Petition seeks to free Hawaiian man convicted of '91 murder

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A petition filed Monday outlining new evidence in one of Hawaii's biggest murder cases asks a judge to release a Native Hawaiian man who has spent more than 20 years in prison for the sexual assault, kidnapping and murder of a white woman on the Big Island

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“Whenever you have a white, female victim ... it gets a lot more attention than people of color and Native Hawaiians,” said Kenneth Lawson, co-director of the Hawaii Innocence Project. “The parents, understandably, were becoming more and more infuriated. ... There was insurmountable pressure to solve this case. And when that happens, mistakes are made. Some intentional and some unintentional.”

“At a new trial today, a jury would not convict Mr. Schweitzer of Ms. Ireland’s sexual assault and murder,” the petition said. “In fact, a prosecutor would likely not even arrest Mr. Schweitzer for this crime.” In 1994, police made what they believed to be a major breakthrough. A man facing charges for his role in a cocaine conspiracy had contacted police and claimed that his half-brother, Frank Pauline Jr., witnessed Ireland's attack, according to the stipulated facts document.

Pauline later said he offered details to police about the Ireland murder in order to get drug charges dropped against his half-brother.

 

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