Hawaii
No timeline for Hawaii Supreme Court to rule on evidence in Dana Ireland murder case
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – There is no set schedule for when the Hawaii Supreme Court will decide if newly acquired evidence in the 1991 Dana Ireland murder case should be turned over to the Hawaii Innocence Project.
The state’s high court could take up to a year to issue a ruling, but Brian Black, executive director of the Public First Law Center, said the events have been moving at a faster pace than usual.
“If they agreed on what the outcome could be, they could enter an order that says, courts do this and we’ll give you a better explanation at a later date,” Black said.
“It’s always going to take time for that final opinion to come out and really explain their rationale.”
The delays have been devastating for Albert Ian Schweitzer, whose conviction was vacated last year after he had already spent 23 years in prison for the kidnapping, rape and murder of Ireland.
In order to collect money for the wrongful conviction, $50,000 for every year in prison, HIP said he needs to be declared innocent by a lower court judge.
The legal team believes the investigative file on newly identified suspect, Albert Lauro, Jr., will move that process forward.
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Circuit Court judge Peter Kubota ordered the evidence to be turned over to HIP in August, but Hawaii County police and prosecutors objected then appealed to the high court.
Meanwhile, Schweitzer said it’s been a struggle financially. He had no job training for the past two decades and prison has taken a toll.
“He was in his 20s when he went in, he’s now in his 50s,” said Ken Lawson, of the Hawaii Innocence Project.
Lawson said people who are guilty and released on parole are provided services to help them transition back into society but when you are innocent, you get released with none of those benefits.
Schweitzer’s brother Shawn was also wrongfully convicted of the crime but didn’t spend much time behind bars. Still, he lived with the stigma from the high profile case.
Attorneys for the county told the justices that the evidence against Lauro, who killed himself in July, needs to be kept secret because the Ireland murder case is still under investigation.
The prosecutor’s office said the Schweitzers are still considered suspects in the Ireland case, despite DNA and other evidence that point away from the brothers.
Lawson said he understands why the justices need time to rule, but hopes it won’t take as long as other cases.
“Our clients understand that the court is going to take some time to really clarify the law in this area which needs to be clarified, especially on the actual innocence statute.”
Black agreed that this decision could lay the foundation for other cases of innocence as people try to get compensation for wrongful convictions.
“There is a very interesting question as to how exactly these types of proceedings for actual innocence should move forward, and it seems like the court is going to have to grapple with that,” said Black.
Copyright 2024 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
Hawaii
Hawaii (HHSAA) high school football playoffs: 2024 brackets, championship matchups, game times
Playoff season reaches the final phase this week in Hawaii high school football, as state champions will be crowned.
The postseason wraps up as Divisions I, Division I Open, and Division II play championship football on Friday, Nov. 29 and Saturday, Nov. 30.
>>Hawaii high school football playoff brackets
Stick with High School on SI for all of the matchups, game times and scores throughout the 2024 HHSAA football playoffs.
Here are all the Hawaii high school football playoff brackets, with matchups and game times from HHSAA Divisions I, I-Open, and II, plus all the championship game matchups):
Championship matchup
Konawaena vs. Kapa’a
7 p.m. Saturday
2024 HHSAA Division I bracket
Championship matchup
Kahuku vs. St. Louis
7 p.m. Friday
2024 HHSAA Division I – Open bracket
Championship matchup
Kaiser vs. Kamehameha Maui
4 p.m. Saturday
2024 HHSAA Division II bracket
To get live updates on your phone — as well as follow your favorite teams and top games — you can download the SBLive Sports app: Download iPhone App | Download Android App
— Ben Dagg | @sblivesports
Hawaii
Hannah Kobayashi: Father of missing Hawaii woman found dead in Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES – This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or a loved one is feeling distressed, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The crisis center provides free and confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.
The father of missing Hawaii woman Hannah Kobayashi was found dead in Los Angeles on Sunday, according to police.
Ryan Kobayashi, who had traveled to LA to help in the search for his daughter, was found dead in a parking lot near Los Angeles International Airport, authorities said. The 58-year-old’s case is listed as “open,” the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner noted on its website.
The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed that officers responded to a call around 4 a.m. reporting a body found in the area.
Hannah Kobayashi: Missing Hawaii woman’s family continues search in LA
While police have not released information on his cause of death, the Kobayashi family said he died by suicide.
“The Kobayashi family endured a devastating tragedy today. After tirelessly searching throughout Los Angeles for 13 days, Hannah’s father, Ryan Kobayashi, tragically took his own life. This loss has compounded the family’s suffering immeasurably,” the family said in a statement released through a nonprofit group helping with the search for Hannah Kobayashi.
