310. The Suspicious Death of Lois McMillen

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Murder With My Husband

Episode 310: The Suspicious Death of Lois McMillen
Release Date: March 2, 2026
Hosts: Peyton Moreland & Garrett Moreland

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Episode Overview

This episode delves into the mysterious and still-unsolved murder of Lois McMillen, a 34-year-old artist who was found dead on the island of Tortola in the British Virgin Islands in 2000. Peyton and Garrett recount Lois’s privileged upbringing, the circumstances leading up to her death, the subsequent investigation, and the controversial prosecution of four American men—all tourists—who were charged and eventually acquitted. The hosts critically examine how circumstantial evidence, questionable witnesses, and investigative shortcomings led to justice remaining elusive decades later.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Lois McMillen’s Background and Life Before the Crime

(04:24 – 09:58)

• Lois grew up in an affluent family, splitting her time between Connecticut and her family's winter estate on Tortola.
• She enjoyed a privileged childhood with activities like horseback riding, travel, and art, eventually pursuing painting as a career.
• Lois was known for giving back, volunteering with Make A Wish, Greenpeace, and the Humane Society.
• The family became close with other American “snowbirds”, notably the Spicer family and their son Michael.

Notable Quote:

“She had horseback riding lessons, trips to summer sleepaway camps, school abroad in Switzerland...an upbringing most children only dream of.” – Peyton [05:49]

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2. Setting the Stage: The Fatal Vacation

(09:58 – 13:49)

• Michael Spicer arrives on Tortola with friends Alex Benedetto, Evan George, and William Labrador. Lois reconnects with them; her past romantic involvement with Alex is noted.
• On January 13th, Lois dines with the group. The following night, she goes out alone to the Jolly Roger Inn.
• Lois is last seen around 10:30pm, driving off alone from the bar.

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3. Discovery of the Body and Initial Investigation

(13:49 – 21:19)

• The next morning, a local, Winsome Manning, discovers a female body along the rocky shoreline, unrecognizable due to seawater exposure.
• Key evidence found along the path included scattered belongings (necklace, mace, shoe) and blood on the rocks, suggesting foul play over accidental drowning.
• Lois's parents report her missing, and soon police link the missing person to the body found.

Memorable Moment:

“When Lois still wasn’t back by 10am the next morning, her parents raced down to the local police station...I just can’t. Like, that would just be so sad...How do you take that in?” – Garrett [18:58]

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4. Early Suspicions & Interrogations

(21:19 – 31:38)

• Police locate Lois’s car—clean, undamaged, but with its floor wet and sandy, and suspiciously wiped of fingerprints.
• Lois’s mother expresses suspicion about the four young men’s lack of contact after Lois’s death.
• Police question Michael Spicer and friends, noting their confused reactions but also observing red flags:
  • Wet, sandy sneakers at the house
  • Red stain on Michael’s shirt (later tested)
  • Resistance from Alex during the room search
  • Tampons matching Lois’s brand in Alex’s trash
  • Recent trimmed fingernails on all men

Notable Quote:

“It feels like he has nothing to hide...all of the boys deny having anything to do with Lois’s death. Still, the police are thinking these four guys are their best lead at the moment.” – Peyton [26:33]

Discussion:
The hosts repeatedly question whether these are just coincidences or valid points of suspicion, noting that much of the evidence is circumstantial.

“Like, from the outside looking in right now, extremely difficult. Like, I don’t think you...there’s no way this gets past a jury. It’s all circumstantial.” – Garrett [31:07]

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5. Charges and Forensic Shortcomings

(31:38 – 37:10)

• Despite a lack of direct evidence, the four men are arrested on suspicion of murder.
• DNA analysis and forensic testing (blood stains, sand samples, shoeprints) yield no connection to the suspects.
• The case is purely circumstantial until a jailhouse informant emerges.

Memorable Moment:

“All of it told the same story. None of it connected to any of these four men. So the case is purely circumstantial. That was until a man named Jeffrey Plant came into the picture.” – Peyton [35:57]

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6. The Jailhouse Snitch and Questionable Testimony

(37:10 – 44:16)

• Jeffrey Plant claims William confessed the crime to him, describing details matching the mode of death.
• The defense points out Plant’s history as a conman and serial informant, having lied before for personal gain.
• Despite this, Plant’s testimony becomes the prosecution’s only substantial evidence against William.

Notable Quote:

“You can. Trusting an informant seems extremely difficult, especially one who has a history of lying. Like knowingly lying.” – Peyton [38:36]

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7. The Trial and Acquittal

(42:07 – 44:47)

• After prolonged pretrial detention, the court acquits Michael, Alex, and Evan due to lack of evidence.
• William remains on trial solely due to Plant’s contested testimony; he is found guilty and sentenced to life.
• William's conviction is eventually overturned, with the British court citing “judicial errors” and the unreliability of the prosecution's informant, barring retrial.

Notable Quote:

“Their ruling also comes with another win for William Labrador. It bars a retrial. Which means after nearly three years behind bars...he’s finally allowed to return to the States, get back to his life without fear of being retried.” – Peyton [45:32]

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8. Loose Ends, Alternative Suspects, and Unanswered Questions

(45:25 – 51:24)

• The hosts discuss the failure to seriously pursue other leads, such as Lois’s ex-fiancé, Luigi Longorini, who had a history of abuse and a possible motive but was never questioned or tested for DNA.
• Other puzzling aspects: evidence Lois had intercourse in the 48 hours prior (DNA not matching the accused), untraced man seen with her at the bar, and forensic suggestions that her body may have drifted from deeper waters.
• Peyton emphasizes the investigation seemed “improperly handled from the beginning,” with DNA and other leads seemingly lost.

