By CARLOS ARGUEDAS C.Y NICOLÁS AGUILAR R. for La Nacion in Costa Rica - (Published on Thursday, 8 November 2007) - The body was found buried under a cement floor in a house in Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Limón, last Monday. It seems to be a man who was 1.8 meters tall. The Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) reported that the body belonged to a heavy man, and a person who was presumably strong. Jorge Rojas Vargas, the Director of the Police Force, said that although they have recovered a skeletal body, there was some skin tissue on a finger and from which they hope to be able to recover a fingerprint. This means that, through a chemical process, they might be able to regenerate the rest of the fabric that makes the fingerprint, which will then be compared to the database maintained by the Police Force and thus try to identify the victims. (more)    Click Here To Read The Full Article (304 words)

(12 November 2007) By Bryan Kay - Special to A.M. Costa Rica - A bizarre detail emerged over the weekend in the case of the body found buried under a slab of concrete on a U.S. citizen’s property near Puerto Viejo. The U.S. citizen, Joe Freconna, from Cleveland, Ohio, said that the patch of patio under which the as-yet-unidentified man’s body was uncovered had been mysteriously put down while he was back in the United States. He said that he and wife, Sue, had purchased the beachside property in Playa Negra in February 2006. When the couple — who live most of the year in the United States — returned in February, the slab of concrete was there where there had previously been an area of bushes and shrubbery, they said Ms. Freconna said the discovery of the makeshift patio had immediately raised suspicions, leading them to contact a lawyer. The lawyer had said that their imaginations were running wild with them, according to Ms. Freconna, and the incident was brushed aside. (more)   Click Here To Read The Full Article (482 words)

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - In November 2007 authorities in Costa Rica discovered the bodied of an unidentified man who had been killed, and his body hidden under the cement slab of a house in the Puerto Viejo area of Costa Rica. This house - now known as the "Casa Siesta" - was rented by William Dathan Holbert and Laura Michelle Reese while they were living in the Playa Negra area of Puerto Viejo in Costa Rica. This house is used as a "vacation rental" - meaning the owner never sleeps there. This property, when available, is advertised via the Internet which fits with the modus operandi of "Wild Bill" Holbert and Laura Michelle Reese. So, it's a very good possibility that Holbert and Reese killed this man (whoever he is) and buried him under the house where they were renting in Costa Rica, which also fits with their modus operandi. The fact of the matter is - apparently Holbert and Reese were renting this house at the time when the body was buried. Maybe that explains why they were anxious to leave Costa Rica and to move to Bocas del Toro. The body was discovered after they had left the area, and apparently the OIJ in Costa Rica never solved this case. The next question is - where are Stacie and Allen Duckworth - the couple from Texas who owned the restaurant in Costa Rica then known as "La Terraza". They supposedly sold this bar for $75,000 dollars, and moved to Bocas del Toro with William Dathan Holbert and Laura Michelle Reese. However, they apparently never showed up in Bocas del Toro, and according to their real estate agent in Costa Rica, immediately after moving from Costa Rica, all of their email accounts suddenly and mysteriously went inactive. With this new information - the total number of victims might have just grown by at least three. And another thing - the OIJ in Costa Rica has apparently not talked to anyone on any of this yet. (more)    Click Here To Read The Full Article (647 words)

Panama's Attorney General Giuseppe Bonissi revealed that in the coming days he would request the recordings that would prove the allegations of illegal wiretapping in the offices of the Prosecutor of Administration. Bonissi would not rule out the possibility of also calling journalists as well as the former security chief Jose Abrego to cooperate with the investigations being advanced by the Public Ministry. (La Estrella)    

Former President Ernesto Perez Balladares gave his sworn testimony yesterday before the Public Ministry in the continuing investigations into scandal of the alleged payment of bribes to lawmakers to get their votes to approve the Multimodal Industrial and Service Center (CEMIS) in 2002. Perez Balladares was accompanied by his lawyer Luis Carlos Cabezas, and he gave his statement to the General Secretary of the Public Ministry, Nedelka Diaz, said sources from the institution.

