makes a direct comment on mr. wakisaka s failure to take the witness stand. this is what edmunds read. it s in prosecutor dan oyasato s final argument, his own words, who was alone with her? he was alone with her. he was there. he would know. if he doesn t tell us, we can only look to shirlene and see what her body tells us. the fifth amendment privilege against self-incrimination is a constitutional right that can be rendered meaningless if the prosecution gets to comment on it. and nobody stood up and said, i object, your honor? it s amazing. the trial lawyer said nothing. the judge said nothing. those five words, if he doesn t tell us, would be the basis for edmund s appeal. the most serious offense is commenting on the failure to take the witness stand. but we re supposed to be professionals, and we re not
ligature mark? must have been made by the tube that lay on her neck while she was on life support. this wasn t a strangulation, he argued, wasn t a murder at all. as ken had said all along, shirlene took an overdose. mrs. wakisaka, because of her various mental disorders or defects, committed suicide. the trial lasted two weeks. the jury heard detectives, doctors, shirlene s daughters, of course. ken himself chose not to take the stand. how d it seem to be going? it seemed to be going well. as if, here, their promise would be kept. but life, as everybody knows, is full of surprises. coming up the verdict would be swift, but the real stunner was what came after. nobody stood up and said, i object, your honor.