“It’s TRUE! Those telling videos produced by JFJ, led the way! Without JFJ paving the way doubting the conviction, Ian would still be serving time. Thank you Judge Heavey for opening our eyes and ears! I’m so glad our current prosecuting attorney and police dept have reopened the case and are now looking for the real killer.”
– Kelly Stazkow
Dana Ireland
On Christmas Eve, 1991, 23-year-old Dana Ireland was run over while riding her bicycle on the Big Island of Hawaii. The killer took her to a remote location where she was dumped in the bushes, sexually assaulted, and left to die. At 12:25 a. m. Christmas morning, Dana Ireland died of her injuries in the Hilo hospital. Eight years later, even though they did not match the male DNA left at the crime scene, three local men were convicted of the brutal crime. The men were Frank Pauline and two brothers, Albert Ian Schweitzer and Shawn Schweitzer.
In our documentary, MURDER IN HAWAII, we describe the facts of the crime. We examine key evidence, including the testimony of four eyewitnesses who were never called to give evidence at either trial. We explain how the killer – the only man who left his DNA on Dana Ireland and on a bloody T-shirt found at the crime scene – could be captured today, 30 years later. We also look at other wrongful convictions to illustrate how innocent people get convicted. If we can identify why wrongful convictions happen, then we can prevent them in the future.
Ian Schwitzer Relased After 20+ Years in Prison
Hawaii Judge Peter K. Kubota dismissed Albert “Ian” Schweitzer’s conviction for the 1991 rape and murder of Dana Ireland, based on new DNA testing that excluded Mr. Schweitzer and his co-defendants, and identified a single unknown male suspect. Additional newly discovered evidence presented to the court revealed that although DNA testing at Mr. Schweitzer’s original trial excluded him and his co-defendants, the State used false jailhouse informant testimony to build its case, which led to the wrongful conviction of Mr. Schweitzer, his younger brother Shawn Schweitzer, and Frank Pauline, Jr., who is now deceased. Ian walked free today after 25 years of wrongful incarceration.
READ BELOW HOW JUDGES FOR JUSTICE WAS A KEY FACTOR IN THE RELEASE OF IAN SCHWEITZER.