Notable Quote:

“Sometimes...the investigation has been, like, pounded into the dirt...But there is so much investigation done. I do feel like this investigation was just handled improperly from the beginning.” – Peyton [50:44]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the plight of suspects in a flawed system:

  “Say you are innocent. You go out with this girl, you’re just on vacation with your friends and police show up, wake you up...and the next day you’re arrested, you’ve been in jail since, and now you’re at trial. Like, that’s low key, wild.” – Peyton [39:13]

• On unreliable criminal informants:

  “I this is wild. If he goes to prison...based off of an informant that was a liar previously. That’s not fair.” – Garrett [42:40]

• On the unresolved nature of the case:

  “There just isn’t enough evidence for me to think it was them. There’s no other suspects. Like, how does that happen? Just a cold case gone. Just nothing.” – Garrett [50:27]

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Timeline of Key Events

• 05:49: Lois McMillen’s privileged upbringing and penchant for art
• 13:49: Lois is last seen at Jolly Roger Inn (January 14, 1999)
• 15:12: Body is found; clues suggest possible attack
• 21:19: Lois’s car is recovered, evidence is ambiguous but suspicious
• 26:33: Interrogation of the four men; circumstantial red flags
• 31:38: All four arrested on murder charges
• 35:56: Forensic evidence provides no direct link to accused
• 37:10: Jailhouse informant Jeffrey Plant’s claims
• 42:07: Michael, Alex, and Evan acquitted
• 44:47: William Labrador is convicted, later exonerated (45:25)
• 47:39: Alternative suspect Luigi Longorini introduced, never investigated
• 50:23: Episode concludes with the case still unsolved

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Tone and Approach

Peyton brings empathy and thoroughness to the storytelling, always centering both victim and accused in her analysis of justice. Garrett, his skepticism and practicality evident, constantly questions the viability of circumstantial cases and flawed prosecutions. Together, they maintain a conversational, easygoing tone that balances seriousness with levity, ensuring the episode is informative without being overly somber.

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Conclusion

The suspicious death of Lois McMillen remains unsolved, overshadowed by a flawed investigation, circumstantial evidence, and judicial missteps that left her family without closure. This episode highlights the dangers of rushed prosecutions and the importance of competent investigations, leaving listeners with a lingering sense of injustice and unanswered questions.

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Transcript

[Peyton Moreland]

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[Garrett Moreland]

No, just the salad.

[Peyton Moreland]

But salad cancels Fries.

[Garrett Moreland]

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[Peyton Moreland]

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[Peyton Moreland]

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[Garrett Moreland]

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[Peyton Moreland]

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[Garrett Moreland]

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[Peyton Moreland]

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[Peyton Moreland]

You're listening to an Ono Media podcast. Hey, everybody. Welcome back to the podcast. This is Murder with My Husband. I'm Peyton Moreland.

[Garrett Moreland]

And I'm Garrett Moreland.

[Peyton Moreland]

And he's the husband.

[Garrett Moreland]

And I'm the husband. Welcome back. Thank you for being here. Thank you for listening. Thank you for watching. We appreciate you. Another week, another podcast. That's all I got. All I got.

[Peyton Moreland]

Can you tell we're tired?

[Garrett Moreland]

Little tired.

[Peyton Moreland]

I don't know, Gary, your hair is like blowing in the wind.

[Garrett Moreland]

No, my hair's getting long. Hair's getting crazy. I don't have too much of a 10 seconds this week. I'm going to be honest. I've been sitting here while we're recording trying to think, and I can't think. Just been working a lot. So I don't have too much for you guys. I'm sorry. But I will say thank you to everyone who conversed and DM me and commented talking about last week's criminal defense attorneys and prosecutors. I'm a pretty open book in general. I like to hear other people's opinions and hear what other people have to say. So thanks for the conversations. Yeah, kind of all. I got something Peyton and I are trying to figure out. I feel like this might be a good 10 seconds. Is it is extremely. And when I say extremely, I mean extremely dry in our room at night. Like to the point where Peyton and I fall asleep and then we both wake up and it feels like there is someone's hand over our faces.

[Peyton Moreland]

Like, it feels like I have a sore throat every time I wake up.

[Garrett Moreland]

And we both have humidifiers. We've tried everything. I, I don't know. Maybe, maybe we need better humidifiers, but we have big humidifiers. I, I don't know. Honestly, at this point, like, I would pay for, you know, those air conditioning units people put in. They're like those single units. I would pay for one of those if someone could hook a water line up to it and then constantly just push steam into my room.

[Peyton Moreland]

You want a steam shower bedroom?

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah, I just, I, it was like, it was like 19% humidity in our room the other night. And that might not seem dry to

[Peyton Moreland]

people, but, well, it doesn't help that we have like the worst air quality ever as well, like tacked onto that high elevation.

[Garrett Moreland]

It's just all the things, it's really bad. I'm probably just complaining for no reason. But if anyone has any ideas or thoughts, please let us know. On top of that, thanks again for listening. Thank you for being here. And we are going to hop into today's episode.

