Murder in Paradise

Summary

48 Hours: "Murder in Paradise" – A Detailed Summary

Introduction

In the gripping episode titled "Murder in Paradise," CBS News' "48 Hours" delves deep into the mysterious and harrowing case of Lois McMillan's murder on the idyllic island of Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. Hosted by award-winning correspondent Susan Spencer and anchored by Leslie Stahl, the episode unpacks the complexities of the investigation, the ensuing trial, and the eventual quest for justice.

Setting the Scene: Paradise Turned Nightmare

The serene beauty of Tortola serves as the backdrop for what would become one of its most shocking crimes. Known for its private beaches, yachts, and exclusive villas, Tortola is a haven for the wealthy and those seeking an escape from the rigors of everyday life. However, this paradise was shattered when the tranquility was pierced by the tragic disappearance and subsequent murder of Lois McMillan.

Susan Spencer [00:02]: "Four young Americans accustomed to the good life were enjoying a taste of paradise. They were on vacation and they were partying."

The Victim: Lois McMillan

Lois McMillan, a 34-year-old artist and Parsons School of Design graduate, had been spending the holidays with her family at their Tortolan villa. She was known for her warm and gentle demeanor, with no known enemies, making her brutal death all the more perplexing.

Leslie Stahl [03:30]: "We go to the beach, we walk. The beach, we snorkel, totally relaxing, nothing to fear."

The Suspects: Four Friends in Question

During their vacation, Lois was accompanied by four American friends: Michael Spicer, Evan George, Alex Benedetto, and William Labrador. These individuals hailed from affluent backgrounds, with connections to law, publishing, and the modeling industry. Their seemingly perfect lives were turned upside down when they were arrested and charged with Lois's murder under highly suspicious circumstances.

Leslie Stahl [08:21]: "They're thinking that the person who drove her car down to the ferry dock did it and split the island that morning on the first ferry."

The Arrest: Suspicion Without Evidence

On the night of January 14, 2000, Lois was last seen leaving a local hangout around 8 PM. By the early hours of the next morning, her body was discovered in shallow waters, leading to an immediate investigation. Despite the lack of concrete evidence linking the four friends to her death, they were swiftly arrested.

Susan Spencer [09:16]: "They are keeping these guys with absolutely no evidence."

Prosecution's Case: Circumstantial Evidence and a Confession

Detective John Johnston of Scotland Yard led the prosecution's case, which relied heavily on circumstantial evidence. Key points included:

• Blood-Stained Clothing: Evidence suggested that Michael Spicer's shirt had blood, which the prosecution argued could be from Lois.

  Susan Spencer [24:10]: "We found a speck of blood on Michael Spicer's shirt."

• Sandy Shoes: Sand fragments on the defendants' shoes matched the location where Lois's body was found.

  Leslie Stahl [24:31]: "Sand traced to the same side of the island where Lois’s body was found."

• Inconsistent Alibis: The men's stories about their whereabouts that night were deemed inconsistent.

  Susan Spencer [24:42]: "The men claim that she was not there in the house with them, but tampons are there."

The prosecution also presented a pivotal piece of testimony from Jeffrey Plant, a fellow inmate of William Labrador, who claimed that Labrador confessed to the murder.

Jeffrey Plant [26:03]: "I asked him whether or not he had anything to do with killing Ms. McMillan, and he said yes."

Defense's Argument: Lack of Concrete Evidence and Reputable Doubts

The defense, led by attorney Sean Murphy, countered the prosecution's claims by highlighting the absence of direct evidence linking the suspects to the murder. They questioned the reliability of Jeffrey Plant's testimony, pointing out his extensive criminal history and lack of credibility.

Defense Lawyer Sean Murphy [30:20]: "A speck of blood was found on Michael Spicer's shirt... it could have been Lois McMillan's, but it also could have been one in four people in the world."

Additionally, the defense emphasized that three of the four suspects had solid alibis, and only William Labrador lacked a verifiable account of his activities that night.

Susan Spencer [15:56]: "No one on the island, no witnesses have ever placed these four men with Lois McMillan that evening."

Trial Proceedings and Verdicts

After an intense six-week trial, the jury found William Labrador guilty of murder, sentencing him to life imprisonment without parole. The other three suspects were acquitted due to insufficient evidence.

Susan Spencer [38:16]: "William Labrador is found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole."

Aftermath: Quest for Justice Continues

The conviction did not sit well with Labrador's family, who vehemently believed in his innocence. Barbara Labrador, his mother, spearheaded efforts to overturn the verdict, questioning the integrity of the evidence and the credibility of Jeffrey Plant.

Barbara Labrador [41:28]: "I never expected that I'd be leaving without him. On Mother's Day."

In a landmark decision, Tortola's highest court overturned Labrador's conviction, citing Jeffrey Plant's unreliable testimony. This exoneration marked a significant victory for the wrongly accused, highlighting the flaws in the initial investigation and trial.

Leslie Stahl [42:44]: "In its ruling, the judges labeled Jeffrey Plant, the prison informant who claimed Labrador confessed to him a compulsive liar."

Conclusion: Lessons Learned and Moving Forward

"Murder in Paradise" serves as a poignant reminder of the fragility of justice and the dire consequences of circumstantial evidence. The episode underscores the importance of thorough investigations and the need for reliable testimonies to prevent wrongful convictions.

