'The Other Side of Paradise' with Lynn Kawano

'The Other Side of Paradise' with Lynn Kawano•www.hawaiinewsnow.com

Crime, corruption, scandal... You won't find it in the travel brochures or on the postcards, but there is an underworld in Hawaii. In this podcast from Hawaii News Now Chief Investigative Reporter Lynn Kawano, we delve into the seedy issues of the political world and the headlines that the visitor bureaus don't always advertise.

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Episodes

10. The Man who Fought for Freedom Only to Lose His Own

Roynes Dural was serving in the Navy, deployed to the Persian Gulf, when accusations of child sex assault were made against him. When he returned to Pearl Harbor in 2002, HPD detectives arrested him and he was subsequently convicted. He spent eight years in prison and eight more on parole. But in 2019, the conviction was overturned -- all charges dismissed -- not because of a technicality but because he didn't do it. While his court record has been cleared, he is still working to clear the mess ...

Sep 09, 2021•22 min

09. The Case of Mistaken Identity That Left a Man in a Psych Hospital for Years

A wrongful arrest landed a homeless man in the state mental hospital for more than two and a half years. Joshua Spriestersbach, 50, was homeless and sleeping outside Safe Haven in Chinatown when he was suddenly arrested by police officers. They believed he was Thomas Castleberry, a convicted drug user, car thief and burglar. Despite telling officials multiple times that he wasn’t Castleberry, Spriestersbach was instead jailed, then sent to the Hawaii State Hospital, where he was forced to take m...

Aug 18, 2021•10 min

08. The Sex Abuse Scandal that Rocked a Community ... and Isn't Over Yet

The sex abuse scandal that rocked Kamehameha Schools is growing as more graduates come forward to say they were victims. Many of them were abused for years by psychiatrist Dr. Robert Browne, who saw students from the 1950s to the 1980s. In episode 7 of “The Other Side of Paradise,” HNN investigative reporter Lynn Kawano discusses the $80 million settlement for 32 victims reached in 2017, the dozens more victims who have come forward, and what's next in one of Hawaii's most high-profile sex abuse...

Aug 04, 2021•12 min

07. The Lisa Au Murder and a Family's Long Quest for the Truth

It's been nearly 40 years since Lisa Au was murdered, in a crime that rattled Oahu for years. The 19-year-old Kailua hairdresser's body was found in a ravine on Tantalus in January 1982. And a policeman was long suspected in the crime. In episode 7 of “The Other Side of Paradise,” HNN investigative reporter Lynn Kawano reviews the early missteps in the investigation, and talks to Au's younger sister about her ongoing quest for the truth.

Jul 15, 2021•12 min

06. The Life, Death and Legacy of little 'Peter Boy' Kema

In episode 6 of "The Other Side of Paradise," HNN investigative reporter Lynn Kawano revisits the devastating case of "Peter Boy" Kema, the Big Island 6-year-old who was tortured by his parents, resulting in his death. Now his siblings are suing for what they witnessed and endured, but the state is putting up roadblocks that are threatening to push back the case for years.

Jun 23, 2021•11 min

05. The Killer Who Escaped to Make a Point

In episode 5 of "The Other Side of Paradise," HNN investigative reporter Lynn Kawano sits down with longtime Hawaii journalist Daryl Huff to talk about admitted killer Randall Saito. Saito was acquitted by reason of insanity for the gruesome 1979 killing of 29-year-old Sandra Yamashiro at Ala Moana Center. He was committed to the Hawaii State Hospital in 1981 after experts diagnosed him with necrophilia, even while others said he was fit to stand trial. Questions still remain about how he was ab...

Jun 10, 2021•16 min

04. The Ex-Police Chief Headed to Prison

In episode 4 of "The Other Side of Paradise," HNN investigative reporter Lynn Kawano continues her conversation with attorney Alexander Silvert, who helped unearth the Kealoha mailbox conspiracy — the largest public corruption scandal to rock Hawaii's law enforcement community. Silvert talks about what Honolulu's former police chief and several of his officers can expect when they report to federal prison in June, and what security concerns they might encounter there.

May 27, 2021•17 min

03. The Man Who Took Down a Corrupt Police Chief with a Mailbox

In episode 3 of "The Other Side of Paradise," HNN investigative reporter Lynn Kawano is joined by attorney Alexander Silvert to discuss the case that made him a household name, the Kealoha's mailbox. It's well-know that Honolulu's corrupt ex-police chief and his wife, a deputy city prosecutor, staged a crime to frame a relative. But what we don't know much about is how Silvert was able to uncover all that ― and his struggle to convince others.

May 12, 2021•19 min

02. The Convict Who Finally Found His Way

In episode 2 of "The Other Side of Paradise," Hawaii News Now investigative reporter Lynn Kawano continues her conversation with Hawaii Innocence Project co-director Ken Lawson. The former high-profile attorney talks about how he finally hit rock bottom, his time in a federal prison, and how he started rebuilding his life -- one relationship mended and goal met at a time.

Apr 28, 2021•28 min

01. The Attorney Who Had It All But Still Wanted More

Ken Lawson, co-director of the Hawaii Innocence Project, has tasted success and its bitter twin failure. He's known more than his fair share of grief and hardship. And it took hitting rock bottom to help him see what he needed in life was right in front of him the whole time. Join Hawaii News Now investigative reporter Lynn Kawano as she explores the twists and turns of Lawson's young life, including his journey to becoming one of the nation's top lawyers and his descent into a years-long strugg...

Apr 14, 2021•31 min

00. Coming Soon: The Other Side of Paradise

Apr 05, 2021•2 min

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