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Aug
31
Is there a second Puerto Viejo victim of “Big Bill”?
August 31, 2010 | Tags: Crime & Punishment | 7 Comments
Holbert and Reese remain in custody in Panama.Panama writer Don Winner has now written that he believes there is a second victim buried in the Puerto Viejo area at another house rented by William Dathan Holbert and Laura Michelle Reese when they lived in the area several years ago.
When he put together the facts of the body found under a concrete slab in 2007 as being a victim of Holbert and Reese, there was one fact that didn’t make sense. Stacie Duckworth, the one-time friend of Holbert and Reese, recounted a story to Winner of visiting a house they were renting and when she saw a pile of fresh earth said “Damn, Bill, that looks like a grave.”
But Duckworth has now confirmed to Winner that this wasn’t the house in Playa Negra where they body was found by investigators in November 2007. In fact, the house was a vacation home called the “Monkey House” which is in Playa Cocles (near the Pecora Negra restaurant). This was rented by Holbert on March 28, 2007 using fake identification from the Cayman Islands with the name “William Julius Caesar”.
While there doesn’t appear to be any other evidence yet suggesting that someone was buried there other than Duckworth’s sighting of the pile of fresh earth, it does seem to be worth further investigation given the widening scope of the killings.
Aug
14
Panama Reporter Identifies 2007 Puerto Viejo Murder Victim as Jeffrey Kline
August 14, 2010 | Tags: Crime & Punishment | 1 Comment
Jeffrey Kline in a photograph from DeadBeatsIllinois.com, a website identifying parents delinquent on child support payments
Don Winner, writing for Panama-Guide.com, says he has identified the victim found in November 2007 in Puerto Viejo.
Recounting a chilling interview with previous Puerto Viejo residents Allan and Stacie Duckworth, Winner relates the Duckworth’s story of where they realized that now accused serials killers William Dathan Holbert and Laura Michelle Reese were dangerous and they fled with some of Holbert and Reese’s papers.
Among those papers were documents clearly belonging to Wisconsin lawyer Jeffrey A. Kline and this fact along with a number of other facts from the Duckworth’s as well as the physical description of the victim found have led Winner to conclude that Kline must be the victim who was found buried under a concrete slab in Puerto Viejo.
But although Kline seems to be absent from Wisconsin and being pursued both by the bar association their and his ex-wife for child support, he wasn’t ever reported missing. But the facts seem to line up that those that knew Kline in Wisconsin actually assumed he was deliberately on the run from his old life and so they didn’t report him missing. It also makes him a perfect victim for Holbert and Reese who seemed to have killed a startling number of ex-pats who had moved to Central America, cutting ties with their old lives, and who nobody really noticed when they went missing.
The Costa Rican investigators (the OIJ) have yet to comment on this or state if they will exhume and test the remains against records for Kline.
Aug
10
Panama Serial Killer Linked to Puerto Viejo Death
August 10, 2010 | Tags: Crime & Punishment | 7 Comments
Holbert been led off the plane in Panama after his extradition from NicaraguaA link has been made between an unsolved 2007 Puerto Viejo murder and the serial killer couple William “Big Bill” Holbert and Laura Michelle Reese.
Holbert and Reese, both American citizens, have been linked to two bodies found in Bocas del Toro, Panama of other expatriate residents of the Bocas del Toro area. Holbert has apparently also admitted to investigators that he killed 5 people.  They were captured as they tried to enter Nicaragua from Costa Rica 2 weeks ago and extradited back to Panama.
Holbert and Reese were known to have lived in Puerto Viejo in the Punta Uva area before moving to Panama. They apparently ran a local bar with two other Americans, Alan and Stacie Duckworth, and told others that the four of them were going to start a business together in Panama. When the news came out of their connection with Holbert and Reese, it had some speculating that the Duckworths could also have been victims. However Don Winner, writing for Panama-Guide.com, managed to track them down and verify that although they did spend several months with Holbert and Reese they ended up going their separate ways.
But questions then began to be asked about the unsolved 2007 murder in Puerto Viejo. In a separate article Don Winner interviews the couple who owned the vacation home and rented it out through a local real estate agency. It turned out that the home had been leased for 3 months ”sometime in the Spring or Summer of 2007″ to a couple, “Big Bill and Michelle”, known aliases of Holbert and Reese. The renters ended up leaving after only 3 weeks of the 3 month rental.