Barbara Labrador [42:20]: "Never give up. Never give up when you are innocent. Never, never give up."

Through meticulous reporting and in-depth analysis, "48 Hours" not only recounts the enthralling saga of Lois McMillan's murder but also advocates for systemic changes to ensure justice is rightly served.

Notable Quotes

• Leslie Stahl [37:07]: "The Labradors are upbeat. We're going back today, we're going to start packing, getting our stuff together. Positive affirmation to get off this island."

• Susan Spencer [43:37]: "Lois McMillan's parents and family just tried to put the case behind them."

Final Thoughts

"Murder in Paradise" is a masterful exploration of a true crime story that captivates and educates. For those seeking a comprehensive understanding of the case and its broader implications on justice systems, this episode is an invaluable listen.

Transcript

[Leslie Stahl]

Wondery subscribers can listen to this podcast.

[Susan Spencer]

Ad free right now. Join Wonder plus in the Wondery app today. Ben hadn't had a decent night's sleep in a month. So during one of his restless nights, he booked a package trip abroad on Expedia. When he arrived at his beachside hotel, he discovered a miraculous bed slung between two trees and fell into their best sleep of his life. You were made to be rechargeable. We were made to package flights and hotels and hammocks for less. Expedia made to travel. A special 48 hours mystery. Four young Americans accustomed to the good life were enjoying a taste of paradise. They were on vacation and they were partying. Lois McMillan, their friend and artist, was also there, spending the holidays with her family at their Caribbean retreat. Then one night, she never came home. 12:30.

[Leslie Stahl]

Where's Lois?

[Susan Spencer]

The unthinkable. Lois body was found. Something happened that she was out of fear, fleeing from an attacker. Even more shocking, the four friends are arrested, charged with murder. No witnesses have ever placed these four men with Lois McMillan that evening. Their families say they were framed. There is no concrete physical evidence to tie these guys to Lois's death. Susan Spencer investigates. Where will the evidence lead? You had apparently blood stained clothing. There were scratch marks on their arms. William Labrador, the key defendant, speaks out. You do not convict innocent human beings. And a dramatic new twist that will turn this case upside down. A 48 Hours Mystery. Prisoners in Paradise.

[Leslie Stahl]

Welcome to 48 Hours Mystery. I'm Leslie Stahl. Prison is the last place four American friends expected to end up when they set off on a dream vacation. But then this story is full of the unexpected. For one thing, it's a case of murder in a place where such a crime is almost unheard of. It's a case where the tide keeps shifting right to the very end. And it's all been unfolding in a land where the justice system might seem a little bit foreign. Even though some of the world's most respected investigators from Scotland Yard are on the case. Susan Spencer reports on how some Americans who went looking for an escape became prisoners in paradise. Where the villa and yacht set Tortola in the British Virgin Islands is simply paradise. A place where the well heeled can mix and mingle and sail and sun on private beaches and private yachts. It's been a place of joy. We go down with a suitcase of books.

[Susan Spencer]

We go to the beach, we walk.

[Leslie Stahl]

The beach, we snorkel, totally relaxing, nothing to fear. We're away from all the stress for more than 20 years Josephine and Russell McMillan and their daughter Lois fled the cold winters of Connecticut for their villa here on Tortola. Lois liked it. She adored her.

[Susan Spencer]

She grew up there, my ass. And she was well known down there ever since she was a child she's been going there.

[Leslie Stahl]

At the end of 1999, Russell McMillan fell seriously ill. So Lois planned a longer than usual holiday stay with her parents.

[Susan Spencer]

She was concerned when she found out.

[Leslie Stahl]

About the cancer that that Christmas would be our last. And in fact it was. On the evening of January 14, 2000. 34 year old Lois McMillan told her parents she was going to a local hangout to listen to. She never came home. And at what point did you begin to get worried?

[Susan Spencer]

Oh, well, starting about 12:31 o'clock we're up and you know, looking at our watch and where's Lois?

[Leslie Stahl]

Early the next morning, frantic, they called the police.

[Susan Spencer]

They had then showed up shortly thereafter, three of the police said to us that a body had been found of a drowned young woman on the other side of the island had been found in the water.

[Leslie Stahl]

The body turned out to be that of Lois McMillan. Police believe she was attacked somewhere along this deserted stretch just a few miles from where she last was seen. Her car was found less than a mile away at the ferry dock, handbag and money still inside. Police think that after a violent struggle, she broke away from her attacker and took off across this sea wall down onto the rocks, leaving behind a trail of personal possessions. A gold necklace, a can of mace, a hair clip, one shoe. They found her body here in the shallow water, shirt and bra pulled up, her breasts exposed. But the medical examiner can't say whether her attacker followed her down there and held her under, or whether dazed, she simply fell, hit her head and drowned.

[Susan Spencer]

Find us together, Lord, Find us together.

[Leslie Stahl]

Crime of any kind is rare on Tortola. News of this murder shocked the island.

[Susan Spencer]

This is something which is so far away from the norm here.

[Leslie Stahl]

Especially because this victim seemed not to have an enemy in the world.

[Susan Spencer]

She liked people and she had friends around. She knew a lot of people on the island. A warm, gentle, very nice person.

