Cold-Case Murder Suspect Kills Himself as Cops Close In

A man identified as a new possible suspect in the killing and sexual assault of a Virginia woman who was visiting Hawaii more than three decades ago killed himself recently after police took a DNA swab from him, officials said. The Hawaii Police Department on Monday said they matched DNA taken from Dana Ireland's body to that of 57-year-old Albert Lauro Jr. of the Big Island, per the AP. Police Chief Ben Moszkowicz said Lauro died by suicide and was found at home. Authorities zeroed in on Lauro in recent months and got a DNA sample from him off of a discarded fork. He killed himself last week after police went to his home to test the sample against a swab taken from him in person.

The DNA work represented a major development in a case that made headlines last year when Albert "Ian" Schweitzer, who had been incarcerated for more than 20 years for the killing, was released based on new evidence. Ireland's body was found on Christmas Eve in 1991 on the Big Island. Schweitzer was one of three men who spent time behind bars over her killing, but he always maintained his innocence. A judge is expected to rule Tuesday on a motion to officially exonerate him. Police said the DNA evidence gave them probable cause to bring rape charges against Lauro but the statute of limitations on such charges expired years ago. Murder is still within the statute of limitations for Ireland's death but police said they didn't have enough evidence to charge Lauro with murder.

Police hope Lauro's cellphone will provide some answers and that family and friends who knew him in 1991 and will help determine what happened. Schweitzer's attorneys took the police to task, alleging that they botched the investigation into Lauro by not taking steps to ensure that he didn't flee or kill himself after they obtained his DNA. They suggested that because of the man's death, the truth about what happened to Ireland will never come to light.

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But Moskowicz said if police arrested Lauro without probable cause, a court wouldn't have accepted evidence they gathered afterward. Mayor Mitch Roth, who was the Big Island's top prosecutor when Schweitzer's attorneys and prosecutors entered into a "conviction integrity agreement" to reinvestigate the case, noted the results from the swab collected by police didn't come in until after Lauro died. (More cold cases stories.)