[Peyton Moreland]

Our sources for this episode are Murder in Paradise by Lisa Pulitzer, ABCNews.go.com, newsweek.com, NewYorkPost.com CNN.com LATimes.com Casemind.com CBSNews.com and AlexCrista.com I want everyone to imagine this, including you, Gary. Your friend invites you to come stay at their vacation home on a tropical island for a week. So you're beyond excited because your accommodations are practically free. Plus, they know all of the hot spots in the area, all of the great restaurants to eat at, all of the private beaches to go to, and all of the most interesting locals to hang out with. So you pack your bags and you take off for what will surely be a trip to remember. And it is. But not in the way you hoped. One night out changes everything. And the next thing you know, you're trapped on this island, spending the next few years in a cold jail cell, wondering, how did things go so wrong so fast? Now, this was the story of not one, but four American men in 2000 after a young woman was found dead where they were vacationing. Okay, These four men insisted they were innocent, but the question remains to this day. If they didn't do it, then who did? So today we are turning back the clock to the year 1999. Okay. We are hopping on a plane to the exotic island of Tortola in the British Virgin Islands to basically what the local tourist board calls nature's little city secret. It's just 60 miles east of Puerto Rico, and the island was a hot spot for wealthy British and American families to stay during the winter months of the year. So just a vacation island. Not only was it beautiful and a great place to surf and sail, it also had a practically non existent crime rate and only about a total of 19,000 residents at the time. So definitely a little secret hidden spot. Which is probably why the McMillan family thought in 1999 it was the perfect spot to escape to each winter. Now, Russell and Josephine McMillan had been coming to Tortola for the last 20 years. Now with their 34 year old daughter, Lois. They had been living in Connecticut the rest of the time, ever since Lois was born in 1965. Now, Russell did have children from another marriage, but Lois was his only child with his second wife, Josephine. And because Lois was the baby of the family, she was given an upbringing most children only dream of. And this is on top of having a vacation home in a tropical island in the winter. Yep, she had horseback riding lessons, trips to summer sleepaway camps, school abroad in Switzerland, and then obviously, her annual vacation to their beach house. Now, over the years, the family got to know the other snowbirds who wintered in the island. Lois looked forward to going to the island every year. Growing up, not only was it quality time with her family, it was a break from school, which, honestly, she wasn't very good at. Plus, it was a chance to paint until her heart was content. So, yes, growing up through high school, Lois was a great painter. And as she grew into a young adult, she actually Tried to find her way through a series of different colleges and potential career paths. From dropping out of Boston University in 1985 to modeling classes in Connecticut to voice and acting classes and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, she tried it all. She actually even moved across the country to Los Angeles for some time to try and pursue stardom there. But after meeting one too many directors and producers looking to cast her in exchange for a date, Lois got fed up with the entertainment industry and the constant disappointment. And that's when she finally went back to her roots and decided art and painting were just her real calling. So in the early 90s, she attended the Parsons School of Design in New York. And when Lois wasn't studying or painting, she was volunteering her time with organizations like the Make a Wish Foundation, Greenpeace, or the Humane Society. But as of 1999, the time of our story, Lois was back under her parents roof in Connecticut trying to get some gallery shows going. She already had quite a bit of success after her first showing. Made her close to $10,000. And ironically, a year before, she had actually made a painting called the World is Killing Women. It was a piece so powerful, her parents hung it on the walls of their home in their beach house. Place where Lois had always felt safe. It was consistent, the spot she knew they would go and slow down for the winter in a place where she had actually met some people she thought would be lifelong friends in this little vacation place, like a guy named Michael Spicer.

[Garrett Moreland]

You know, I've always found art really interesting, partly because I don't really understand it, mainly because the only artist I've ever really looked into is Banksy. So I don't know, I just. I think it's interesting how like some pieces can go for so much money, just have so much more value than other pieces.

[Peyton Moreland]

I think it's definitely one of those worlds you have to be into.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah. And I don't really understand, appreciate kind

[Peyton Moreland]

of like fashion, right? Like there's like white, there's some like,

[Garrett Moreland]

like funky fashion that I think it's similar to that. Yeah.

[Peyton Moreland]

