Suspect in 1991 murder of young woman commits suicide, Hawaii police say

A suspect in the 1991 rape and murder of a young woman committed suicide after being identified and questioned by investigators, Hawaii police said Monday.

Dana Ireland was 23 when she was kidnapped, raped and killed in the Kapoho area, police said. She was found on Christmas Eve and died in the hospital the next day.

According to police, DNA was recently tested on the woman’s body and on a sheet she was taken to the hospital. The result is a match with 57-year-old Albert Lauro Jr.

He was questioned by police on July 19, but at that time there were insufficient grounds to arrest him for murder. By then, the statute of limitations had also expired on the rape charges, leaving only the murder charge, said Hawaii Police Chief Benjamin Moszkowicz.

“We were of the opinion then and continue to be of the opinion that the presence of Lauro’s DNA at the crime scene is not in and of itself sufficient evidence that Lauro intentionally or knowingly caused her death,” Moszkowicz said at a press conference on Monday.

Police are expecting Lauro to provide further evidence they need for the case, Moszkowicz said. Investigators gained access to his cellphone on Monday morning, he said.

Attempts to reach Lauro’s relatives were not immediately successful on Monday.

Moszkowicz defended the decision not to arrest Lauro on July 19, when he agreed to answer police questions but then asked to leave.

He said that if Lauro had been arrested without reasonable suspicion, any other evidence or breakthroughs in the case that followed the arrest could have been challenged as inadmissible.

Ireland was a tourist from Virginia when she was killed. She was found barely alive in the bushes next to a fishing trail in Puna.

In January 2023, the release of a man convicted of her murder, Albert “Ian” Schweitzer, was ordered after his lawyers presented new evidence and argued that he did not commit the crimes.

Schweitzer was sentenced to 130 years in prison and served 23 years before a judge ordered his release.

Lauro’s death is the subject of a judicial investigation. Moszkowicz did not disclose the suspected cause of death, but said, “We assume he committed suicide.” His body was found in his home, Moszkowicz said.

Whether he left a note or something else is still being investigated, but “there was nothing unusual at the crime scene,” Moszkowicz said. Investigators are still talking to his relatives and hope that access to the cell phone will be helpful.

“We hope there is information that will help us understand why he made this decision,” Moszkowicz said.

Ireland’s killing remains under investigation.

“We remain determined to solve this case, as we have been from day one,” Moszkowicz said.

Police hope that anyone who may have known Lauro and has information that may be relevant to the case will come forward.

A total of three people served prison sentences following their conviction in the Ireland case.

In addition to Schweitzer, Frank Pauline Jr. was sentenced to three life sentences and was killed by an inmate in a New Mexico prison in 2015.

Schweitzer’s brother Shawn took a plea deal and ended up serving one year of his sentence and five years of probation.

Moskowitz said DNA taken from the crime scene in Ireland at the time did not match any database and was known as “Unidentified Male No. 1.”

He said changes in technology had made the match possible, including with DNA found on a shirt at the crime scene. In early July, police collected a fork that Lauro had used in a public place and then thrown away. This was used to match his DNA, he said.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call 988 or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or chat live at 988lifeline.orgYou can also visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional support.