‘Wild Bill’ Fesses Up to Five Murders in Panama

William Dathan Holbert, 30, who was arrested last week in Nicaragua, could face up to 50 years in prison in Panama for five counts of homicide, Panamanian prosecutors said this week.

On Tuesday, August 3, investigators recovered the remains of Michael Brown, his wife, Manchittha Nankratoke, and their son, Watson Brown, on a property that Holbert owned.

Holbert, who confessed July 30 to slaying five people in Panama, told prosecutors during an interrogation last week where he had buried the Brown family.

The Browns have been missing since 2007. Their son was 14 years old at the time.

The remains of two other bodies – Cheryl Lynn Hughes and Bo Icelar – were uncovered in early July on Holbert’s property by Panamian authorities.

Panama’s assistant chief prosecutor, Angel Calderón, told the Panamanian press that Holbert shot Hughes and Icelar in order to steal their homes and businesses.

In a confession to Panamanian authorities, Holbert said he shot Michael Brown and Brown’s wife and son in the head. Thursday, forensic scientists in Panama took all five corpses to a morgue for analysis.

Holbert and Reese were extradited from Nicaragua to Panama on July 29. Holbert has been charged with five counts of homicide, while Reese will likely face lesser charges, Calderón said.

–Mike McDonald