|
Arakawa’s folks Aiko and Hideo Arakawa, in their late 70s, say they must stay healthy to care for their 45-year-old son Eric, stricken with cerebral palsy from birth.
paint a family portrait
They maintain that their son is
innocent and describe their
pain through his trialBy Leila Fujimori
lfujimori@starbulletin.comTheir only able-bodied child is on trial for manslaughter, and they must face the possibility he may spend the next 20 years in prison.
Clyde Arakawa's parents have attended his trial daily. His 20-year-old son and up to a dozen other relatives including elderly aunts and uncles, the oldest being 93, have also been present.
The retired police officer, 50, is accused of speeding, driving drunk, running a red light and crashing into a car driven by 19-year-old Dana Ambrose at the Pali Highway-School Street intersection on Oct. 7, 2000.
The defense says Arakawa was not drunk, was not speeding and had the green light. The jury began deliberating after closing arguments late Thursday, and continued for nearly seven hours Friday. Deliberations resume tomorrow.
While the family of Dana Ambrose has talked with the media, the Arakawas have never spoken, wanting to remain private. Now the Kailua couple says they want people to know Clyde Arakawa has a family, too.
"I never thought to stand up like this," his mother, Aiko Arakawa, said. "My two boys, one is so healthy and the other one is so handicapped. If he's found guilty, I don't know how I'm going to take it."
"We feel sorry for the Ambroses for losing a daughter," she said. "But I don't think my son's supposed to be judged for manslaughter. He wasn't a reckless driver."
Hideo Arakawa, 77, a retired planning estimator for submarine repairs with the Navy, said he does not doubt all the nice things the Ambroses have said about their daughter, but he felt it unfair that the public knows little about his son including the fact that most of his friends stick by him.
He said his son attended college for a while, got married and joined the police department.
Aiko Arakawa said her son called while he was incarcerated after the accident.
"He was practically in tears," she said. "He said, 'Someone came right in front of me,' even though he had the green light. 'The bad thing is, a girl had to die.'"
"My heart fell when he was on the phone," she said.
Arakawa maintains her son was not drunk.
"I don't think he was drunk, because he didn't drive recklessly," she said. "If he was drunk, I'm sure he would have waited before he would drive."
"I know for sure my son wouldn't go through a red light," she said. "Anyone would have driven through whether they were drinking or not because it was a green light," she said.
Arakawa said her son has "bankrupted his life savings for his defense. When he entered the Pali and School Street intersection, within seconds, his whole life changed."
"I know for a fact that he wasn't guilty with all the things that have been found," Aiko Arakawa said. "I don't think he should be charged for manslaughter. That's too cruel."
She believes that charge should be reserved for somebody "with the intent to kill."
Sitting in the courtroom daily has been trying for the Arakawas. "It's taken a toll on us. It's very much uncomfortable," said Aiko Arakawa. "We'd like to have this thing settled. It's been too long."
She said her son has been demonized by the prosecution, personal-injury lawyers and the media, even before being charged, for 17 months. This constant demonization has indirectly been placed upon all his family, she added.
For her other son, Eric, the trial has been especially difficult, she said. He wanted to attend but could not because of his physical limitations. He cries and worries about his brother, she said.
"He always says to be sure to give Clyde a hug and a kiss for him," Aiko Arakawa said.