The body was found when the owners returned in the fall of 2007 and discovered a new concrete patio had been installed that they knew nothing about. When they had workers tear it up, the body was discovered. The Costa Rican police still have been able to identify the victim in that case but at least it now appears the likely murderers have been caught.
For more on this story, follow the detailed news articles at www.panama-guide.com.
Jun
6
Clandestine minining operation discovered in the Talamanca mountains
June 6, 2010 | Tags: Crime & Punishment, Environment | Comments Off
Residents of the indigenous Bri Bri reservation in the Talamanca Mountains have discovered evidence of clandestine mineral exploration.
The community sent an expedition of 8 persons to investigate after the community noticed a helicopter entering the area. They found evidence including a landing zone for the helicopter, a camp and core samples taken. A second expedition returned to the area with cameras and three policemen from Bri Bri.
The area is very difficult to access, with no roads, only footpaths used by the indigenous Bri Bri.
Analysis of the photos by experts has confirmed that a exploratory visit by miners was the point of the visit.
The area has been known since the 70s to have high potential for mineral exploration. But the Asociación de Desarrollo de la Reserva IndÃgena Bribri–Talamanca (Aditibri), which owns the land, is opposed to mining.
Source, photos and video: La Nación: IndÃgenas descubren minerÃa clandestina en Talamanca
May
30
Cahuita Police Officers Receive 72 Year Sentences
May 30, 2010 | Tags: Crime & Punishment | Comments Off
 Two police officers are arrested in June 2008. Photo by Mario Rojas courtesy of La Nacion |
On Thursday, former Cahuita police officers Wálter Angulo Durán and Jorge Jiménez Saldaña were each sentenced to 72 years in prison for their role in two murders which occurred in June 2008.
Two other men, Mauricio Ocampo Cordero and Johansy Mora Rojas, were previously convicted and sentenced to 70 years each for the actual murders.
Angulo and Jiménez, the policemen, used their authority to round up four young men in Cahuita. With drawn guns they confronted the four in the local park, tied them up and eventually delivered them to members of a rival drug gang in Valle de las Estrellas, also on the Caribbean coast, according to testimony. Ocampo and Mora took a knife to their hostages. Two, Roy Sotela Prendergast, 23, and Natanael RodrÃguez Obregón, 17, died. Another man suffered serious injuries. A fourth man fled and survived.
Apr
14
New Court to Bring Speedy Justice to Caribbean Coast
April 14, 2010 | Tags: Crime & Punishment | 2 Comments
 Limon Circuit Court building. Photo courtesy La Nación |
The supreme court on Monday approved the creation of a “Tribunal de Flagrancia” for Limon Province and the new court will start operating on April 15.
The court will deal with offenders who are caught in the act or near where a crime has been committed with evidence that they were involved. They will be immediately processed and sentenced, often the same day, avoiding the long delays that had plagued the system. This also means that tourists who are victims of crimes will be able to testify while they are still on their trip. The court will operate out of the Limon Circuit Court building from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Monday to Friday.
Similar courts are already operating in Puntarenas, Alajuela, Heredia and Cartago provinces.
The initiative is part of an anti-crime push in Limon Province which has seen some early successes in falling crime rates.
More: La Nación: Tribunal de Flagrancia comenzará el 15 de abril en Limón
Mar
30
Police destroy 83,000 marijuana plants
March 30, 2010 | Tags: Crime & Punishment | Comments Off
Judicial Investigation Agents (OIJ) and the security forces, in conjunction with the Public Prosecutor on the weekend destroyed 83,000 marijuana plants that were planted on three farms in an area known as El Guayabal, in Alto Telire in Talamanca.
The police action came after a woman who suffered a fractured arm and had to be evacuated from the area to receive medical care at in Limón, reported that the people who planted the marijuana had assaulted her when she refused to provide the farm for them to plant their crop.
For this reason, authorities went to the area on Friday and raided two farms where the suspects live. They detained two people, an adult named Brenes and an unnamed minor. They have been accused of attempted murder and violation of drug laws.
