Panama’s Public Prosecutor’s Office upheld 47-year prison sentence against American Willian Dathan Holbert, known as ‘Wild Bill’, for the murder of five people in Bocas del Toro.
Holberth murdered and buried five Americans with the goal of keeping their property in Panamanian territory. This was discovered between 2007 and 2009.
Apparently, the American was posing as a prominent businessman. He got his victims to buy millions of properties, which were later transferred to his power. Once that happened, the investors disappeared.
The dead were identified as Bo Barry, Lawrence Icelar, Michael Brown, Machittha Brown, Watson Brown and Chery Linda Hughes.
After committing the crimes, Holberth, along with his wife Laura Michelle Reese, came to Costa Rica to hide for several months, apparently in Turrialba.
Both Americans were arrested on July 26th, 2010, near San Juan River, in the border area between Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Apparently, they tried to travel to the north of Central America.
The Panamanian prosecutor’s office confirmed a sentence of 26 years and 4 months of imprisonment against Reese.
It is assumed that they used false identities to contact potential victims and thus try to go unnoticed.
In 2010, Holberth was investigated as a suspect in the crime of an American lawyer in Limón. However, they couldn’t prove his involvement in that crime.
The sentence against ‘Wild Bill’ was read on Monday by the Superior Court of Chiriquí in Panama.