Perez Balladares told investigators that all he knows about the alleged negotiations that were made leading up to the approval of this bill, which was voted on in the National Assembly in 2002, is contained in the video tapes he gave to then Attorney General Ana Matilde Gomez in July 2009, stressed the source. Perez Balladares was notified of the summons to appear by the Undersecretary of Public Prosecutions, Beatriz Castanet, who went to his resident in San Francisco earlier this week. The former president's statement filled 20 pages, they said.

In some of these videos, which have already been made public, and which have a very poor audio quality, Perez Balladares is seen sitting in an armchair talking to lawmaker Carlos Afu, along with a third man who can not be identified. According to these recordings, Afu is informing the former president on the execution of "secret" negotiations to secure the approval of the controversial CEMIS project. (La Prensa)   

Criminal investigators from the Public Ministry of Panama inspected the house of Bo Icelar located on Isla Colon in the province of Bocas del Toro yesterday, in search of new evidence to determine whether he was murdered at his residence or at the house "owned" by William Dathan Holbert and Laura Michelle Reese in the area of Cauchero, where five bodies were found buried. Officials from the Public Ministry have already inspected the residence of Holbert and Reese, where they found satanic books, long knives and machetes, and even gold teeth which presumably Holbert took from his victims. They also found personal documents from the Brown family, copies of passports of the wife and son, as well as valuable jewelry, syringes Holbert used to inject steroids. (TVN Noticas) (more)    Click Here To Read The Full Article (458 words)

The single fare for the new Metro Bus system will be 45 cents for routes in Panama City and $1.25 for buses that use the Northern and Southern corridors, as announced yesterday by the Minister of the Presidency, Demetrio Papadimitriu. There will be a new system in place that will allow riders to transfer from one bus to another, within a period of 150 minutes (or 2.5 hours) from the time that the first payment is made.During that period, the user will be able to make as many stops or transfers as necessary to be able to reach their final destination, without having to make any additional payment.

According to the Government, there will be at least 700 kiosks installed at various points in Panama City where riders will be able to recharge swipe cards. The new rate will take affect in the month of December 2010 when the first 120 new buses will be delivered to Panama. The buses will be built by Volvo and Mercedes Benz and have a capacity for 85 passengers.

The actual passage the company should charge is 64 cents, however as the result of a negotiation between the State and the contract winner, they achieved a reduction of 15 cents through subsidies in the purchase of diesel, tires and other consumables. To lower the rate to 45 cents, the State will pay a direct subsidy of $8 million dollars annually. Minister Papadimitriu explained that every penny of the subsidy represents a contribution of $2 million dollars from the State. For his part, Dionisio Ortega, the Chairman of the Transportation Board (CANATRA) said they feel "satisfied" and that they would wait until the new system starts operating so that it will be the users who decide if they agree or not with the levels of service being provided.

In order to pay to ride the bus, users must purchase a rechargeable electronic card. The routes of the Metro Bus will run from the Albrook Mall to the La commercial center, and in the area of 24 de Diciembre to the North as far as Chilibre. Before starting the system, the concessionaire will have to make a database that will include at least 700,000 individual users, and each card will be personalized with a photograph of the user. (Panama America)

Editor's Comment: Wow. So, each person riding a bus will have an individual and personalized card. No card, you can't ride. Of course this now means that the government will be able to track the daily movements of anyone but just pulling up their riding habits on the bus system database. I would have preferred something a little less "big brother" but oh well...   

FINE. The Supreme Court of Panama imposed a fine of $200 to the Director of the National Immigration Service, María Cristina González, for having engaged in misconduct to due process by ordering the arrest and deportation of a Colombian citizen Henrique Howard Holguín, who was arrested in 2009 and then deported to his home country. According to the Court, Hurtado's human rights were violated, and the law says that all government officials are obliged to respect these rights. (La Prensa)

Editor's Comment: Holy Crap! Remember when Immigration Director María Cristina González was running around scooping up dozens of Colombian women who are here in the country legally, arresting them, holding them for weeks in the jail cells in immigration, and squeezing them for bribes of $1,500 each a few months ago? Her "weapon" against these women was a threat of deportation. After publishing that story, I started to receive even more information about abuses being committed in Immigration - always against relatively defenseless foreigners. I kept up the pressure and what happened? All of a sudden they announced the "immigration fair" at ATLAPA as a PR clean sweep for María Cristina González and Immigration as an institution. Why is this woman still in her position? It makes no sense whatsoever... Anyway, I'm "gobsmacked" that the Supreme Court actually fined a sitting official.   