Also seized in the raid was as a bag of marijuana (weighing from 8 to 10 kilos) ready to be sold and two rifles.
Police and OIJ were accompanied by a judge who held a hearing in El Guayabal where the prosecution requested six months of preventive detention against Brenes. However the judge rejected this and released him.
Reportedly the woman victim and other witnesses are now under police protection fearing retribution from the accused.
Source: La Nación: PolicÃa destruye 83.000 matas de marihuana
Mar
18
Quick action by police and victims catches thieves
March 18, 2010 | Tags: Crime & Punishment | Comments Off
Police in Cahuita quickly tracked a credit card stolen from two foreign tourists and managed to capture three theft suspects.
The Fuerza Pública said that Tuesday three men stole luggage, a digital camera and telephones from a car parked at a Cahuita hotel.
Xinia Vásquez, director of the PolicÃa TurÃstica said that the pair of foreign tourists went to the local police station to report the crime. When officers took them to a center for tourists so they could report the loss of their credit cards, the pair learned that one of their cards was in use at a bar in Limón to the north, said Ms. Vásquez.
When police arrived at the bar in Limón Centro they found three men, and one of them had a passport of one of the theft victims in his possession, police said. The trio also drove a red car which had been described by the tourists. The three men, San José residents, were detained. They were identified by the last names of Madrigal, Zamora and Paniagua.
Police said they found the possessions of the tourists within the vehicle used by the men.
Feb
12
Talamanca Mayor Arrested on Suspicion of Corruption
February 12, 2010 | Tags: Crime & Punishment | 13 Comments
 An agent stands guard outside the mayor’s house. Photo by Róger Amoretty, courtesy of La Nación |
The municipal mayor of Talamanca, Rugeli Morales Rodriguez, 45, was arrested yesterday morning by agents of the Office of Judicial Investigation (OIJ).
According to information from prosecutors, the mayor is under investigation, along with other local government officials, for the alleged diversion of municipal funds to personal accounts of ¢ 350 million ($640,000 US).
The Limon Deputy Attorney and OIJ agents raided the Municipality of Talamanca and the houses of the mayor and his mother. They seized documents and other evidence in the case.
The authorities also detained other men, one named Barrantes and another named Cortes. Both are employees of the municipality.
These individuals, along with the Mayor, are suspected of crimes of aggravated corruption of public officials and embezzlement and negotiations incompatible with elected office.
Authorities also apprehended several other individuals in the case, one with the surname Bastos, and another named Morales.
Mayor Morales was arrested at 4 a. m. while driving in the area of Vizcaya, some 60 miles from BribrÃ.
The police officers approached him and he tried to flee, so a chase ensued until they managed to capture him.
However, his family denied he was running away and said that was heading to the Ministry of Public Works in San Jose, where he had a meeting at 8 a. m. They said he tried to flee when stopped because he thought he was being assaulted by thieves.
The Mayor was then taken to his home, which the authorities had already secured, and subsequently to the municipality to be a witness to the seizure of evidence.
More: La Nación: Alcalde de Talamanca preso por sospecha de corrupción
Dec
19
Missing professor found murdered
December 19, 2009 | Tags: Crime & Punishment | Comments Off
The body of Alexander Obando Campos was found today by police investigators. The professor had been missing since Tuesday.
The motive of the murder seems to be robbery according to police. Obando’s laptop and several personal items were taken along with his car.
Authorities confirmed that it appears that the killers were known to the victim.
Several witnesses told the OIJ that in the hours before his death they saw the educator in his car accompanied by some people who are now considered suspects.
More: La Nación: Profesor universitario aparece asesinado
Dec
18
Area English Teacher Disappears
December 18, 2009 | Tags: Crime & Punishment | 1 Comment
 Someone tried to push the car of the educator into the Estrella River in Penshurt. Photo by Róger Amoretti courtesy of La Nación |
The teacher, Alexánder Obando Campos, lives in Batán de Matina. His car was discovered Wednesday morning beside the La Estrella river in Penshurt and police fear that he has been the victim of a crime.
The 31 year old is single and has no children. He works for the University of Costa Rica and the Universidad Estatal a Distancia (UNED) and also teaches in Amubri in the Talamanca mountains. He had planned to spend Tuesday night in Amubri yet his car was found more than 50 km away.