Now, the Spicer family was another wealthy snowbird family on the island that had a home just up the hill from the McMillan's. And at the time, 36 year old Michael was a law student in Virginia. Now he and Lois had known each other for quite a while now, basically from kind of growing up on the island together. But the relationship was fairly casual. They would now go to the bars together, go swimming together in the Spicer's pool. But when they were back to their real lives, it's not like they kept in touch. It was more just this life they had when they went to the island. But Michael had introduced her to someone else a few winters before. It was a friend of his named Alex Benedetto. Now Alex was the son of a wealthy publisher and now worked at his father's company back in New York. And he had come out with Michael a few times with his family to Tortola. And he and Lois actually did have a brief summer romance. Seemingly ended on good terms because come 1999, Lois was willing to spend time with him again when he came out to visit that winter with his friend. In fact, Michael had brought a couple of friends with him that winter since his parents decided to stay back in the state. So he's in his 30s, he's going to his parents house and they have it to themselves. I'll tell you who they are. 35 year old Alex, which is her old fling, as well as 23 year old construction worker Evan George and 36 year old William Labrador, who owned his own PR and modeling agency in New York City. So these four American guys. Now the reason that Michael Spicer, who is the friend with the family home there, knew some of the other boys was William and Alex had grown up together, which was how he was introduced to Michael. And Evan seemed to be dating Michael Spicer at the time of that vacation. So it's maybe his boyfriend, his friend and his friend's friend. Either way, the four of them were excited about spending the holidays on the island that year. They'd spend their days lounging around the pool or beach, hiking, hitting the bars, hanging out a bit with Lois McMillan, the other girl whose family had the place and had grown up there. So on the night of January 13th, Michael and his friends invited Lois out to dinner with them. Now Lois had a car and they didn't, so they actually offered to pay for her meal if she drove. So she left her house around 5:30 that night and then was back home later that evening. But then the following afternoon she told her mother she was just planning to go out alone that night. She wanted to listen to some music at a venue on the other side of the island called the Jolly Roger Inn. Okay, so that night, January 14, Lois left her family's home around 9pm but by 12:31am, oh gosh. Lois's parents were getting worried. I mean yes, she's in her 30s. But when Lois still wasn't back by 10am the next morning, her Parents raced down to the local police station to report their daughter Lois missing. But let's rewind a bit to three hours before the parents drove down and made that report. In the same area, a woman named Winsome Manning left her home on the island for a morning stroll. And about an hour into that journey, she was looking down at the water along the rocky shoreline when she noticed there was a body face up. The waves were crashing against it, and it appeared to her that this body was no longer moving. Now, Winsome didn't bother to get a closer look. Instead she ran to the police station that was less than a mile away and reported the body to the officers on duty. Detectives obviously rushed over and immediately confirmed what Winsome had seen. There was a body of a young woman whose face had been bloated by seawater to the point that she was unrecognizable. They start investigating. She had no id, no pocketbook, and her shirt and bra were pulled up so her, her breasts were exposed. Now, the detectives gut instinct was that this woman had drowned, perhaps hit her head, maybe slipped.

[Garrett Moreland]

Okay.

[Peyton Moreland]

But nearby there were other clues that suggested maybe there was more to the story. So as they scanned the path from the street to her body, they found things like a gold necklace, a can of mace, a hair clip, and a single shoe along the path. I mean, this is kind of some random discarded things. The can of mace alone was enough to signal the victim might have been running from an attacker. She loses a shoe, jewelry. A police sergeant also noticed some blood stains on the rocks along the seawall, with some tiny red spots leading down to the water, indicating that before this victim had even made it to the water, they were probably injured and bleeding on their way there.

[Garrett Moreland]

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[Peyton Moreland]

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[Garrett Moreland]

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[Peyton Moreland]

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[Peyton Moreland]

that point, the police were worried that identifying the victim might be difficult considering there was no missing persons reported in the area. But then 10am rolls around and Mr. And Mrs. McMillan go down to the station and say, hey, our adult daughter Lois didn't make it out.

[Garrett Moreland]

I just. I just can't. Like, that would just be so sad. And it happens in a lot of our cases. But. And how do you, how do you receive that information? Like, how do you take that in when someone, when the police, I mean, even if you're like in the armed services, anything, right? When they have to tell you, hey, like, your loved one is dead.

[Peyton Moreland]

Well, and I mean, think whoever they talked to, whether it was the front desk person first or whoever, and they, hey, we need to report our daughter missing right before they've even gotten to the report. Yeah, everyone in that small local police station knows there was a body found that morning.

[Garrett Moreland]

Oh, for sure.

[Peyton Moreland]

You know what I mean? So. Cuz that doesn't happen that often here.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yep.

[Peyton Moreland]

Now there's a girl missing. Everyone's immediately connecting the dots. And these parents have no idea, which is just.

[Garrett Moreland]

It's sad.

[Peyton Moreland]

It is so devastating. So they are like, hey, she didn't make it home from a night out. At first they suspected that Lois had gotten into a car accident the night before. I mean, the roads along Tortola were pretty dangerous. Winding, not well lit. Many of them didn't even have guardrails to prevent a car from veering off a cliff into the water below. I mean, it's an island. Yeah, and foul play was probably the last thing on the McMillan's mind since violent crime is basically unheard of and they know a lot of people around the area. However, once the McMillan stepped foot into that police station looking for Lois, the officers put two and two together. 34 year old missing. Lois McMillan was their victim. By that afternoon, with the McMillan's help, police also located Lois's car. But when they find it, it is in perfect condition. There's no signs of an accident or anything of that sort. It was actually discovered less than a mile away from her body, just parked at a ferry dock. Now inside they discover a single gold earring and a brass colored heart pendant that actually matched the necklace they had found earlier near her body. Which basically just confirms the necklace had fallen off. Police also noticed the floor on the driver's side of the vehicle was wet and sandy. Not that rare for an island.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah, but it's something I don't know.