[Leslie Stahl]

Lois was the McMillan's only child. Clearly their pride and joy. Oh, these are sweet. Oh, look at this. Oh, what a great picture. How old would she have been in that one? Maybe about three years old. As an adult, Lois had drifted through careers. Once an aspiring actress, then an artist and graduate of the Parsons School of Design.

[Susan Spencer]

It's a happy painting.

[Leslie Stahl]

She'd recently been living at home in Connecticut.

[Susan Spencer]

This is Lois's bedroom.

[Leslie Stahl]

Oh, you've got to tell me about that. That looks like Salvador Dali. It does to me too.

[Susan Spencer]

It's just a whimsical painting that she did.

[Leslie Stahl]

That artistic whimsy often showed up in outlandish costumes.

[Susan Spencer]

Well, that's her freedom outfit.

[Leslie Stahl]

This is a very conservative community that we live in. She was quite flamboyant from Middlebury, Connecticut, but they quite got used to Lois. But her sometimes quirky behavior did not provide either a motive or any clues to her murder. So the police started retracing Lois's steps the night before her body was found.

[Susan Spencer]

Lois came in that evening somewhere around 8:00 and changed.

[Leslie Stahl]

She was by herself.

[Susan Spencer]

She was by herself.

[Leslie Stahl]

Louis Schwartz owns the Jolly Roger and except for her killer, may be the last person to have seen Lois alive.

[Susan Spencer]

Somewhere between maybe 8:45 and 9:30, I was looking downstairs and I saw her drive out by herself. No one followed her. No cars, no people, no nothing. Because I was there for about five to 10 minutes.

[Leslie Stahl]

No one knows where or when Lois met up with her killer that night. Guys at bars always know what people are thinking. What are people here on Tortola thinking?

[Susan Spencer]

They're thinking that the person who drove her car down to the ferry dock did it and split the island that morning on the first ferry.

[Leslie Stahl]

But that is not what the police are thinking. Just hours after Lois's body is found, they put four suspects behind bars for murder. Four vacationing Americans more used to country clubs than prison cells. They are Michael Spicer, a well to do neighbor of Lois's on Tortola, and his 23 year old friend, Evan George. Alex Benedetto, the son of a wealthy publisher who had dated Lois a few years before. And William Labrador, his best friend and partner in a New York modeling agency. News of the arrest electrified the island. Spicer and Labrador are well known here and their friends and family insist they are innocent.

[Susan Spencer]

They are keeping these guys with absolutely no evidence.

[Leslie Stahl]

But these four suspects are about to find out that on the island of Tortola different rules apply. When we come back, how out of.

[Susan Spencer]

The clear blue sky are you falsely accusing not only one person, but all four of us?

[Leslie Stahl]

William Labrador of murder on trial for murder speaks out. Exciting things happen on Tortola, but murder usually isn't one of them.

[Susan Spencer]

There is no evidence whatsoever that associates my son, Alexander Benedetto, to the death of this poor girl.

[Leslie Stahl]

For wealthy New York publisher Victor Benedetto's 37 year old son, Alex, Christmas 1999 ended here in Her Majesty's Prison. He Found himself charged with killing Lois.

[Susan Spencer]

McMillan a year and a half with no evidence whatsoever. They are not animals. You don't keep people 23 hours a day locked in like criminals before you prove that they are criminals.

[Leslie Stahl]

The one consolation Alex is not alone. Also charged are friends. Michael Spicer, 39, a rich law school grad from Virginia. His companion, 23 year old Evan George and Alex's boyhood friend and business partner, William Labrador, 37.

[Susan Spencer]

He starts every letter A, B, D, I, P, which means another beautiful day in paradise.

[Leslie Stahl]

Labrador's mother, Barbara, echoes the outrage of all the families that the four have spent almost 16 months in prison.

[Susan Spencer]

I mean, they come to one of nature's little secrets. Well, the underbelly of this little secret down on Tortola is it's rotten. You can wind up spending over a year of your life in prison when you are totally innocent. And they cannot come up with any evidence to prove otherwise. But they do not have the integrity to say, we made a mistake. And that is frightening. This is one of my favorite pictures of William checking out the waves.

[Leslie Stahl]

William Labrador and Alex Benedetto grew up together. Alex spent summers in tony Southampton, the Long island resort town where William lived. Barbara Labrador says that although William grew up around money, the family was not wealthy.

[Susan Spencer]

The whole Hampton panache colors our family. Meanwhile, William had a paper route when he was 10 years old. My kids always worked. I've always worked. We are not rich by a long shot.

[Leslie Stahl]

Still, William loved the New York social scene. He reveled in working for an agency representing top models. And when things didn't work out at the big agency, he and Alex, backed by Alex's dad, started an agency of their own. In late 1999, when business was slow, Christmas in Tortola seemed like a great idea. Once there, they hooked up with pal Mike Spicer. The third defendant all stayed at Spicer's family villa, Zebra House.

[Susan Spencer]

Mike's kind of larger than life person. He's always the center of attention at a party. Great conversationalist, well read, good looking and very energetic.

[Leslie Stahl]

Justin Cohen is Spicer's best friend. In the press, he's been described as. I believe the phrase is trust fund baby. Is that true?

[Susan Spencer]

Well, there's a lot of that going around.

[Leslie Stahl]

Certainly here.

[Susan Spencer]

Yes, certainly here in Tortola.

[Leslie Stahl]

The last defendant was Spicer's other house guest, Evan George. Young and handsome.