“Hannah IS still actively missing and is believed to be in imminent danger. It is crucial for everyone to remain vigilant in their efforts to locate Hannah,” the statement read.
Hannah Kobayashi was reported missing by her family on Nov. 12 after she missed a connecting flight from Maui to New York City at LAX days earlier on Nov. 8.
Since her disappearance, the elder Kobayashi – who said he was estranged from his daughter – had spoken on behalf of his family as they begged the public for help in the search.
“I just wish I could have been there more for her. Trying to find her is everything,” he told FOX 11 during a rally outside Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles last week.
Security footage obtained by Kobayashi’s family shows her leaving the airport on Nov. 8, wearing a black hoodie, tie-dye leggings, and carrying a dark green backpack.
According to her family, Kobayashi was seen at The Grove on Nov. 9 and 10. On the 10th, Kobayashi posted to her Instagram a black-and-white photo from the two-day Nike and LeBron James event she apparently attended at the shopping center located about 14 miles north of the airport.
Family of woman who went missing on cross-country vacation says cryptic texts sent from phone unlike her
Kobayashi returned to LAX on Nov. 11 but did not board a flight, according to the family, who cited airport staffers. Kobayashi’s phone last pinged at LAX on Nov. 11.
“It’s just very unlike her to disappear,” said sister Sydni Kobayashi.
Concerns grew when family said they received “strange” messages from her cell phone that “didn’t sound like her.”
“Even in those text messages, it just didn’t seem like her or it seemed like someone else, or maybe someone did something to her to alter her state of mind, because that’s not how she normally speaks,” Sydni said.
Kobayashi is described as 5’10”, 140 lbs., with brown hair and hazel eyes. She has freckles on her face and a tattoo of a knife on her forearm, according to the LAPD.
Hannah Kobayashi: Search continues for missing Maui woman
If you see Kobayashi or have any information regarding her whereabouts, contact the LAPD at 1-877-LAPD-24-7. You can also remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
The Source: This story was reported with information from the Los Angeles Police Department and interviews with Hannah Kobayashi’s family. FOX 11’s Hailey Winslow contributed.
Hawaii
Father of missing Hawaii photographer Hannah Kobayashi found dead near LAX while searching for daughter
The father of the missing Hawaii woman who vanished while heading to New York City for a vacation was found dead near LAX early Sunday morning.
Ryan Kobayashi, 58, was in Los Angeles to search for his 30-year-old daughter, Hannah Kobayashi, after she missed a connecting flight to New York from Los Angeles International Airport over two weeks ago.
Police confirmed that Kobayashi died after he jumped off from a parking structure near LAX sometime around 4 a.m. on Sunday, according to NBC Los Angeles.
A nonprofit believed to be aiding in the search for Hannah also provided a statement on behalf of the family.
“The Kobayashi family endured a devastating tragedy today,” wrote the RAD Movement.
“After tirelessly searching throughout Los Angeles for 13 days, Hannah’s father, Ryan Kobayashi, tragically took his own life. This loss has compounded the family’s suffering immeasurably.”
The nonprofit requested privacy for the grieving family and urged the public to focus on the search for Hannah, particularly after the tragic news about her father.
The Post has contacted the Los Angeles Police Department for comment.
On Monday, Kobayashi spoke with KTLA while in the Golden State, hoping to reach his daughter.
“I miss her,” he said. “Just want her to know that, and just want her to reach out – anything.”
Hannah flew from Maui to Los Angeles on Nov. 8, where she was supposed to hop on a connecting flight to New York for a “bucket list” trip and to visit her aunt.
However, she missed that flight 42 minutes later despite surveillance footage indicating she landed at LAX.
Her loved ones initially became worried after she sent odd texts to her family and friends before she vanished, including messaging a friend that she “got tricked into pretty much giving away all my funds.”
In another message, she claimed she was supposedly fooled by “someone I thought I loved.”
“Deep Hackers wiped my identity, stole all of my funds, & have had me on a mind f–k since Friday,” another message read.
The family previously said the texts supposedly from Hannah were not like her.
“She mentioned feeling scared, and that someone might be trying to steal her money and identity,” her aunt, Larie Pidgeon, said.
“Strange, cryptic messages – things about the matrix, it was so unlike her. And then all of a sudden, no more communication.”
Other footage showed Kobayashi at the Grove shopping center in the Fairfax District of LA on Nov. 9 and Nov. 10, as well as video of her returning to LAX but not getting on a flight on Nov. 11 before she was seen near the metro station, USA Today reported.
Her phone has been off since Nov. 11, the family said.
The family filed a police report with the LAPD, LAX authorities, and the FBI.
Hannah Kobayashi is 5 feet 10 inches tall and about 140 pounds. She has brown hair and brown eyes and is fair-skinned with freckles.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or text Crisis Text Line at 741741.
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