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - Hey Jerin, check out the email I just received. "Dear Don. My husband and I read your publication and thought it was very beneficial until we read the article 4/2010 under Immigration Issues "Panama to Require Spanish Test for all Non Tourist Visas". We were crushed and sent off an e-mail to our Realtor who panicked and called her lawyer. We thought we'd let her attorney read the web on the law, when in the mean time, my husband pulled it up and found that it was a joke. I'm sorry, that little "joke" cost us to trust your creditability.I don't think making a joke out of a law that would affect so many people was funny. I don't think in the future we will be reading your publication because there will always be that suspicion of a "joke". Who-ever decided to publish that has hurt your creditability immensely. No, this is not a joke. MJ"

Lighten up, Francis... I can already tell you're too wound up to move to a foreign country. And, I guess learning a little Spanish was out of the question? Next question - who's your Realtor? Hey, don't blame me, blame Rodrigo Campos. And finally, yeah, it's funny. It's not every day that you can nail someone with an April Fool's day joke in August. Have you heard that Disney is coming to Panama? You might want to look into that, you know, investment opportunities and stuff. Anyway, you can rest assured that we only do this kind of thing once a year. The rest of the time we're really serious "professionals." Can't you tell? But anyway, if you don't want to read the website anymore, that's OK, I understand ... dltdhyotwo

Copyright 2010 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.   

By Rafael Romo and Arthur Brice (CNN) -- Panamanian officials have unearthed three bodies linked to the five slayings an American man has confessed to committing, the lead prosecutor in the case told CNN. DNA tests will be conducted to determine their identifications, prosecutor Angel Calderon said Tuesday night. William Dathan Holbert, 30, and his 27-year-old girlfriend have been arrested in the slayings. Panamanian authorities say the couple would befriend residents in the Bocas del Toro tourist area of Panama and steal property from them, even killing the victims if necessary. "He has confessed," Calderon told CNN in a telephone interview. "The main thing is that he said that once he contacted them, he would study them and would determine what class of people they were in the sense of having money, property. He would become their friend, learning very personal details. (more)    Click Here To Read The Full Article (510 words)

(citizen-times.com) PANAMA CITY — Panamian officials are now focused on finding the weapons they say were used by Hendersonville native William Dathan Holbert to kill five Americans, according to press reports. Authorities are looking for a .38-caliber revolver and a 9-millimeter they say Holbert used to murder the victims. Panamanian forensic experts are performing DNA tests to confirm the indentities of the three bodies recovered from Holbert's home in Bocas del Toro. The bodies are believed to be those of Michael Brown, his wife Manchittha Nankratoke and his 18-year-old son, Watson Brown, reported La Critica. Holbert and his partner, Laura Michelle Reese, remain in jail facing charges in the murder of Cheryl Lynn Hughes and Bo Icelar. The maximum penalty for the couple, if found guilty, is 50 years. (more)    Click Here To Read The Full Article (74 words)

The confessed murderer William Holbert, aka "Wild Bill", can be described as a psychopathic serial killer, according to the definitions of these terms, as made clear during an interview given today during the TVN Channel 2 morning news broadcast by Adrianna Sandoval, of the Pan American and Caribbean Hypnosis Association. Wild Bill refused to submit to psychological and psychiatric testing at the Institute of Legal Medicine, so therefore experts have not yet been able to determine his mental state. Sandoval said it will be necessary to apply the psychological tests to see what kind of murderer he is. She said there are serial killers who are "missionaries" who commit murder to "save the world", others kill for profit, some to achieve positions or power, some for pleasure, and finally some kill due to dementia. (more)    Click Here To Read The Full Article (295 words)

Little by little, the details about the case of illegal wiretaps in the offices of the Prosecutor of Administration are being revealed. Jorge Abrego, the former security chief of this institution, admitted to having placed wire taps on several phones, on order of Prosecutor Oscar Ceville. During an interview on the Channel 13 Telemetro Morning Report, Abrego said Ceville used several strategies to try to prevent him from revealing the details of the operation, and among those he said Ceville sent the journalist Julio Bermúdez to intimidate him. However, Bermudez, who spoke during the news program via telephone, said he was not sent by the prosecutor Ceville to meet with Abrego. (Telemetro Reporta)

