After a morning punctuated by outbursts and quarrels, testimony closed Thursday in the homicide trial of William Lorenzo Page.

During two hours of cross-examination, Mr. Page continued to insist he had fabricated his confession to police that he had killed his 23-month-old daughter, Nyia, by leaving her outside in the cold to die.

Mr. Page, 26, of Braddock, is accused of sexually assaulting Nyia and then abandoning her in an overgrown playground. The toddler's body was found in Rankin on Feb. 4, 2007, clad only in a sweater.

If convicted, he could face the death penalty.

Mr. Page raised his voice several times while on the stand Thursday, shouting twice. When Deputy District Attorney Mark V. Tranquilli said that Mr. Page could have had sexual intercourse with Nyia, Mr. Page interrupted him, yelling, "What the hell are you talking about, man?"

Later, Darlene Robinson, Nyia's mother, burst into tears on the stand, rocking back and forth as she described the last time she had changed her daughter's diaper. More than 15 of her friends and family members were in court and listened to her testimony.

Thursday was Mr. Page's second day on the stand. On Wednesday, he had testified that detectives had repeatedly ignored his requests to speak to a lawyer. He said that he had lied in his taped confession, telling the detectives what he thought they wanted to hear because he wanted to protect his family.

Mr. Tranquilli on Thursday, however, tried to highlight several inconsistencies in Mr. Page's testimony, questioning Mr. Page about his sex life with Ms. Robinson, his relationship with Nyia, and his interactions with the detectives.

Mr. Tranquilli argued that, in his confession, Mr. Page had included details about the case that he could not have known unless he killed Nyia.

"You just made it up, and you happened to be right?" he asked.

Mr. Page said that he had used what he knew from news accounts and his search for Nyia to create a plausible account.

"I put two and two together," he said.

He said that the detectives had pressured him by telling him that if he confessed, he could see his family again and Nyia could rest in peace.

Three Allegheny County detectives testified that Mr. Page had been advised of his rights several times. Detectives Gregory Matthews, Kenneth Ruckel, and Robert Opferman said he did not ask to see a lawyer until the end of his confession, when the detectives began asking him if he had sexually assaulted Nyia.

Mr. Tranquilli and defense attorney Christopher Patarini will make their closing arguments today.

The trial was halted briefly Thursday when one of the alternate jurors felt ill and was tended to by paramedics.

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