[Susan Spencer]

Mike really took an interest in Evan and kind of took him under his wing.

[Leslie Stahl]

All but Evan. George knew the glamorous and eccentric Lois McMillan. She lived just down the Hill and loved to go out. They all loved to party, especially at places like the Bomba Shack.

[Susan Spencer]

They have a full moon party and they serve this famous bomb punch, which is rum and pineapple juice and hallucinogenic mushrooms. So it's quite wild.

[Leslie Stahl]

I mean, it seems like pretty much they were partying.

[Susan Spencer]

Yes, they were. They were on vacation and they were partying.

[Leslie Stahl]

On the two nights before her death, Lois McMillan did go out with the four defendants to several clubs. But the men say the night of the murder was different.

[Susan Spencer]

They had dinner at their home.

[Leslie Stahl]

Former New York homicide detective Jay Salpeter has been hired by Alex Benedetto's family.

[Susan Spencer]

They Left at approximately 11:00, 11:00pm When a cab driver by the name of Salo picked him up. Salo drove him right over here to an athlete machine where Alex Benedetto took out money at approximately 1145.

[Leslie Stahl]

That's stamped right on the receipt.

[Susan Spencer]

Yes, it is.

[Leslie Stahl]

The men's defense is simple. They say they never even saw Lois McMillan on the night she died. For most of the night, three of the four were together in public places. Only William Labrador can't prove what he did that night. His friends had dropped him off some distance from Zebra House to walk home after he told them he was tired.

[Susan Spencer]

After spending the whole day hiking since 7:30 in the morning, cooking, figured a 15 hour day of recreation was more than ready to go home.

[Leslie Stahl]

Now, in an interview from Her Majesty's Prison, Labrador tells his version of what happened that night.

[Susan Spencer]

Walked back home, got dropped off at Sebastian's. 11:48.

[Leslie Stahl]

He says he watched TV and went to bed.

[Susan Spencer]

ESPN Tonight, the NFL Tonight, and then Learning Channel, Area 51 and called it a night. And that was it. And here I am. No one on the island, no witnesses have ever placed these four men with Lois McMillan that evening. No one.

[Leslie Stahl]

No one except the police, who routinely began interviewing Lois's friends. Their search for clues led the Tortullan police here to Zebra House, where that afternoon they turned up three pair of wet sandy sneakers and a shirt with a stain on it thought to be blood. The police also noticed a small fresh cut on William Labrador's nose. He said he got it the previous day while hiking. But the officers found their explanations very suspicious. And before the day was out, they had arrested all four.

[Susan Spencer]

Talk about your soul hitting the floor, because that was where you're sitting there, you're helping out, you're thinking to yourself, what are they doing? And then, okay, here we are accusing you of murder. Knock, knock, knock. They have wet sneakers and a scratch on the nose.

[Leslie Stahl]

Jsall Peters says it was not enough evidence to even think of an arrest.

[Susan Spencer]

You and I could knock on 30 doors right now. If we enter 28 of those homes, we're going to find wet sandy sneakers.

[Leslie Stahl]

They find a stain on a shirt that they believe at that time is blood. I mean, you know, it's not like they went in there and there was absolutely nothing here at all.

[Susan Spencer]

What appears to be blood could have been sauce, it could have been ketchup. They put four boys in jail for no reason at all.

[Leslie Stahl]

The defendants and their families charged that. The police rushed to judgment out of fear that an unsolved murder would hurt Tortola's image.

[Susan Spencer]

They wanted to wrap this up quickly, arrest somebody, preferably not a local person, and then search for evidence. The charge of murder, that's a big charge. Do you realize that this charge can bring you for a life imprisonment without parole?

[Leslie Stahl]

Are these four apparently clean cut young men falsely accused or is there more to this story?

[Susan Spencer]

I asked him whether or not he in fact had anything to do with that killing of Ms. McMullen and he.

[Leslie Stahl]

Said yes, that's next.

[Susan Spencer]

You don't believe in ghosts. I get it. Lots of people don't.

[Leslie Stahl]

I didn't either until I came face.

[Susan Spencer]

To face with them.

[Leslie Stahl]

Ever since that moment, hauntings, spirits and.

[Susan Spencer]

The unexplained have consumed my entire life. I'm Nadine Bailey. I've been a ghost tour guide for the past 20 years. I've taken people along with me into the shadows, uncovering the macabre tales that linger in the darkness and inside some.

[Leslie Stahl]

Of the most haunted houses, hospitals, prisons and more.

[Susan Spencer]

Join me every week on my podcast Haunted Canada as we journey through terrifying and bone chilling stories of the unexplained search for Haunted Canada on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music or wherever you find your favorite podcasts. UFO lands in Suffolk and that's official, said the News of the World. But what really happened across two nights in December 1980 when US servicemen saw mysterious lights in the forest near RAF Woodbridge and claimed to have had a close encounter with an actual craft? Encounters, a new podcast available exclusively on Wondery, takes a deep dive into one of the most famous and still unresolved UFO encounters to ever take place in the uk. Featuring shocking testimony from first hand witnesses, hosts, journalist, podcaster and UFO researcher Andy McVillan, that's me and producer El Scott take us back to the nights in question and examine all of the evidence and conflicting theories about what was encountered in the middle of a Snowy Suffolk Forest 40 years ago. Are we alone? Encounters is a podcast which is going to find out. Listen to Encounters exclusively in ad free on Wondry plus. Join Wondry plus in the Wondry app or in Apple podcasts. Why did you say goodbye? Why did you make me cry?

