'The Other Side of Paradise' with Lynn Kawano

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.

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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.

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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 able to avoid the murder conviction. And all those questions were unearthed again in 2017, when he escaped from Hawaii State Hospital and flew to California. He was caught again, but it's unlikely we've heard the last of him.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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 struggle with drugs.

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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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