State v. Wakisaka

Opinion of the Court by

DUFFY, J.

Defendant-appellant Kenneth Wakisaka (Kenneth) appeals from the judgment of conviction and sentence of the Circuit Court of the First Circuit, adjudging him guilty of second degree murder of his wife Shirlene Wakisaka (Shirlene) in violation of Hawai'i Revised Statutes (HRS) §§ 707-701.5 1 and 706-656. 2 Kenneth claims that he was denied his rights to due process and effective assistance of counsel; he also claims that the circuit court committed a number of errors in its evidentiary rulings. Specifically, Kenneth alleges that (1) the prosecution improperly…