[Leslie Stahl]

More than a year after Lois McMillan's brutal death, her parents finally will see these four Americans tried for her murder.

[Susan Spencer]

We feel there's guilt that has to be proven. The truth will come out.

[Leslie Stahl]

But Lois's parents aren't the only confident ones today.

[Susan Spencer]

All the boys are looking forward to today so we finally can get the truth out in the courtroom.

[Leslie Stahl]

Barbara Labrador here with her daughter. Honey, are you convinced of your son's innocence?

[Susan Spencer]

Absolutely. No question.

[Leslie Stahl]

From day one hopes the judge simply will dismiss the charges against her son William and his three co defendants, Evan George, Alex Benedetto and Michael Spicer.

[Susan Spencer]

They know that we have done everything, absolutely everything.

[Leslie Stahl]

Everything. Including hiring a team of high priced lawyers, six from the Caribbean and three more from the United States. I anticipate that these boys will be released.

[Susan Spencer]

This case should never have been brought.

[Leslie Stahl]

Facing them, the prosecutor, 35 year old crown counsel Terrence Williams, must have been.

[Susan Spencer]

A terrible way to die. Terrible way to die for her.

[Leslie Stahl]

His case against the defendants is based on an investigation led by Deputy Police Commissioner John Johnston, a Scottish homicide detective with 30 years experience.

[Susan Spencer]

The first thing that I found unusual was that it was a female who appeared to perhaps have drowned, who was lying face upward, which is unusual because when a person drowns naturally they would normally be face down.

[Leslie Stahl]

From evidence found near the scene, we.

[Susan Spencer]

Found a shoe quite close to the body. We found another shoe further up the beach.

[Leslie Stahl]

Investigators pieced together the story of a fight that began in Lois McMillan's car.

[Susan Spencer]

It seems as if it started with a quarrel in her Jeep that she suddenly left the jeep because, you know, you found pieces of her necklace in the Jeep and pieces on the street and pieces on the seaside.

[Leslie Stahl]

Under British law, cameras are forbidden in the courtroom. But as the case progresses, Williams takes the entire court, all nine jurors, the judge, even the defendants, on a dramatic tour of the crime scene.

[Susan Spencer]

Something happened that she was out of fear, fleeing from an attacker. She obviously was running, obviously was a struggle. She has cuts on her hands which are self defense cuts, perhaps grabbing a knife, somebody coming from behind her. She obviously went to get her mace from her handbag because it was found on the rocks on the seaside. But she obviously was overpowered.

[Leslie Stahl]

Williams believes she was trying to make it to this police station, less than 150 yards away from where her body was found.

[Susan Spencer]

She was close enough to a police station, but not close enough.

[Leslie Stahl]

The jury sees the precise spot where Lois McMillan's desperate struggle ended.

[Susan Spencer]

She was pushed head down into the.

[Leslie Stahl]

Sand, as does her father, who keeps his distance.

[Susan Spencer]

So she was both being drowned and being asphyxiated by the sand.

[Leslie Stahl]

Meanwhile, the men Russ McMillan believes murdered his daughter bask in a rare moment outside prison walls, possibly their last for many years to come. Authorities think they have a strong, although circumstantial, case.

[Susan Spencer]

You had apparently blood stained clothing, wet clothing, damp shoes. There were scratch marks on their arms. One of them had a cut somewhere around about the bridge of their nose.

[Leslie Stahl]

The police collected 85 items from the house. Clothing, shoes, even nail clippings.

[Susan Spencer]

Their nails are all cut quite low. Apparently quite recently, and apparently in concert, I felt that we had the right people, that one or more or perhaps even all of them had been responsible for her death and that there was circumstantial evidence at that stage.

[Leslie Stahl]

And Scotland Yard was even brought in. Tests showed that the specs on Michael Spicer's shirt were indeed blood, not barbecue sauce. The prosecution says the blood did not come from the defendants, but it could have come from. From Lois McMillan. A Scotland Yard geologist also inspected Spicer's sandy shoes.

[Susan Spencer]

15% of the sand on her shoes matches the sand at West End where her body was found.

[Leslie Stahl]

Plus, the prosecution says the men's stories were inconsistent.

[Susan Spencer]

The men claim that she was not there in the house with them, but tampons are there. In fact, the deceased, when she was found dead, was wearing a tampon.

[Leslie Stahl]

Finally, there's that ATM receipt the defense is using as an alibi. Prosecutors say it actually puts the four men in the same area as Lois McMillan at a crucial time.

[Susan Spencer]

All of these things built up to sort of give a picture that somehow or other she had come into contact with these four men and that one of them or all of them were responsible for the horrible death that she met.

[Leslie Stahl]

Ridiculous, says the defense, which calls all this so called evidence, like sandy shoes on an island, inconclusive and meaningless.

[Susan Spencer]

There is no concrete physical evidence to tie these guys to Lois's death. Not a shred, nothing.

[Leslie Stahl]

But the prosecution's case is more than physical evidence, its biggest weapon, testimony about an alleged confession by William Labrador.

[Susan Spencer]

Mr. Labrador asked me, did I think that God would forgive him if he had anything to do with killing the girl?