Editor's Comment: OK, so Ceville ordered his Chief of Security Abrego to conduct the wiretaps, and when Abrego threatened to take the whole thing to the press, Ceville claims Abrego was trying to extort money from him. But what I still don't know - why did Ceville order Abrego to tap the telephones of the offices of the Prosecutor of Administration in the first place? Does this have anything to do with the upcoming trial of former Attorney General Ana Matilde Gomez? (It probably does.) I bet there are people on Ceville's staff who were leaking internal information to the "other side" so to speak, and he was trying to find the leak or something similar.   

It's a perfect gateway for drug trafficking. It's called Coquira and they say it's a port, but in reality this is only a label. Located in the district of Chepo, in the Southeast part of the province of Panama, Coquira in reality is far from what could be considered a ship terminal. There "little" is the key word: there is little police presence and control, coupled with almost no infrastructure and poor conditions in which they survive the passage of time. The place called a 'port' paradoxically does not have any dock. There are three stalls where food is sold and a small hall that functions as a a bar. This is nice as long as it's not raining, however users run the risk of getting wetter inside that they would have if they had stayed outside. From these poor facilities one hundred men set sail, navigating the Bayano river basin as far as the river's mouth at the sea. There they throw their nets and return with their boats loaded full of fish. Long ago, local fishermen had exclusive transit - so to speak - in the peaceful waters of the Bayano river. However today they are not alone. (more)

   Click Here To Read The Full Article (455 words)

Panama's Attorney General, Giuseppe Bonissi, gave more importance to the extortion complaint filed by the Prosecutor of Administration, Oscar Ceville, than to the allegations of wiretaps and recordings of telephone conversations of government employees in this institution without a proper court order. Bonissi based his position on the fact that the Criminal Code allows for sentences of up to 10 years for the crime of extortion, while illegal wiretaps can be punished with 2 to 4 years in prison. Because of this, Bonissi said that at this moment the Public Ministry will be at the forefront of this investigation, which will be compiled into one single file, depending on the circumstances.

"In that way the corresponding decisions can be taken, because as a part of the overall global situation several crimes might have been committed," he said. He explained that the complaint filed by the Prosecutor Ceville against his former security chief, Jorge Abrego, for the alleged commission of attempted extortion for now will be included in the same investigation.

The former Attorney General Rogelio Cruz, spoke out about the statements made by Bonissi and stressed that the investigations into this scandal can not be mixed in the same file - that is to say - there can be no "accumulation" of processes, cases, or investigations. "This deals with the alleged commission of two different offenses. Although they are related, they must be investigated separately," said Cruz. In fact, the Judicial Code provides in Article 2288 that: "There is room for the accumulation of processes, when faced with the same offense, followed by two or more different and distinct actions. One single summary case file cannot be opened for crimes committed by different people, at different times, and without a prior agreement between them to commit a crime ...".

Investigation: The Attorney General said that from the first day the Panama America released the news about the wiretaps and the recording of the telephone conversations of government employees who work in the offices of the Prosecutor of Administration, they began their investigations. At this moment the investigation is at the initial stage of summary verification. Ceville would be investigated. Bonissi explained that if they uncover an illegal activity in their investigations, then by law it would correspond to him to open a case against Ceville, while at the same time he said that in the future it could happen that he might separate the case and move part of it to a Circuit Prosecutor to address the complaint about extortion. "I first have to assemble the file and then, if I see new elements or if I have to split the case, I will do it," he said. "We must be clear that this type of investigation can take many years, as happened with the case of Ana Matilde Gomez which has been open since 2007," he said. He warned he could not make any comment on an investigation that is just beginning, however, he explained the only similarity he has seen thus far to the case pending against former Attorney General Ana Matilde Gomez is that this is a case which was presented as a criminal complaint. (Panama America)

Editor's Comment: OK, they're going to slow-roll this thing. When Bonissi made reference to the fact that the illegal wire tapping case against Ana Matilde Gomez has been opened since 2007, he was actually sending a message that "we're going to take our time, so don't get all excited." The administration of Martin Torrijos didn't do anything about the allegations against Ana Matilde Gomez because he appointed her. As soon as Torrijos was gone the case was reactivated and Gomez was gone as well (to be replaced by Bonissi.) Apparently thus far it looks like Abrego was trying to extort money from Ceville, and in response Ceville ordered illegal wiretaps of his employees. Does that make sense? I still don't think I'm clear on this one yet...   

