,” he says.

University spokesperson Joe Wrinn also says he hopes that Pring-Wilson’s status as a Harvard student will not adversely impact the University.

“Violent crime is a very bad thing no matter what school is affiliated with it,” he says. “Town residents and city officials have said that this doesn’t reflect in a general way the University. We answered that a lot in the few days after it.”

Spikes, Not Waves

Two unrelated series of incidents allegedly perpetrated by juveniles hit Harvard this year.

Three unarmed robberies and two assaults hit Harvard Yard in a 10-day time period in November, and a small group of Cambridge Rindge and Latin students were arrested in connection with two of those incidents.