Defendant Won't Testify In Murder Trial
Husband Says He Drove Victim To Nightclub On Night Of Attack
POSTED: 10:58 am HST April 23,
2009
UPDATED: 1:34 pm HST April 23,
2009
HONOLULU -- Accused killer Darnell Griffin has decided not to take the stand in his defense.Griffin is on trial for the murder of Evelyn Luka who died in 1999 after being raped and strangled and left unconscious near the H-2 Freeway.Griffin was tied to Luka's death by DNA found in Luka, prosecutors said. The DNA match was made after Griffin was required to provide a sample because he was on parole for a 1983 murder conviction in which a woman was strangled.Griffin's wife testified that he was home the night of the murder and he claims he had consensual sex with Luka the night before she was attacked.The defense said investigators failed to follow up on other leads that might have revealed other suspects.The jury will be told not to use his decision not to testify against him.Prosecutors completed their case earlier in the day. The final state witness was a former parking valet at Venus Nightclub who said he saw the victim, Evelyn Luka, leave the club with a slender black man in a green Nissan Pathfinder.On Thursday morning, Luka's husband testified that they had agreed to divorce the morning before she was attacked. Kevin Luka, an Air Force officer, told the jury he did not approve of his wife's frequent nightclubbing.Despite their disagreements, Kevin Luka said he and his wife had sex and he drove her to the nightclub the night she was attacked.Griffin's defense attorney said that his client and Evelyn Luka had consensual sex the night before her attack.
Previous Stories:
- April 22, 2009: Wife Testifies In Man's Rape, Murder Trial
- April 16, 2009: Trial Begins In Rape, Murder Cold Case
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