The Prosecutor of Administration - through a press release - said the "false and defamatory" accusations made by the former Chief of Security of this entity Jorge Ábrego are part of a campaign to "weaken" their action "within a publicized trial." The statement would be referring to the case against former Attorney General Ana Matilde Gomez, which begins next Wednesday. Meanwhile, former President Martin Torrijos acknowledged through his spokeswoman that he was informed that someone was "blackmailing" Ceville and left the matter in the hands of the Security Council. He did not say if he also knew about the wiretaps conducted by Ábrego, supposedly ordered by Ceville. (La Prensa)

Editor's Comment: I've been watching this story with just one eye, and to be honest I don't know what the hell is going on yet. I know this is a huge story in the Panamanian press, that it has to do with supposedly illegal wiretaps ordered by the Prosecutor of Administration Ceville, however I'm still confused on the details. It will come with time. So far it sounds like another of these wars of accusations and counter accusations made by a former disgruntled?) employee against a former boss. Still working... If anyone has been following this, by all means please fill me in via comments.   

Veneto will be hosting a boxing match, Golpe de Suerte . . . Where the champions are born, this Thursday the 5th of August on 7th floor salon. Doors open at 5 PM Preferencial seating for $15 and General seating for $12.50 is still available. After the fight at 11 PM there will be an after party on the casino floor with Ulpiano Vergara performing on the main stage. Be a part of the most exciting night of the year!

   

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - This whole story about serial killers William Dathan Holbert and Laura Michelle Reese is winding down somewhat. They've been caught, extradited back to Panama, Holbert has confessed, and investigators have recovered the remains of five of his victims. There will be more headlines and developments in this story of course, but as of today I'm going back to "normal" mode - and I'll start covering the rest of the news which I've been ignoring since 20 July 2010 when Cher Hughes' body was identified. I'll be covering any future developments in this case as they come along in the normal flow of news.

Copyright 2010 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.   

The conduct of William Dathan Holbert, aka "Wild Bill" was more like a mass murderer than a serial murderer, according to researcher Tirso Castillo, of the Institute of Criminology at the University of Panama. He explained that the alleged murderer is a psychopath, because the objective of the deaths is greed, he kills to appropriate the property of their victims. He said these people are not interested in life, they are cold and feel no remorse. On the other hand a serial murderer kills for pleasure, becomes obsessed with committing the offense, to vent his frustration he chooses his victims, who may be older women, prostitutes, children and others. For his part, psychiatrist Marcel Penna Franco thinks William Dathan Holbert is an individual who has characteristics of psychopathy on the basis that the media have indicated he obtained economic benefits from the deaths. But as a specialist said he would not dare to express an opinion without first having evaluated Holbert. Meanwhile, the Director of the Institute of Legal Medicine, Humberto Mas, said it is difficult to say who we face in the case of "Wild Bill" without practicing a forensic and psychological examination. (Panama America)   

It appears that William Holbert, alias "Wild Bill", even tore out his victim's gold fillings, according to evidence found yesterday, Wednesday, at his house located in the community of Aguacate in the area of Tierra Oscura, in Bocas del Toro, where five bodies were found buried. The investigation centered on "Wild Bill" and his girlfriend, were led by Deputy Attorney General Angel Calderon, the assistant to the Attorney General Neftali Jaen, and a group of investigators from the Public Ministry and National Police.

The officials could not mask their expressions of surprise and disgust when they found a glass jar containing pieces of gold teeth. By their condition, apparently they were extracted while the victims were still alive. They also found an earrings, necklaces, chokers and a pendant approximately one centimeter by two marked with "CREDIT SUISSE" and a number that possibly belongs to a bank account in Switzerland or a safe. Both Jaen and Calderon agreed that these items might be like a key given to someone who deposits gold or other jewelry or other metal objects of value, so they did not rule out the possibility of having to contact that country to continue the investigations.

