'The Other Side of Paradise' with Lynn Kawano

Outrage over a proposed $1.5 million settlement for a wrongful death lawsuit could cost taxpayers millions, legal experts say.The family of a South African rugby star, Lindani Myeni, is suing the city and the officers who shot Myeni, killing him in 2021.

The officers were also injured by Myeni during the incident.Honolulu police, the mayor, and city prosecutor were among many who opposed a settlement. Their testimony convinced the Honolulu council to reject the deal, opting instead to go to trial.In this podcast, Lynn Kawano gives us both sides of the battle, including why city attorneys pushed to settle, why they were met with strong resistance, and the unexpected potential impacts on the officers involved.

The man behind the DNA discovery in the Dana Ireland case said Hawaii County police had enough to arrest the suspect on July 19. Instead, Albert Lauro, Jr., was released and committed suicide four days later. Stephen Kramer, a former federal prosecutor and the man who co-founded the FBI’s forensic genealogy team, said a DNA match from the national database CODIS was enough probable cause to arrest Lauro for Ireland’s 1991 murder.

Over the last two years, dozens of Oahu drivers have been arrested for operating a vehicle under the influence with breathalyzer results of 0.00 — meaning no alcohol showed as present in their system, HNN Investigates has found.

In the latest episode of "The Other Side of Paradise," Lynn Kawano speaks to a driver who was arrested despite being sober and gets a new response from HPD to her exclusive investigation.

After nearly two days of deliberation, a federal jury returned a not guilty verdict in the sprawling bribery case against Keith Kaneshiro, Honolulu’s longest-serving prosecutor.

In the latest episode of "The Other Side of Paradise," Lynn Kawano talks to the jury foreman in the case, who said while he knew there was "something wrong," the evidence presented didn't back up the government's allegations beyond a reasonable doubt. 

Every year, thousands of Hawaii residents leave the islands for opportunities and economic relief on the continent. Many end up in Las Vegas, now home away from home for a considerable contingent of Hawaii transplants, including Native Hawaiians. In “Priced Out of Paradise,” HNN investigative reporter Lynn Kawano puts a fresh spotlight on the thriving Hawaii community she found in the Ninth Island.

First responders are being called to overdoses daily in Hawaii as fentanyl takes hold across the state. And stopping the drug pipeline won’t be easy, experts say.

To understand the crisis, HNN Investigates traveled to the U.S.-Mexico border as part of a new series exploring the heavy toll of fentanyl in the islands. Anthony Chrysanthis, the deputy special agent in charge of the DEA’s Los Angeles field office, said just about all of the fentanyl and methamphetamine in Hawaii are made in clandestine labs in Mexico run by the cartels.

HNN Investigative Reporter Lynn Kawano takes you behind the scenes of a story that's rocked Hawaii's football community: Two former Hawaii football players making headlines as college starters have agreed to settle a civil lawsuit stemming from a criminal, sex assault case that was handled in juvenile court.

Jayden de Laura, the starting quarterback at the University of Arizona and Kamoi Latu, the starting safety at the University of Wisconsin, agreed to pay a woman who said she was raped by the players on October 27, 2018, after the St. Louis Crusaders beat Punahou in the ILH championship game.

The girl was 16 years old at the time. Both boys were underage, too.

On the afternoon of Christmas Eve 1991, 23-year-old Dana Ireland left her parents’ home in Puna for a bike ride and never returned.

Good Samaritans called 911 after finding her mangled bicycle, a shoe, and clumps of hair ― but no rider.

Thirty minutes later and five miles away, Ireland was found in the bushes of a fishing trail, nude from the waist down and barely conscious. She died at the hospital from blood loss and multiple traumatic injuries.

A decade later, three Hawaii Island men would be convicted for her murder, the shocking details of which reverberated around the entire state. But the story doesn’t end there: An exoneration based in large part on advances in DNA technology turned the Dana Ireland murder into a cold case rather than a solved one.

Eloy, Arizona is in the middle of the desert ― about an hour from Phoenix.

It’s a sharp contrast from Hawaii. But it’s where 1,000 Hawaii inmates are currently housed at Saguaro Correctional Center, a facility the state pays millions to each year to relieve overcrowding at in-state facilities.

Hawaii News Now was the only television news crew allowed inside since it was built in 2007 to ease overcrowding in the islands.

Russian spies in Hawaii? That's the allegations from the U.S. Attorney's office.  Prosecutors say a couple from Kapolei are accused of stealing the identities of dead babies from Texas in the 1980s, and living under those names for decades.  Alongside those accusations are photos of the couple in KGB uniforms. There are doubts though about the spy claims, as the government has retracted some of it's statement about the couple's aliases and reveals new details about the evidence.

Can federal laws be the key to shutting down Hawaii's illegal game rooms? Homeland Security Investigations is working with police to attack crimes linked to game rooms and that are a constant source of problems for communities. 

After 45 years of service, John McCarthy retired from the Honolulu Police Department last year as deputy chief.

In this episode of "The Other Side of Paradise," he explains the circumstances that pushed him out, his frustrations with the department, the public corruption scandal that rocked the department and how all that affects the rank and file.

Juan Tejedor Baron has been extradited back to Hawaii to face charges that he murdered an elderly Hawaii Loa Ridge man and then encased his body in concrete in his own bathtub. The case has shocked the wealthy community, and experts say there are certain to be more twists and turns in the case.

Three former city executives are preparing for trial after being indicted for conspiracy. The three all had a hand in the $250,000 payoff of ex-Police Chief Louis Kealoha, who is now serving time in federal prison. The only police commissioner who was against that payoff has a message: "This didn't have to happen."

The first book is out about the largest public corruption scandal in state history. It's called "The Mailbox Conspiracy" and is written by the man who uncovered the Kealohas' crimes. In this episode of "The Other Side of Paradise," HNN's investigative reporter Lynn Kawano sits down with former federal public defender Alexander Silvert to talk about the Kealoha scandal and what he hopes Hawaii will learn from it.

The Isabella "Ariel" Kalua murder case has shocked Oahu. Prosecutors say the 6-year-old was tortured and murdered by her adoptive parents, Isaac and Lehua Kalua, who reported her missing in September. The two face an enhanced sentence of life behind bars without the possibility of parole, but experts note there are host of difficulties with the case. The biggest one: Investigators have not found Isabella's remains.

Why is it taking so long for federal prosecutors to move forward with the case against former city Prosecutor Keith Kaneshiro? In this episode, HNN's Lynn Kawano breaks down one of the many topics that investigators are zeroing in on. 

Drug use is changing in Hawaii. Deals aren’t just hand-to-hand transactions in the shadows anymore. More powerful drugs are instead being purchased online ― oftentimes on social media ― and sent directly to homes. And too often, people are getting much more than they asked for. Fentanyl is showing up everywhere, a way to get people hooked more quickly and keep them coming back.

A battle is brewing within the Honolulu Police Department as members of the rank-and-file push back against one of their leaders, accusing him of retaliation, sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment.

Acting Assistant Chief Stephen Gerona is one of the highest ranking officers in the department and his promotions have come despite dozens of complaints and lawsuits that have already cost taxpayers 1.6 million dollars. He was named in those lawsuits against the department. And there is another pending lawsuit filed by HPD detective, Maile Rego.

In episode 11 of "The Other Side of Paradise," the 16-year police veteran speaks to HNN's Lynn Kawano about why she had no other choice but to turn to the courts for justice.