Ireland murder
defendant loses his
cool in court
Frank Pauline Jr. lashes
By Dana Williams
out at his cousin
Star-BulletinHILO -- As Frank Pauline Jr.'s cousin testified against him yesterday, Pauline shouted and accused him of lying.
The outburst took place as Demetrio Gonsalves Jr. explained why he came forward with information about the murder of Dana Ireland.
"I have one daughter of my own, and ... I know how parents, you know, how the parents feel about their daughter (who) died, you know, and if this was my daughter, you know, damn, I would take things in my own hands," Gonsalves said.
As Gonsalves spoke, Pauline shouted, "Then tell them who beat 'em. Tell them the truth you f------liar!"
Pauline, 26, is on trial for the Christmas Eve 1991 murder of Ireland, a 23-year-old Big Island newcomer who was hit by a car as she bicycled down a road in Puna. Ireland was abducted, beaten, raped and left to die near a remote fishing trail.
Pauline is one of three men charged in the case. The others, brothers Albert Ian and Shawn Schweitzer, are scheduled to go to trial later this year.Pauline's former girlfriend, Charla Figueroa, 24, testified yesterday that Pauline was supposed to give her an engagement ring on Christmas Eve 1991, as family members gathered in a circle to exchange gifts early in the day. But he didn't have the ring, and she later heard he sold it for drugs, she said.
It was the second time plans for an engagement had fallen through.
Figueroa said she was living in Pauline's family home at the time, where she did the cooking, cleaning and laundry.
Prosecutor Charlene Iboshi showed Figueroa a picture of a blue shirt. Figueroa said the shirt had been worn by Pauline, and she could remember washing it.
Figueroa, who paused frequently throughout her testimony to wipe away tears, said she later saw the shirt on the news, and heard it had been linked to the Ireland case.
During questioning by defense attorney Clifford Hunt, she also said Pauline told her he confessed to being involved with the murder to help his brother, who was in trouble with the law.
Figueroa's grandmother, Louise Furtado, said the 1991 holiday was supposed to be special, because it was the first Christmas for Pauline and Figueroa's twin sons.
But she got a call from her granddaughter in the morning.
"She told me that Frank did it again and she wanted to leave," Furtado said.
Furtado couldn't pick her up until later, however.
When Furtado arrived at the Pauline family home on the night of the murder, she saw Frank Pauline Jr. getting out of a car. He had his head down, he was breathing heavy, wearing shorts and no shirt, she said.
"He was crying," she said.
In 1994, Pauline called from prison and wanted her to give a message to Figueroa, she said.
"He wanted me to tell her that he was involved with the Ireland case. That he had hit her with the tire iron, and he didn't know how to tell her and he was crying on the phone," Furtado said.
Gonsalves, Pauline's cousin, testified that Albert Ian Schweitzer owned a 1957 Volkswagen bug. The car was previously owned by Gonsalves, and it was in good condition when Schweitzer got it.
Soon after Christmas 1991, Gonsalves, who lived near the Schweitzers, noticed the car had been painted and work had been done on the fenders, he said.
Gonsalves, who is serving a prison sentence in Oklahoma for a 1993 drug case, was one of three prosecution witnesses who appeared before the court yesterday, wearing handcuffs and chains. The others were Shannon Rodrigues, who is serving two consecutive life sentences for a 1994 double murder, and Jeffrey Alfonso, who is serving a five-year sentence for a drug charge.
Rodrigues testified that in 1994 while in prison on Maui, Pauline confessed to raping Ireland.
Alfonso, who said he once lived with Pauline, testified that Pauline called him from prison and confessed to striking Ireland with a tire iron.
Testimony in the trial of Frank Pauline was expected today from: SCHEDULED TO TESTIFY
Ken Baker, a nationally known accident reconstruction specialist.
Dana Ireland Archive
Trial Witness List