Among many boxes were found copies of passports of the wife of Mike Brown, the Thai Tnanankratoke Manchita, born in 1963, and her son Watson Siguard Brown, born in 1990. At the home there were figures, books and drawings with satanic themes, the flag used by supporters of racist clans, clothes strewn all over the place, filthy old and smelly chairs. In the ceiling of Bill's bedroom they found an AK-47 and a shotgun.

VICTIMS - Of the brown family, the woman would have been 47 years old, so it is presumed she died when she was 44. She had one son who would have been turned 20, however "Wild Bill" cut his life short at gunpoint. The remains of the mother and her child were found in one grave. The young man was shot in the head, and because the back part of her skull was missing, it is presumed "Wild Bill" pushed the barrel of the gun into her mouth and fired. Mike Brown was found buried about 200 yards from his wife and son, also was killed by gunfire. His remains were upside down. There were three casings in the grave, but forensics experts did not find the skull or part of the torso. One possible explanation is that these bones were disintegrated by the amount of lime that was applied in these areas.

TRANSFER OF REMAINS - The remains of the five people killed by "Wild Bill" and buried on the property arrived yesterday to the judicial morgue in David at about 1:30 pm. The remains were transferred in a vehicle belonging to the Public Ministry in white bags. José Vicente Pachard, in charge of the forensic autopsy, said that studies be carried out with support of specialists in anthropology, genetics and forensic dentistry. He said they have the elements to identify the victims of these crimes. The coroner said that at present it can be determined that the remains belong to two women, two adult men, and one adolescent male. The condition of the bodies indicates from 3 to 6 months of decomposition or more. These people have been missing in Bocas del Toro for quite some time. (La Critica)   

Deputy Attorney General Angel Calderón, the Assistant to the Attorney General, Neftali Jaén, and a group of investigators went to the bar and home owned by William Holbert, whose interior is shown on television for the first time. There were many surprises, books with diabolical titles, satanic figures with expressions hung on the walls, many personal papers of the Brown family, including copies of the passports of the wife and child. In addition, there were items of value, as well as syringes Holbert would use to inject steroids, weights and exercise equipment, even gold teeth which were still encrusted with pieces of tooth - and it is presumed "Wild Bill" extracted them from his victims while they were still alive. It is assumed there was also a large sum of cash in the house, and that this was one of the reasons why Holbert killed the Brown family. The new elements will be added to the investigation, said Deputy Attorney Neftali Jaén. With regards to the alleged disappearance of two Indians, the authorities say no complaints have been filed in this regard. (TVN Reporta)

Editor's Comment: Please hit the link below to see the video from inside Holbert's house.

http://www.tvn-2.com/noticias/noticias_detalle.asp?id_news=36544

   

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - I need to take some time off. Thanks to these idiots Holbert and Reese I've been going 18 hours a day or more, for more than a month now, with practically no time off, and it's starting to show. I've made a couple of errors in judgement today that I have to attribute to fatigue. Anyway, my apologies - and I'm going to go back to my normal 12 hour day routine. I need a break.

Copyright 2010 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.   

The skeletons unearthed on a property "owned" by William Dathan Holbert aka "Wild Bill" were taken from the community in the area of Aguacate in the province of Bocas del Toro, to the morgue located in the capital of the province of Chiriqui. Experts are expected to perform tests to identify the bodies that supposedly belong to Mike Brown, his wife and son. José Vicente Pachar, the Deputy Director of Legal Medicine, so far has confirmed that the remains belonged to two males and one female. Pachar said one of the remains could belong to a male adolescent due to the size of the bones. In the morgue of David, the bones will be assessed by an anthropologist and a forensic dentist. (La Estrella)   

William Dathan Holbert, aka "Wild Bill", distracted his victims in order to kill them. When being questioned, the confessed murderer Holbert explained that he killed Cheryl Lynn Hughes as she showed him some monkeys in a wooded area in the province of Bocas del Toro, and that he killed Bo Icelar inside of his residence. During the judicial proceedings, "Wild Bill" said he shot his victims in the nape of the neck.

According to a source close to the investigation, the members of the Brown family were killed one by one. Holbert killed Michael as he showed him some holes that supposedly had been dug to bury trash on the land located in Cauchero. The source explained that later, the murderer looked for Michael's son Watson Brown, saying his father was calling for him and used this opportunity to take his life. From there he went back to the victim's residence and shot Manchittha Nankratoke where he found her in the garden.