[Leslie Stahl]

Jeffrey Plant, a Texas businessman in jail awaiting trial for passing bad checks, says that Labrador Unburdened himself when the two were cellmates.

[Susan Spencer]

I asked him whether or not he had anything to do with killing her, Ms. McMillan. And he said yes. That they were in an argument driving along and that she attempted to pull into a police station here on the island.

[Leslie Stahl]

And he prevented that.

[Susan Spencer]

And one thing led to another and that he had taken her and drowned her by putting his foot on the back of her neck.

[Leslie Stahl]

An account that directly matched the autopsy report.

[Susan Spencer]

The information that he provided was information which we term as someone having unique knowledge of a crime that could only have been known to the person who.

[Leslie Stahl]

Actually perpetrated the crime for the authorities. Plant pulled the case all together. He fingered the killer and even provided a motive.

[Susan Spencer]

And I asked him why. And what he told me is that it was over money and that she wasn't any good.

[Leslie Stahl]

He told with absolute clarity that he had killed Lois McMillan.

[Susan Spencer]

Absolute clarity.

[Leslie Stahl]

Sid put his foot on her neck.

[Susan Spencer]

Correct.

[Leslie Stahl]

Until she drowned, yes. The prosecution rests after three weeks. But even before the defense starts its case, it takes a surprising turn. If you can keep back, please. That's next. For more than a year, four American men had been held prisoner on the remote Caribbean island of Tortola, accused of murdering their friend Lois McMillan. Since its British territory, Tortola's justice system does have a lot in common with our own. But there are some key differences. Keep in mind that a judge can give an opinion on the evidence when instructing the jury. The prosecution's circumstantial murder case has the families of the four defendants in an uproar. They're convinced it's a frame up. Susan Spencer picks up the story with the defense preparing for its turn in court, hoping to keep one year in prison, prison from becoming life. For 475 days, William Labrador and his three co defendants have watched beautiful Tortolan sunsets from their prison cells.

[Susan Spencer]

You're in an environment where you cannot do anything about it. And the anger that could be derived where there's no release point starts eating at you as a whole.

[Leslie Stahl]

But tomorrow could change that. Tomorrow could bring freedom. It took the prosecution three weeks to wrap up its case. Now the defense wants the judge to dismiss all the charges, claiming there just isn't enough evidence implicating any of the four men in Lois McMillan's murder. But the parents of Lois McMillan firmly believe Tortullan justice has found the killers of their daughter. At least possibly two of them were.

[Susan Spencer]

Really responsible for beating her to death.

[Leslie Stahl]

The two being Mr. Labrador and Mr. Benedetto.

[Susan Spencer]

I think the McMillans wanted someone as a scapegoat. I could understand their loss. I could understand their sorrow. But you do not convict innocent human beings.

[Leslie Stahl]

Prosecutors may have a tough time convicting anyone. Results from Scotland Yard's labs, far from being the slam dunk they expect, expected, are inconclusive at best.

[Susan Spencer]

The blood and sand are extremely circumstantial evidence. I mean, they're about as circumstantial as.

[Leslie Stahl]

You can get and still be admissible. Defense lawyer Sean Murphy, who also is a personal friend of William Labrador, scoffs at the prosecution's evidence.

[Susan Spencer]

A speck of blood was found on Michael Spicer's shirt. Essentially, the prosecution said that a limited DNA profile came from this blood speck. And it could have been Lois McMillan's, but it also could have been one in four people in the world.

[Leslie Stahl]

As for the grains of sand on Spicer's sneakers, sand traced to the same side of the island where Lois body was found.

[Susan Spencer]

It puts Michael Spicer on the south shore of the island sometime in the last decade.

[Leslie Stahl]

That has nothing to do with anything. Not to say that anyone's out of the woods, especially not Murphy's friend, Labrador. The other three were seen partying that night. No one saw Labrador who says he went home early to go to sleep?

[Susan Spencer]

Unfortunately, he was home alone that night. That doesn't make him a murderer.

[Leslie Stahl]

Now it's all up to the court to weigh a month of evidence, hours of argument over a speck of blood, a grain of sand, that alleged confession that Labrador supposedly gave to a jailhouse snitch. The judge takes a full 24 hours to think about it all and then issues a ruling that seems to surprise even the defendants.

[Susan Spencer]

The judge made a ruling, directed the jury to return verdicts of not guilty.

[Leslie Stahl]

He dismisses the murder charges. Three down, one to go against all except Labrador.

[Susan Spencer]

Here come the guys.

[Leslie Stahl]

After a year and a half in.

[Susan Spencer]

Prison, I felt like crying right when I was told because. Because it's been just so long. I thought it would never happen.

[Leslie Stahl]

Evan George Michael Spicer. After 14 months, it's quite a relief, huh?

[Susan Spencer]

But I will be home to America.

[Leslie Stahl]

Tomorrow, I believe and Alex Benedetto are free to go. Give me a kiss.

[Susan Spencer]

Finally. My God, I want to jump in the ocean. I want to jump in the beautiful.

[Leslie Stahl]

Caribbean Sea and have the salt water.

[Susan Spencer]

Wash the circumstances of the prison off me. Boy, that feels wonderful. That is wonderful.