[Peyton Moreland]

I mean, it's. The driver's side is wet and sandy, so that means that maybe she was wet and sandy. So detectives tried to gather some fingerprints from the vehicle, thinking, okay, maybe it wasn't her who, who was wet and got in here. Maybe someone chased her down and then got in her car and parked it here. But there were barely any fingerprints. Not on a steering wheel, gear shift, door handles. Which means someone had likely wiped the vehicle down. So it was most likely parked here. Which does answer a question for them, but doesn't really get them any closer to finding out who. The only thing of note was a shoe print found on the rear door panel of the car. So the next step for detectives is to try to retrace Lois's steps from the night before. Her parents tell Police you know, we had dinner with her at our beach house after a long day of shopping. They say Lois seemed to be in good spirits. She was excited about going to the bar at the Jolly Roger Inn to listen to some music. She had put on a new outfit she had bought with her mother shopping that day and then left around 9pm the officers check, and a bartender said Lois did come in by herself that night and ordered a drink. But some witnesses saw her talking to an unidentified man at the bar. And another witness claimed they saw Lois leave the bar around 10:30pm they say she got into her car and she did drive off alone, and they didn't see anyone follow her. Now, after that, no one admitted to seeing or speaking to Lois again until the following morning, when her body was discovered on those rocks along the surf. Now, news of this is going to spread fast, so a lot of the McMillan's friends and neighbors reach out to express how sorry they are for their loss. But there's one group that hasn't reached out to Lois's mother, Josephine, that she finds really strange. Michael Spicer and his friends. She knows that these two know each other. They were, you know, friends on this island. And she knows they were just hanging out together the night before. So why wouldn't he at least be especially upset over Lois's death? And then you also have Alex, her old summer fling. Why wouldn't he be upset? Why wouldn't he have reached out? In fact, she thinks it's suspicious. And so she has no problem telling police. A lot of people have reached out. I know she hung out with this group of boys the night before, and this is suspicious because they have not said anything to me, and these two were pretty good friends. So police waste no time racing up to the Spicer home to talk to the four guys, because here's the.

[Garrett Moreland]

Here is the thing. You're in a small town or on an island, there's not many suspects, and

[Peyton Moreland]

there's even less snowbirds who know each other.

[Garrett Moreland]

There's only a handful of suspects. This could be like, I'm hoping it's open and shut. I'm hoping they find out who it is. If there's lack of evidence, it's going to be hard, but there can't be that many people.

[Peyton Moreland]

So they get to the Spicer home and they actually find the boys sleeping off a hangover from the night before, which could explain why they hadn't reached out because they weren't even up for the day and had heard the news. So police break the News to Michael Spicer on why they're there, and he does come off totally blindsided. So, like, the news of Lois's death was shocking. It wasn't even really reaching them. Now, when detectives asked Michael when he last saw Lois, he says it was Thursday around 11pm she dropped off Michael and his friend Evan before heading home. But as they start questioning Michael, one of the detectives notices something. There's a few pairs of wet, sandy sneakers lined up near the pool area of the home. Obviously, they're in a beach town, so this might not seem that weird, but police do have to make the connection that there was wet, sandy spots in Lois's car. And they do believe whoever had done this moved the car. I mean, this really does seem to set off alarm bells for detectives, but it doesn't seem that out of place for me. Eventually, the other guys start to come out of the house to speak with police, each appearing just as shocked as the last. To find out why the police were there, to find out the news about Lois, the girl they had just gone to dinner with. So the detectives start asking them some questions, including what clothes they were wearing last night. Now, the four guys go inside, they grab the items of clothing and happily hand them over to police. But there's one thing on Michael Spicer shirt that immediately does look worrisome to them. It's a small red stain about the size of a quarter just above the breast pocket.

[Garrett Moreland]

I mean, I get it. It makes sense. But I don't think walking around, I would ever think of that, like, if I saw a stain on someone's shirt.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah, but if you're a cop.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah, if you're a cop.

[Peyton Moreland]

Shirt investigating homicide.

[Garrett Moreland]

Or else it's spaghetti.

[Peyton Moreland]

Okay.

[Garrett Moreland]

You know what I'm saying? Not.

[Peyton Moreland]

I mean, if it was you, probably. You do love to spill spaghetti.

[Garrett Moreland]

Oh, all the time. I'm a major spaghetti spiller.

[Peyton Moreland]

So of course they're like, thank you. Thank you for this clothing. Michael. You just handed us clothing with a red stain on it. What is this? He tells the police, I don't know what that is, but you're more than likely to take it and figure it out. So police are like, it feels like he has nothing to hide. In fact, all of the boys deny having anything to do with Lois's death. Still, the police are thinking these four guys are their best lead at the moment. So they tell them they'll come back later that day with an official search warrant. And they do. And keep in mind, her mom has said this is suspicious. She was with these four boys two nights earlier. So, I mean, police are working on a hunch, but from the outside looking in, it seems abrupt. Yeah.

[Garrett Moreland]

It doesn't seem like there's anything. This is. It's hard.

[Peyton Moreland]

But as they're searching the house and collecting potential evidence, police notice that Alex, the one who used to date Lois, is acting a bit strange. As police are there, he blocks the door to the room he's staying in and sort of goes on about, I don't want you going in here. This is an infringement of my rights. Didn't do anything wrong. Michael, who is also there, says, this is actually typical Alex. He's the kind of guy who is not gonna let cops search his room just because it is an infringement of his rights. And he. He's gonna be honest about it. I mean, he.

[Garrett Moreland]

Davis, search warranty.

[Peyton Moreland]

He's also a lawyer.

[Garrett Moreland]

Oh, okay.

