Source:
Associated PressPanama Prosecutor: Jailed American Admits 5 Slays
Panama prosecutor: Jailed American acknowledges killing 5 US citizens to get their property
The Associated Press
Post a Comment By JUAN ZAMORANO
PANAMA CITY August 1, 2010 (AP)
http://a.abcnews.com.nyud.net:8090/images/International/ap_Panama_killings_William_Adolfo_Cortez_100801_mn.jpgA jailed U.S. man has admitted killing five other Americans so he could take over their businesses and other properties in a Panamanian resort area, a government prosecutor said Saturday.
The man's wife refused to talk with investigators and asked for legal assistance from the U.S. Embassy, the official said. The embassy was closed Saturday and U.S. officials could not be located for comment.
The couple, William Dathan Holbert and Laura Michelle Reese, were arrested earlier this week when they tried to enter Nicaragua from Costa Rica and were sent back to Panama in shackles for questioning in the slayings of two Americans and the disappearances of three other U.S. citizens and two Panamanians.
In testimony Friday, Holbert "acknowledged that he killed five people" — the five missing American citizens, Assistant Prosecutor Angel Calderon said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press.
Read more:
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=11297566