Evaluations - The murderer and his girlfriend Laura Reese yesterday avoided being subjected to psychological and psychiatric evaluations at the Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences after seeking legal assistance. The director of the institution, Humberto Mas, explained the tests will be used to determine whether both subjects can be held responsible for their actions or not, as well as their personalities. "We try to determine of they present any particular type of pathology, they might be subjected to a electroencephalogram examination or a Cat Scan to determine if they are mad, or if they are psychopaths," said Mas.

Increased security - Meanwhile, yesterday the Mayor of Bocas del Toro, José Augusto Anderson Jaramillo, and the advisor of the municipality, Roberto García Flores, met with the Attorney General, Giuseppe Bonissi, to implement a mechanism to control the entry of people to the province. Garcia said they intend to establish some control, through Interpol, Immigration, and the National Police, and that four months ago a person was arrested in the province who was wanted by international authorities. (Panama America)   

David, Chiriqui - This afternoon the human remains unearthed in Bocas del Toro on land "owned" by William Dathan Holbert, (aka "Wild Bill") were taken to the city of David in the province of Chiriqui in the Republic of Panama. These include five bodies, including two adult males, one boy and two women, said José Vicente Pachar, the coroner who heads the group of specialists from the Public Ministry. Pachar said today, Wednesday, the second phase of forensic investigations will continue at the judicial morgue of Chiriqui. The first phase was to extract the bodies, and there efforts at this stage were supported by forensic anthropologists and forensic dentists, among others. (La Prensa)   

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - Without a doubt, serial killer William Dathan Holbert is a whack-job of the first order. We know that already, thanks to the fact that he's confessed to having killed at least five people, including an entire family, in order to steal their property. And of course the distinct possibility remains that Holbert might have killed others in Costa Rica, Mexico, the United States, or elsewhere. Now that everyone is looking back on the life and times of "Wild Bill" in Bocas del Toro in Panama, there are all kinds of things emerging about his actions, speech, attitudes, actions, and mannerisms. Apparently Holbert was actively seeking to identify those people with weaker personalities who he could control, manipulate, and dominate. He would immediately butt heads with people who were stronger willed, and it seems like those kinds of people tended to avoid him after having a somewhat fleeting contact. Holbert had a bar just 200 meters or so from his house which he called the "Villa Cortez." This is where he would hold regular parties, and meetings of the "The First Temple of Inebriation" in which he identified himself as the "Supreme Pontiff and spiritual advisor extraordinaire." On the weekend after Cher Hughes was killed, he mass-blasted a text message to practically everyone in Bocas del Toro, saying "Your God Commands You" to come to a party at his bar. He was apparently trying to build some kind of a cult of personality, based on him. (more)    Click Here To Read The Full Article (823 words)

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - One element of the still developing story of serial killers William Dathan Holbert and Laura Michelle Reese has been people - mostly in the Panamanian media - asking the question "will they be deported to the United States?" The answer is a resounding "hell no." It does not matter one bit that these two have committed crimes in the United States. They sold property they didn't own, stole cars, participated in high speed chases to elude police and capture, as well as other crimes. However, none of that rises to the level of the crimes they committed here in Panama. These people murdered at least five people, probably more, including an entire family. The Republic of Panama has them in custody, and they will be held responsible for their actions - here. There is no way in hell that Panama is going to turn these two over to anyone. (more)    Click Here To Read The Full Article (531 words)

By Rafael Romo and Arthur Brice (CNN) -- Panamanian authorities began searching Tuesday afternoon for the bodies of five people that an American man has confessed to killing, the lead prosecutor in the case told CNN. William Dathan Holbert, 30, and his 27-year-old girlfriend are accused of targeting people who owned property in the Bocas del Toro tourist area of Panama, said prosecutor Angel Calderon. Holbert was using a false name and initially was identified as William Adolfo Cortez when he and girlfriend Laura Michelle Reese were arrested in Nicaragua last week, Calderon said. Officials in Panama say the two suspects would befriend residents in Bocas del Toro and steal property from them, even killing the victims if necessary. "He has confessed," Calderon told CNN in a telephone interview Monday night. "The main thing is that he said that once he contacted them, he would study them and would determine what class of people they were in the sense of having money, property. He would become their friend, learning very personal details. "Later, he would eliminate them and keep their property."