[Peyton Moreland]

I mean, he's in his 30s. He's a lawyer. So even if he has nothing to hide, there is something about, like, sticking it to the man for sure. And. And Michael, his friend, is like, yeah, this is totally something he would do. He's the guy. And a guy would make a scene. But the police find it suspicious. Now, eventually, they move past him. They collect a bunch of items from the room he's staying in. Pillows, bedding, clothing. By the end of the search, they've taken more than 85 items from the beach house, including 50 fingernail clippings and tampons that they found in a waste basket inside Alex's bathroom.

[Garrett Moreland]

Okay.

[Peyton Moreland]

Which obviously, the police find particularly strange because the men had told them Lois was never inside the house the night they hung out. But police also know she was on her period when she died.

[Garrett Moreland]

Well, that's actually really interesting. Okay.

[Peyton Moreland]

And she did have the exact brand of tampons they found in Alex's wastebasket in his bathroom inside her purse.

[Garrett Moreland]

So they're gonna test them for DNA, see if they match.

[Peyton Moreland]

I mean, almost most girls do get a period. So if he had any other girl. But it is weird, I will say so. By later that afternoon, all four men are being called down to the station to give more formal statements to the police. And all of the men give the same story they initially did. They say they saw Lois the night before. She was last seen on January 13, but not the final night of her life. January 14, they said the night she did die, they had dinner at the Spicers home and then went out around 11pm to a club called Ketos. But William Labrador actually did stay home that Night, he said he was tired since they were up at 7:30 that morning, hiking. Now, while the other guys were out partying till 3am which other witnesses at the club do come confirm.

[Garrett Moreland]

Okay.

[Peyton Moreland]

William was home at the Spicers home. He just watched some TV and then went to bed around 12:15am but there was one thing that raised red flags for detectives. William Labrador did have a small cut on his nose. He said, oh, I got it earlier in the day, hiking. And apparently Alex also had a few scratches on him, which he said, no, that was from the hike as well. But there was something else the police found suspicious. All of the men had recently cut their fingernails, like, very short to the point where it was hard for detectives to cut them again for samples.

[Garrett Moreland]

I mean, I'd be screwed. I bought my nails every single day.

[Peyton Moreland]

Okay. They figure between the lack of reaching out to Lois's family, which the boys claim they were asleep, the wet, sandy shoes at a beach house, the stained shirt, Alex's reaction when they searched his room, the tampon, the cuts and the scratches on two of the men, the cut fingernails, they believe someone here is guilty.

[Garrett Moreland]

This is hard because this is very circumstantial.

[Peyton Moreland]

Right?

[Garrett Moreland]

Like from the outside looking in right now, extremely difficult. Like, I don't think you. There's no way this gets past a jury. Like, it's. It's all circumstantial. It's all kind of random stuff too, like, oh, these guys cut their nails short. Okay.

[Peyton Moreland]

It feels definitely.

[Garrett Moreland]

There's wet shoes. Okay. You're by a beach house.

[Peyton Moreland]

A lot of coincidences.

[Garrett Moreland]

But also not saying they didn't do it because I don't know what's going to happen yet in the case. But difficult.

[Peyton Moreland]

On the flip side, the mom's gut thought it was suspicious. She was just with these boys. She had dated one of them. So there's an ex boyfriend. Yes, they do find a tampon in the bathroom of that ex boyfriend's bathroom. Same tampon she was wearing. So there are like. You understand why they're suspicious, but it doesn't feel like enough to arrest them. Now, despite that, that day, January 15th, this is literally the next day, they arrest all four of them on suspicion of murder.

[Garrett Moreland]

Now, hoping they have something.

[Peyton Moreland]

Keep in mind, we're in the British Virgin Islands.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah.

[Peyton Moreland]

They can hold people for days or weeks without officially charging them with a crime, which is why they probably just make the arrest. I'm sure America would do that too, if you weren't on a time crunch. So that is basically what Ends up happening here. Now, after confiscating the men's wallets, they find something interesting and Alex's. It is an ATM receipt from that night. Money was taken out around 11:15pm in an area super close to where Lois was last seen, by the Jolly Roger Inn. But the three men who went out never even mentioned to police that they were in that part of town that night, which only bolsters their case against them further. So by January 19th, all four men are officially charged with murder. But their families and many locals alike say, these boys didn't do this. Like, these four snowbirds did not do this. They are four professionals with careers. They have no history of violence. They come from good families who have lived here like they have an established life here. There was no motive or for all four of them to want to kill or harm Lois.

[Garrett Moreland]

Which is interesting that I feel like this happens a lot. People say there's no way this person could have done this. That happens in, like, every single case we have, Unless it's a serial killer. And it just comes down to we don't really know somebody.

[Peyton Moreland]

You don't.

[Garrett Moreland]

You just don't really know somebody.

[Peyton Moreland]

We understand gang mentality. But also, all four men agreeing to murder does seem odd, for sure. Yeah, but maybe we won. I mean, there's so many.

[Garrett Moreland]

You just never know. Yeah.

[Peyton Moreland]

So a lot of people are like, this just doesn't make sense. And it starts to spread around. Some locals believe that because Lois's car was found by the docks that the person who drove it there probably drove it there, got out, and hopped on the first ferry out of town that morning, which does make sense, because that's how you get off the island. The car that they believe was driven by a suspect is found at the ferry dock that you use to leave the island. So they're like, whoever did this obviously parked the car and left. It's not these boys who were asleep.

[Garrett Moreland]

Okay.