[Leslie Stahl]

Evan George never even had been out of the country until his dream vacation in Tortola 15 months ago. Three days after arriving, he was behind bars yeah, it was a very scary experience. But as pleasant as the ocean swim is, what all three want most is to get all off this island. While the Benedettos steal away to the airport, the checkout from the hotel will.

[Susan Spencer]

Be very, very brisk.

[Leslie Stahl]

Spicer and George catch the first ferry to St. Thomas, the U.S. virgin Islands. A forlorn William Labrador is left behind, although his family now seems more certain than ever that he too soon will be a free man.

[Susan Spencer]

No case is no case. And the only reason that this has continued for William is because of Jeff Plant.

[Leslie Stahl]

The damning testimony of fellow inmate Jeffrey Plant that in prison, William confessed to the murder.

[Susan Spencer]

I haven't killed this woman. And the only evidence or so called evidence that they have is a third time parole violator. It's pretty black and white to me.

[Leslie Stahl]

William's mother says the defense will prove beyond any doubt that Plant is lying about her son.

[Susan Spencer]

A liar is a liar is a liar, period. No exception.

[Leslie Stahl]

That's next.

[Susan Spencer]

I think he did scandalous. I think he was more than framed.

[Leslie Stahl]

William Labrador is sitting in a Tortolan prison largely because of the testimony of one man.

[Susan Spencer]

Good morning, Jeff.

[Leslie Stahl]

Jeffrey Plant, you're absolutely telling the truth about this case?

[Susan Spencer]

Yes, Susan, I am absolutely telling the truth about this.

[Leslie Stahl]

A very convincing Texan who testified that when the two shared a prison cell, Labrador told him in no uncertain terms that he killed Lois McMillan. Why would he choose to tell you this, do you think?

[Susan Spencer]

Maybe he just wanted to get it off his chest. I don't know. He was bothered by something from day one.

[Leslie Stahl]

Labrador's lead attorney, Richard Hector, is about to show a different side to Jeffrey Plant.

[Susan Spencer]

I mean, the man told so many ridiculous lies.

[Leslie Stahl]

He will pull back the curtain on the prosecution's star witness and reveal Plant's far from reputable past. More weddings than Elizabeth Taylor Shannon was wife number 10. 10.

[Susan Spencer]

10.

[Leslie Stahl]

You've been married 10 times?

[Susan Spencer]

Well, I've been married, yes. I've been married 10 times.

[Leslie Stahl]

And a rap sheet that stretches back to the early 60s. I mean, we're talking about convictions for theft or bad checks. I mean, looking at your record, people would say, why in the world would we believe this guy?

[Susan Spencer]

Since there was absolutely no benefit to me whatsoever. None. Why would I not be believed?

[Leslie Stahl]

Well, the contention is that there certainly was potential benefit to you that you had charges reduced over this.

[Susan Spencer]

There was absolutely. Susan, no deal whatsoever offered to me.

[Leslie Stahl]

Defense attorney Hector knows he. His entire case could depend on discrediting Jeffrey Plant. And he has his own star witness, Tisha Neville. All the Way from Texas, Plant's former parole officer.

[Susan Spencer]

I just would hate to see an innocent man go to prison because of Mr. Plant's testimony.

[Leslie Stahl]

She will testify that he is both a con man and a professional liar.

[Susan Spencer]

He's a swindler and he's left lots of lawyers with unpaid bills and there's creditors, a million of them out there after him.

[Leslie Stahl]

As the defense rests, the Labradors are convinced his credibility has been destroyed. There are no forensics, there is no evidence. So all we had to do is discredit Jeff Plant. And you know Tisha Neville did that in spades yesterday.

[Susan Spencer]

Yes, God gave us an angel in Turkey. I know, she's unbelievable.

[Leslie Stahl]

But the prosecution hopes jurors will focus not on Plant's shady past, but on his specific account of the murder.

[Susan Spencer]

It actually fitted in with the pathologist's interpretation, which fitted in with her own interpretation of the events. And, you know, the fact that she was held. Now, that prisoner could not have known that. There is no way that he could have known it unless somebody came and physically told him.

[Leslie Stahl]

As the exhausting six week trial ends.

[Susan Spencer]

I haven't felt like this in so long.

[Leslie Stahl]

The Labradors are upbeat. We're going back today, we're going to start packing, getting our stuff together. Positive affirmation to get off this island. Now the judge must instruct the jury. And under this system, he is allowed to tell them his opinion of the evidence. He certainly does. He says he finds some of William Labrador's story implausible, but that much of Jeffrey Plant's detailed testimony could be true. With that, he sends the jury off to make up its own mind.

[Susan Spencer]

Everybody's praying everything is in God's hands today. The jury's still sitting, deliberating. How much longer the people here in the courthouse will have to.

[Leslie Stahl]

No one knows. Afternoon turns to evening. A large crowd gathers outside the courtroom.

[Susan Spencer]

I just want this whole nightmare to be over.

[Leslie Stahl]

And finally, after almost eight hours of deliberation, the jury decides. Guilty.

[Susan Spencer]

Collapsed. They kept saying over and over, where's the justice? Where is the justice? They immediately put handcuffs on him and whisked him out the door.

[Leslie Stahl]

William Labrador is found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole.

[Susan Spencer]

We've spent 482 days to get to this point. I'm sitting there waiting for not guilty. And then Mr. Labrador, life in prison. And they proceed to handcuff me. My mother screams. They escort me out of there.