Holbert has confessed to five slayings, the prosecutor said, and authorities are investigating the disappearances of five Panamanians to see if there is any connection. Holbert has been charged with five homicide counts, Calderon said. Panama does not have a death penalty but Holbert could be sentenced to 50 years in prison, the prosecutor said. Reese, Holbert's girlfriend, will face lesser charges related to the homicides, Calderon said. "The charges are concrete and precise," Calderon said. "There is real evidenced that we presented, and because of that he decided to cooperate because under Panamanian law that could result in a sentence reduction."

Both suspects were traveling with false Dutch passports, Panamanian authorities said. The pair were arrested July 26 in Nicaragua after an international hunt. They had been on the run since the body of Cher Hughes, a native of suburban St. Louis, Missouri, was found the previous week on his property in Panama. The couple fled Panama to the north, traversed through Costa Rica and were caught as they crossed the San Juan River, the boundary between Nicaragua and Costa Rica, said Jorge Chavarria, the Costa Rican vice minister of public security. Holbert and Reese had boarded a boat and thrown the pilot overboard, commandeering the vessel, Chavarria said. The Nicaraguan army stopped them as they tried to enter the country.

The pair were held in Nicaragua until July 28, when Panama issued an arrest warrant and they were turned over to authorities in that country. Panama sent a government airplane to pick up the suspects, Calderon said. Holbert has asked the U.S. government for help with his legal situation, the prosecutor said. U.S. embassies abroad can offer information and general help but cannot represent citizens in legal matters.

Hughes, who was in her early 50s, was found in a shallow grave. A second body -- which has not yet been officially identified -- was found near Hughes. Hughes had lived in St. Petersburg, Florida, where she owned a neon sign business, before moving to Panama.   

(AP) – PANAMA CITY — Authorities said they recovered three more bodies Tuesday on property owned by a jailed U.S. man who prosecutors say has confessed to killing five fellow Americans to get their money and property in a Panamanian resort area. Jose Pachard, deputy director of the Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences, said the remains were found with the help of information provided by the suspect, William Dathan Holbert. He said searchers found the bodies of an adult man, adult woman and child on the grounds of a hostel operated by Holbert. Two other bodies were found earlier, touching off a search for Holbert and his wife.

Tests were planned to identify the latest remains. On Sunday, prosecutors quoted Holbert as admitting he killed a U.S. man named Mike Brown, his wife and small son about three years ago and buried them on his property. The two other bodies were identified previously as Cheryl Lynn Hughes, a native of St. Louis, Missouri, who had lived in Panama 10 years and was reported missing in late March, and Bo Icelar, who disappeared in late November and was described by a friend as being from Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Panamanian authorities said Holbert and his wife, Laura Michelle Reese, had been charged with murder in the deaths of Hughes and Icelar. Humberto Mas, director of the forensics institute, said Holbert refused on Tuesday to undergo a psychological analysis and asked for legal assistance. Officials in the U.S. state of North Carolina have said Holbert disappeared about six years ago after he divorced his wife, sold his landscaping business and filed for bankruptcy. Holbert is alleged to have sold a house he didn't own and a car he stole, and police say he used aliases to elude authorities in at least six states.   

WASHINGTON. (EFE) The US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations approved today, Tuesday, via voice vote the appointment of 33 ambassadors from the United States, including those designated for Colombia, Chile, Panama and Peru. Gathered in a room in the Capitol, the 14 members of the Committee approved at a special meeting the ambassadors appointed by U.S. President, Barack Obama, to represent the country in various nations of Latin America, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. "We have a long list of appointments this year ... this is a group of highly qualified professionals," said Committee chairman, Democrat John Kerry, at the beginning of the session. The list approved today includes Peter Michael McKinley, as the next US Ambassador to Colombia; Rose M. Likins, designated for Peru, Alejandro D. Wolff, for Chile, and Phyllis Powers, for Panamá. (La Prensa)

Editor's Comment: So ... is that it? Now that the Committee is done, they still have to be approved by the full Senate, right? It's a formality - she's über-qualified.