[Peyton Moreland]

The locals are like, this person was long gone by the time police were looking for suspects. They think it seems more likely that, A, the local police aren't used to dealing with a homicide case like this, and, B, they want to wrap it up quick, quickly, and place blame on someone so it doesn't affect their tourism, which is a major source of income for the island. They can't have this unsolved murder on the island. So regardless, a preliminary hearings scheduled for the four men in March of 2000, but that gets pushed to July as the prosecution waits for DNA results to come back.

[Garrett Moreland]

So are they just sitting in prison this entire time, Or.

[Peyton Moreland]

I mean, you're not. You're in the British Virgin Islands.

[Garrett Moreland]

That sucks.

[Peyton Moreland]

And when it does, it sucks.

[Garrett Moreland]

If they didn't do it.

[Peyton Moreland]

The DNA is not exactly a smoking gun. The stain on Michael's shirt did test positive for blood for spaghetti. It didn't belong to any of the guys. Now, the results show it could have come from Lois, but it also could have come from tens of thousands of other people. I mean, it wasn't like a solid hit. What few prints they were able to find on the vehicle were also not a match to any of the four suspects. And when those wet, sandy shoes were tested, only 15% of the sand on them matched the sand found where Lois's body was discovered.

[Garrett Moreland]

Wow.

[Peyton Moreland]

So they were obviously worn in other beach areas. And that shoe print that was found in the back of Lois's car wasn't a match either. In fact, 90 items in total were tested, from clothes to shoes to hair samples found in Lois's vehicle. And all of it told the same story. None of it connected to any of these four men. So the case is purely circumstantial. That was until a man named Jeffrey Plant came into the picture. Jeffrey Plant was a businessman from Texas who had been caught trying to pass bad checks. He happened to be in jail awaiting trial at the same time as the other defendants. And he told police and prosecutors he had seen and heard some stuff from the suspects that might be of interest to their murder case. Apparently, Jeffrey had witnessed Alex and William argue on more than one occasion in jail. And at one point, he claimed Alex pointed the finger at William, accusing him of being guilty. Jeffrey also claimed that William asked him once if he thought God would forgive him and if he had had something to do with Lois's murder.

[Garrett Moreland]

How do you trust this?

[Peyton Moreland]

I don't know.

[Garrett Moreland]

How do you. How do you trust that this is even true information?

[Peyton Moreland]

Jeffrey said during this conversation with William, he was like, well, were you involved? And William told him yes. Apparently, William confessed to Jeffrey that on the evening of Lois's death, he was in her car. They got into an argument over money she owed him. She tried to pull into the police station, but he chased her down to the water and. And drowned her by putting his foot on the back of her neck. And so in his story, the other guys weren't there because they were out partying. Remember?

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah.

[Peyton Moreland]

He was the only one who was supposedly home alone watching tv.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yep.

[Peyton Moreland]

Now, when the prosecutors hear this, they find this statement interesting because Lois did die by drowning. Not by any other manner, like strangulation. And that was something that wasn't exactly public knowledge at this point. But she was found in water, so it's not that big of a jump to think that she drowned. William tells his lawyer this is complete nonsense. He never said anything like this to Jeffrey in prison. In fact, Jeffrey had a history of being a prison snitch because he did the exact same thing when he was in jail back in 1995. He lied about another inmate to try and lessen his own sentence.

[Garrett Moreland]

We talked about this, I think, last podcast, last episode. You can. Trusting an informant seems extremely difficult, especially

[Peyton Moreland]

one who has a history of lying. Like knowingly lying.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah, get out of here. Nah.

[Peyton Moreland]

But the prosecution uses it to bolster their case. And in the spring of 2001, all four men are in the courtroom being tried together. And I just say you are innocent. Say you are innocent. You go out with this girl, you're just on vacation with your friends and police show up, wake you up out of sleep, tell you this girl died, and the next day you're arrested, you've been in jail since, and now you're at trial. Yeah, like that's low key, wild. If you're 100% guilty.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah. I don't know what to expect. I don't know how this is going to go. Also, it's kind of a an example of last time we're talking about criminal defense attorneys. How now prosecutor prosecutors will take stuff and run with it. It's interesting.

[Peyton Moreland]

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[Garrett Moreland]

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[Peyton Moreland]

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[Garrett Moreland]

Same yeah.

[Peyton Moreland]

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[Garrett Moreland]

Greenlight is a debit card and app for families, but it's more than a money tool. It's a safety net for teaching kids about money while also helping protect them before bad habits. Bad actors are real world Risks take hold.

[Peyton Moreland]

And here's the problem. If you hand them cash, it's a total blind spot. Open a standard bank account and you might see transactions later, but you can't set spending limits or block risky merchants. By the time you spot trouble, the money's already gone. You're always reacting, always playing defense. I honestly have always told Garrett I don't understand why money education is not more important in children's lives. And Green Light has honestly solved that. His siblings have grown up with Green Light. They are aware of money and the role it's going to take later on in their lives.

[Garrett Moreland]

Every day they're handling money without guidance is a missed opportunity. Start your Risk free Greenlight trial today at greenlight.com/husband. Don't wait to teach your kids real world money skills. That's greenlight.com/husband to get started greenlight.com/husband so

[Peyton Moreland]

there is basically a month's worth of testimony that the judge hears against all four men. And after a month he decides there simply isn't enough evidence to uphold the charges against Michael Spicer, Evan George, or Alex Benedetto. All three of them are acquitted immediately and free. The judge is like, you have no evidence on these three men. And that probably would have been the case for William as well. Except for Jeffrey the jailhouse snitch.

