Two U.S. citizens, accused in the murders and robberies of five Americans between 2007 and 2010, were collectively sentenced to over 73 years in prison by Panamanian authorities Monday.
William Dathan Holbert and Laura Michelle Reese were sentenced to at least 47 and 26 years in prison respectively for their crimes apparently committed around Isla Cauchero in Bocas del Toro province. All charged crimes were committed in Panamá.
According to Emeldo Marquez Pittí, the second-highest attorney for the Tercer Distrito Judicial, the criminal case presented sufficient evidence that indicated both persons were guilty of murder and robbery committed against Michael Watson Brown, Manchita Nankathoke Brown, Watson Seaward Brown, Laurence Icelar and Cheryl Linda Hughes. The 38-year old Holbert was sentenced as the primary perpetrator of the crime while Ms. Reese, also 38-years old, was labeled as a secondary accomplice, according to a statement from the Panamanian Ministerio Público.
Panamá officials said that Holbert is currently being held in the public prison in David, while Ms. Reese is being held in the female rehabilitation center.
According to reports from investigators, the crimes were committed for the purposes of acquiring the money and properties of the victims. The circumstances related to the victims’ subsequent disappearance led the prosecution to open an investigation. The Ministerio Público said that, upon capture, both Americans confessed to their crimes.
Other reports from U.S. media publications charged at the time that Holbert allegedly befriended the victims before shooting them in the head, burying their bodies and stealing their homes and businesses shortly thereafter. Both were arrested after attempting to make their way into Nicaragua via Costa Rica, according to the Associated Press at the time.
Bocas del Toro is a popular tourist destination in Panamá that is just across the border with Costa Rica on the Caribbean side near the Costa Rican town of Sixaola.
William Dathan Holbert and Laura Michelle Reese were sentenced to at least 47 and 26 years in prison respectively for their crimes apparently committed around Isla Cauchero in Bocas del Toro province. All charged crimes were committed in Panamá.
According to Emeldo Marquez Pittí, the second-highest attorney for the Tercer Distrito Judicial, the criminal case presented sufficient evidence that indicated both persons were guilty of murder and robbery committed against Michael Watson Brown, Manchita Nankathoke Brown, Watson Seaward Brown, Laurence Icelar and Cheryl Linda Hughes. The 38-year old Holbert was sentenced as the primary perpetrator of the crime while Ms. Reese, also 38-years old, was labeled as a secondary accomplice, according to a statement from the Panamanian Ministerio Público.
Panamá officials said that Holbert is currently being held in the public prison in David, while Ms. Reese is being held in the female rehabilitation center.
According to reports from investigators, the crimes were committed for the purposes of acquiring the money and properties of the victims. The circumstances related to the victims’ subsequent disappearance led the prosecution to open an investigation. The Ministerio Público said that, upon capture, both Americans confessed to their crimes.
Other reports from U.S. media publications charged at the time that Holbert allegedly befriended the victims before shooting them in the head, burying their bodies and stealing their homes and businesses shortly thereafter. Both were arrested after attempting to make their way into Nicaragua via Costa Rica, according to the Associated Press at the time.
Bocas del Toro is a popular tourist destination in Panamá that is just across the border with Costa Rica on the Caribbean side near the Costa Rican town of Sixaola.
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