Breakthrough in Cold Case: Hawaii Police Identify DNA Suspect
A man recently identified as a suspect in a notorious kidnapping, rape, and murder case that visited Hawaii nearly 33 years ago committed suicide before being arrested, authorities in Hawaii announced this week. The Hawaii Police Department linked the DNA of 57-year-old Albert Lauro, Jr., to Dana Ireland, who was killed on Christmas Eve 1991 in the Kapoho area of Hawaii’s Big Island.
Investigation and Evidence
The police conducted a DNA cheek swab test on Lauro, and upon their return, they found him dead in his home. Lauro’s DNA was found to match samples from the crime scene, providing probable cause to charge him with rape. However, the statute of limitations for murder had expired, and the authorities did not have enough evidence to charge him with the murder of Dana Ireland. DNA evidence collected from several sources, including semen found on her body and clothing, pointed to an individual previously known only as “Unknown Male #1.”
Controversy and Investigations
Prosecutors initially convicted three men for Ireland’s murder, but two were later released after it was discovered they had been wrongly convicted. Last year, Albert Ian Schweitzer had his murder conviction overturned after 23 years in prison. Despite the breakthrough in identifying Lauro, his suicide means that the full truth of what happened in Ireland may never be known.
Attorneys for the Schweitzers accused Hawaii police of mishandling the investigation by not taking steps to prevent Lauro from fleeing or committing suicide after obtaining his DNA. However, Police Chief Ben Moskowicz denied any sabotage and reiterated the department’s commitment to solving the case and seeking the truth about Dana Ireland’s brutal murder.
