Hawaii County Police Monday confirmed a possible suspect in the 1991 murder of a 23-year-old Virginia woman killed himself just days after authorities took DNA samples from him.
KHNL reports Hawaii Island Police are under intense criticism for the way they handled the case. Some wondered why the suspect wasn’t arrested.
“In order for us to make an arrest, establish probable cause, leads us to murder.,” said Hawaii County Police Chief Ben Moszkowicz. “While there is no time limitation for murder, there is or was for kidnapping and rape. Unfortunately, those time limitations have expired.”
Civil Beat reports the DNA evidence obtained from Albert Lauro Jr. tied him to the sexual assault of Dana Ireland.
“We felt then and we continue to feel that the presence of Lauro’s DNA at the crime scene was in and of itself not sufficient to prove that Lauro intentionally or knowingly caused her death,” Moszkowitz said to Civil Beat.
The Hawaii Innocence Project is among those critical of police. The group maintains authorities had enough evidence to make an arrest. Now they are concerned the family of Ireland will never really know what happened to their daughter.
A hearing is scheduled Tuesday, July 30, to force police to release all evidence it compiled in its investigation of Lauro.
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