Opinion ID: 1999594
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Comments by district attorney.

Text: During closing argument, the district attorney observed that certain evidence was uncontroverted. The defendant, who did not choose to take the stand in his own defense, considers the term uncontroverted to be a comment on his failure to testify. A comment on defendant's failure to take the stand is improper. State v. Spring (1970), 48 Wis. 2d 333, 338, 179 N. W. 2d 841. However, this court has held that it is proper for the district attorney to point out generally that no evidence has been introduced to show the innocence of the defendant. State v. Bachmeyer (1945), 247 Wis. 294, 301, 19 N. W. 2d 261. See also: Annot. (1967), 14 A. L. R. 3d 723. Moreover, in the instant case, the defendant's strategy was not to deny the occurrence of the acts surrounding the murder and robbery, but rather to show that his intoxication negated the necessary intent. Since the district attorney's comments referred to evidence of the acts rather than to evidence  of intoxication, we conclude that the argument was a proper comment on the testimony.