[Leslie Stahl]

See, the judge let the jury, the.

[Susan Spencer]

Judge did not let them allow the.

[Leslie Stahl]

Evidence that they had asked for. Make note. Labrador's friends and family are furious, lashing out in court at Lois McMillan's parents.

[Susan Spencer]

I screamed. I screamed in the court. I said, you have done your daughter a terrible disservice because somebody is still walking around this island that did this to her. They didn't say a word.

[Leslie Stahl]

They didn't say a word.

[Susan Spencer]

They know.

[Leslie Stahl]

I looked them straight in the eye after the conviction. I looked him straight in the eye and I said, you know what you've done? I go, you know what you've done? The McMillans had little response that night. Mrs. McMillan simply saying, My heart has been lifted. Even after the verdict, the case against William Labrador was still far from over.

[Susan Spencer]

Stay with us. Harvard is the oldest and richest university in America. But when a social media fueled fight over Harvard and its new president broke out last fall, that was no protection. Claudine Gay is now gone. We've exposed the DEI regime and there's much more to come. This is the Harvard Plan, a special series from the Boston Globe and WNYC's on the Media to listen. Subscribe to onthemedia wherever you get your podcasts. Megan Stoner was a young, passionate Republican and a self proclaimed advocate for mental health. But behind her public Persona lurked a master of deception. I'm Tiffany Reiss, host of Something Was wrong in season 22. We're diving into the twisted world of a con artist who's been allegedly scamming and making false claims for over a decade. From the US To Canada, Meagan Stoner has left a trail of devastation for her victims. But after a brief period of incarceration, she's now back out on the streets. And although she's free now, we're actively working with law enforcement to to further justice for the victims of her alleged crimes. This isn't just another true crime story. It's a wake up call about trust, deception and the power of community to fight back. Follow Something Was Wrong on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can binge all episodes of Something was wrong season 22 ad free right now by joining Wondery.

[Leslie Stahl]

It's Mother's Day 2001 and it's not a happy one for Barbara Labrador.

[Susan Spencer]

I never expected that I'd be leaving without him. On Mother's Day.

[Leslie Stahl]

She's leaving Tortola for home, but vowing to continue to fight for her son as he begins his life sentence.

[Susan Spencer]

I don't know anywhere in the free world that you can go to bed at 12:15 in the morning and spend 16 months in prison and then be convicted of murder.

[Leslie Stahl]

At the time, that seemed the final chapter in one of Tortola's most notorious murder cases, the island was quiet again. William Labrador sat in prison and he languished there for another two years after his conviction. Through it all, his mother Barbara, never lost hope.

[Susan Spencer]

Never give up. Never give up when you are innocent. Never, never give up.

[Leslie Stahl]

Labrador faced his final shot at freedom. He appealed to the island's highest court, based in London. The news could not have been better. The British court threw out Labrador's conviction and ordered him released.

[Susan Spencer]

It will be so nice to have him with me and not having to go into a prison to see him.

[Leslie Stahl]

In its ruling, the judges labeled Jeffrey Plant, the prison informant who claimed Labrador confessed to him a compulsive liar.

[Susan Spencer]

When the only way you can convict an innocent person is to get a career criminal to lie, there's something wrong. And that must change.

[Leslie Stahl]

On April 7, 2003, after serving almost three and a half years for Lois McMillan's murder, 39 year old William Labrador walked out of prison a free man.

[Susan Spencer]

Very relieved. It's been a long journey.

[Leslie Stahl]

What has it been like for you?

[Susan Spencer]

Well, from the very outset, 1179 days ago, an innocent man has been sitting in prison for that period of time. It's time to go live my life again, which, thank God, was not taken away from me.

[Leslie Stahl]

As William Labrador returned to New York and a new life, Lois McMillan's parents and family just tried to put the case behind them.

[Susan Spencer]

It's been physically, emotionally exhausting, very.

[Leslie Stahl]

While always keeping Lois's memory alive.

[Susan Spencer]

We lost a beautiful, beautiful young woman. Gone.

[Leslie Stahl]

The rest of it is after the fact.

[Susan Spencer]

Follow if you like this podcast, you can listen ad free right now by.

[Leslie Stahl]

Joining Wondery in the Wondery app. Before you go, tell us about yourself.

[Susan Spencer]

By filling out a quick [e-mail] survey. He was hip hop's biggest mogul. The man who redefined fame, fortune and the music industry.

[Leslie Stahl]

The first male rapper to be honored.

[Susan Spencer]

On the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Sean Diddy Combs. Diddy built an empire and lived a life most people only dream about.

[Leslie Stahl]

Everybody know ain't no party like a Diddy party.

[Susan Spencer]

So, yeah, that's your son. But just as quickly as his empire rose, it came crashing down. Today I'm announcing the unsealing of a three count indictment charging Sean Combs with racketeering, conspiracy, sex trafficking, interstate transportation for prostitution. I was up. I hit rock bottom. But I made no excuses. I'm disgusted. I'm so sorry. Until you're wearing an orange jumpsuit. It's not real.

[Leslie Stahl]

Now it's real.

[Susan Spencer]

From his meteoric rise to his shocking fall from grace from law and crime. This is the rise and fall of Diddy. Listen. To the rise and fall of Diddy. Exclusively with Wondery.