 Alexander Obando Campos |
The police don’t have any leads on the case but it appears that someone had tried to push his car, a recent model Peugot, into the river but then was stopped by a ditch and gave up the effort.
His brother Joseph stated that Alexander was not in trouble or afraid of anyone. But he did have an altercation with the guard at a gas station some days earlier. But there is no known connection.
“Work was his life. He was well loved and always prepared,” said his brother.
The OIJ asks anyone with any information on this case to call the OIJ at 2798-3936 or the Confidential Information Center at 800-8000-645.
More: La Nación: PolicÃa teme por vida de profesor de UCR y UNED
Dec
1
Environment Ministry Office in Manzanillo Firebombed
December 1, 2009 | Tags: Crime & Punishment | 4 Comments
 The walls were partially burned but the type of material prevented the spread of the flames. Photo by Marvin Carvajal, courtesy La Nación |
The offices of the Ministry of Environment, Energy and Telecommunications (MINAET) in Manzanillo were attacked last Thursday night or Friday morning.
The attack occurred late at night or very early and only on Friday morning did the MINAET official, who was sleeping inside, discover that they had been attacked.
Luckily for the staff member, the flames did not ignite the walls and there was only minor damage. The windows, walls and floors are marked where you can see how the flames tried to spread.
Some locals have attributed the cause of the firebombing to frustration over the actions taken recently by MINAET regarding Hotels Suerre and Las Palmas.
Source: La Nación: Atentado con bomba molotov contra oficina del Minaet
Oct
24
Gordo Malo Dies in Stabbing
October 24, 2009 | Tags: Crime & Punishment | 4 Comments
 Benavides body was taken to the OIJ morgue. Photo by Roger Amoretty. |
A local resident was found stabbed on Thursday and died of a knife wound to his chest.
The victim was Mágnum Enrique Benavides Zúñiga, known locally as Gordo Malo.
Authorities were unable to locate any witnesses to the attack. But there are plenty of possible motives as Benavides was alleged by many in the community to have been responsible for many break-ins over the years in Puerto Viejo.
More: La Nación: Sucesos Viernes 23 de octubre de 2009
Jul
27
Bracelet? T-Shirt? Joint?
July 27, 2009 | Tags: Crime & Punishment | 1 Comment
 Local artisans at the market along the Puerto Viejo beachfront |
Investigators have busted a vendor at the artisan’s market in Puerto Viejo who was selling marijuana along with bracelets, necklaces and other assorted souvenirs.
La Nacion reports that the man, with the last name Velázquez, but known to local police as Juan, had been under surveillance for several days by OIJ investigators from Limon.
The investigators were responding to anonymous complaints from neighbors that drugs were being sold openly at the market, which is on the main road in downtown Puerto Viejo.
On Friday, the agents made 5 drug purchases and then arrested Velaquez. They seized several marijuana joints along with a collection of bracelets. As well, they seized several marked bills which had been used in the drug purchases.
A judge in Limon then gave Velaquez six months of preventative detention while the investigation and court case proceeds.
More: La Nación: Artesano vendÃa drogas a turistas en Puerto Viejo
Jul
16
Police who charge tourist $100 for smoking marijuana detained
July 16, 2009 | Tags: Crime & Punishment | Comments Off
Two policemen in Puerto Viejo, identified by their surnames Morales and Pereira, have been detained and suspended after allegedly extorting a bribe from a Canadian tourist who they caught smoking marijuana.
The incident happened on Sunday afternoon when the two officers apparently came upon the Canadian man and his girlfriend smoking marijuana. They said that if they were not paid, they would take harsh action. The man paid them $40 and agreed to meet them later to pay the rest of the amount.
A local businessman though was aware of the situation and called the chief of the police in Bribri. Together with officers from the judicial investigation office (OIJ), they arrested the two officers.
The two policemen have been charged with the crime of extortion, a crime which is punishable by a prison term of 2 to 8 years.
In addition, they have been suspended from their positions for 3 months pending the investigation and barred from contacting anyone involved in the case.
Source: La Nación: PolicÃas cobran $100 a turista para dejarlo fumar marihuana
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