Dana Ireland’s ‘killer’ Albert Lauro Jr found dead at home after Hawaii cops took suspect’s DNA from fork

A MAN suspected of fatally beating and raping a 23-year-old woman over three decades ago has been identified after investigators matched his DNA on a disposed fork.

Albert Lauro Jr., 57, was identified by Hawaii police as a possible suspect behind the brutal murder of Dana Ireland, who was found battered and partially clothed on a fishing trail on the Island of Hawai’i on Christmas Eve 1991.

The Mega Agency

The Mega Agency

Handout

Hawaii police obtained Lauro Jr.’s DNA sample from a discarded fork and used it to match the DNA evidence found at the crime scene where Ireland was attacked over three decades ago.

Authorities visited Lauro Jr. at his home in Hawaiian Paradise Park on the Island of Hawai’i on July 19 to take a DNA swab from him.

The DNA from the cheek swab matched, but days later, Lauro Jr. was found dead at his home, police said.

Cops said Lauro Jr. lived two miles from the fishing trail where Ireland was discovered.

At the time, Ireland was visiting the Island of Hawai’i from her home state of Virginia .

Ireland had been riding her bike from her parents’ rental home in Kapoho Vacationland to a friend’s house for Christmas Eve dinner when she was hit by a vehicle.

Witnesses found Ireland’s mangled bicycle on the side of the road but no sight of the woman.

Police later found Ireland several miles away in the bushes of a fishing trail, severely beaten and partially clothed.

Ireland died from her injuries a day later.

WRONGFUL CONVICTIONS

Three men were initially charged and convicted for Ireland’s murder in 2000.

Frank Pauline Jr. was convicted of second-degree murder and kidnapping in October 1999 and was sentenced to three life terms.

Albert Schweitzer was convicted of sexual assault and kidnapping in February 2000 and was sentenced to two 20-year sentences.

His brother, Shawn Schweitzer, falsely confessed to taking part in Ireland’s crime after his brother and Pauline Jr.’s conviction in separate trials.

Shawn pleaded guilty to manslaughter and kidnapping in April 2000 and was sentenced to one year in prison with times served and five years probation.

Albert Schweitzer was released from prison in January 2023 after new evidence was unearthed in Ireland’s case.

DNA evidence recovered from a blood-soaked T-shirt found near Ireland belonged to an unknown man, not to any of the three men, prosecutors revealed.

“Over the last three years, we have shared information and reexamined forensic evidence,” Kelden Waltjen, the Hawaii County prosecuting attorney, said at the time.

“No matter the outcome in these post-conviction proceedings, we remain committed to identifying unknown male #1 and seeking justice for Dana Ireland and her `ohana [family].”

“At a new trial today, a jury would not convict Mr. Schweitzer of Ms. Ireland’s sexual assault and murder,” a petition from the Innocence Project read at the time.

“In fact, a prosecutor would likely not even arrest Mr. Schweitzer for this crime.”

Shawn Schweitzer was exonerated in October 2023.

Pauline Jr. was killed in a New Mexico prison in 2015.

Timeline of Dana Ireland's murder

Dana Ireland, 23, was found severely beaten and raped on a fishing trail on the Island of Hawai'i on December 24, 1991. She died a day later from her injuries.

Timeline:

• December 24, 1991 : Ireland was visiting Hawaii from Virginia and was biking from her parent’s rental home to a friend’s house for Christmas Eve dinner.
• A witness stumbled upon Ireland’s bicycle on a roadside, but there was no sight of the woman.
• Hawaii police eventually found Ireland several miles away in the bushes of a fishing trail, severely beaten and partially clothed.
• She was severely injured and sexually assaulted, police said.
• Ireland died from her injuries on December 25, 1991.
• May 1994 : Authorities got a break from a man named John Gonsalves, who told them his half-brother, Frank Pauline Jr., was present when Ireland was attacked.
• Pauline Jr., who was already serving a 10-year prison sentence, told investigators that he and two brothers, Shawn and Albert Schweitzer, were present during Ireland’s attack.
• July 1996 : After several interviews with police, Pauline Jr. told authorities he was lying.
• However, investigators were separately building their investigation into the Schweitzer brothers.
• Investigators executed a search warrant on the Schweitzers’ home and Albert’s Volkswagen Beetle to search for evidence but found nothing.
• July 1997 : Pauline Jr. was indicted for Ireland’s murder, rape, and kidnapping.
• October 1997 : The Schweitzer brothers were also indicted on the same charges.
• October 1998 : The Hawaii Prosecutor’s Office dismissed the indictments against Shawn and Albert Schweitzer after DNA testing showed the brothers were not connected to the sexual assault of Ireland.
• May 1999 : The Schweitzer brothers were once again indicted for the murder, rape, and kidnapping of Ireland due to a jailhouse informant.
• The informant claimed that Albert Schweitzer had confessed to him about his involvement in Ireland’s death while they were both housed in the Hawaii Community Correctional Center.
• October 1999 : Pauline Jr. was convicted on all charges and sentenced to three life terms.
• January 2000 : Albert Schweitzer went on trial on January 24, 2000.
• During his trial, the informant testified how Albert grew to trust him and confessed to his involvement in Ireland’s death.
• The informant told the jury that he did not disclose the information to investigators until he was in a Minnesota prison, and admitted that his prison term was reduced in part because of his cooperation.
• February 2000 : Albert Schweitzer was convicted on all counts and sentenced to two 20-year sentences for kidnapping and sexual assault.
• April 2000 : Shawn Schweitzer took a plea deal and received a one-year sentence with time served.
• As part of his plea deal, he falsely confessed to police that he remained in the back of the vehicle while his brother and Pauline Jr. beat and sexually assaulted Ireland.
• April 2015 : Pauline Jr. was killed in a New Mexico prison.
• May 2019 : The Hawaii Innocence Project and the Hawaii County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office agreed to work together to reexamine Ireland’s case.
• January 2023 : The Hawaii Innocence Project filed a motion to vacate Schweitzer’s conviction.
• January 24, 2023 : A judge vacated Schweitzer’s conviction after new DNA evidence came to light in Ireland’s case.
• October 2023 : Shawn Schweitzer was exonerated.
• July 2024 : DNA evidence recovered from a discarded fork and a cheek swab of Albert Lauro Jr. matched a blood-soaked T-shirt found near where Ireland was attacked.

AP

AP

The Mega Agency