[Garrett Moreland]

I this is wild. If he goes to prison, I mean, I don't know who did this, but I don't think you can put someone in prison for life if he gets this based off of an informant that was a liar previously. That's not fair.

[Peyton Moreland]

Okay, and say William's innocent. He decided to stay home because he was tired and not go out with his friends.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yes, yes.

[Peyton Moreland]

You know what I'M saying yes, but maybe he's not. So unfortunately for William, the trial continues. So they paint a very similar picture, that after a heated argument, William was actually with Lois that night and he chased her down to the water and drowned her. So with hardly any concrete evidence, the jury's decision comes down to one thing. Remember, there is no, there's no evidence, no, there's no nothing. I mean, the tampon in Alex's room now has nothing to do with this because they're saying it was William who just wasn't with his friends that night. The jury has to decide, do they find Jeffrey Plant a reliable witness or not. That's all this case basically boils down to. Williams lawyer tells the jury about Jeffrey's past, how he had been married 10 times. He was a proven con man. He was currently in prison for grand larceny. What wasn't mentioned in the courtroom was how after Jeffrey had told police about Williams confession, he was released from jail, his charges were dropped, and he was put up in a seafront villa with a nice little stipend from the government, waiting to testify.

[Garrett Moreland]

This is nuts.

[Peyton Moreland]

I will say six months later, he was back in jail, this time in Texas with 34 new counts of fraud and theft. Still, Jeffrey's story is enough to send jurors away for seven and a half hours of deliberation. I mean, this is all they've got.

[Garrett Moreland]

Come on, we've got to have smarter jurors.

[Peyton Moreland]

Despite his inconsistent account on the stand, the jury sides with him. They find 37 year old William Labrador guilty of murder.

[Garrett Moreland]

Holy crap.

[Peyton Moreland]

And in the British Virgin Islands, that means an automatic sentence of life behind bars.

[Garrett Moreland]

Now there's no way. It doesn't stop here.

[Peyton Moreland]

The story does not end here.

[Garrett Moreland]

There's no way. There's no way.

[Peyton Moreland]

William obviously continues to maintain his innocence, filing appeal after appeal. I mean, even if he's guilty, this trial was not enough to put him away. So finally, on April 7, 2003, the British court overturns William's conviction due to what they call judicial errors. They point to the fact that the prosecution's key witness was a proven, quote, unquote, habitual liar.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah, that's. It's ridiculous.

[Peyton Moreland]

And they were like you. The prosecution made some improper comments during the trial.

[Garrett Moreland]

100%.

[Peyton Moreland]

Their ruling also comes with another win for William Labrador. It bars a retrial. Which means after nearly three years behind bars in the British Virgin Islands for murder, he's finally allowed to return to the States, get back to his life without fear of Being retried. Now, one of the first things he does before getting on the plane to go home is actually take a swim in the ocean. Keep in mind, he did. His parents didn't even have this place. He was here with friends, was in jail for three years, gets out and is like, well, now I have to go home. Somewhere I haven't been in three years. He tells Good morning America, quote, that's when I finally felt my freedom, Being able to do that without someone turning a key on me. Unfortunately for the McMillan family, this means justice hasn't really been served. Because in the eye of the law, no one. No one has been charged officially now with her murder. And there are still plenty of theories about who might actually be responsible for Lois's death because she. She was murdered. One of the names thrown around was Lois's former boyfriend at the time, Luigi Longorini. Luigi was an architect who was pretty well known on the island. Apparently, the two began dating in the spring of 1998, two years before her death. They even were engaged at one point. But people who knew Lois and Luigi said the relationship was really toxic. Hot and heavy one minute, and then they were screaming at each other in public the next. One source even claimed that after her parents told her to break things off with Luigi, Lois listened. But he continued to stalk her, refusing to accept things were over. Luigi also did have a history of domestic violence with his ex wife and previous girlfriends. And Lois had tried to get a restraining order against him in the past. There were also sources who claim she approached Luigi a few times since their breakup to ask him about a debt that he needed to repay her father. So we have someone in prison with no motive.

[Garrett Moreland]

Why? Yeah, why wasn't this guy?

[Peyton Moreland]

And we have an ex boyfriend who's abusive, who has domestic violence, has a record, had motive, owed her money, and

[Garrett Moreland]

he wasn't a witness. Ernie wasn't a suspect at all.

[Peyton Moreland]

Right. I do want to mention what is strange here is during the investigation, like Garrett said, police never took any DNA or fingerprints from Luigi. In fact, they never even reached out to him. They didn't even take a statement.

[Garrett Moreland]

I wonder if this. I don't know. I mean, it could be multiple things. It could be lack of experience. It could be we're protecting their quote, unquote own people that were part of the British Highlands and not some Americans that are visiting. I mean, it could be so many different things, or it could still be them. I don't know.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah. I want to say this is a alleged idea. We're Obviously discussing potential suspects at this

[Garrett Moreland]

point, I have no idea.

[Peyton Moreland]

I'm not trying to drag Luigi's name through the mud because this is alleged. But we do also have to point out every suspect in a case that is unsolved. Police do answer for why they never reached out to him. They claim they had evidence he was on his boat during the time of the murder, and Lois's family didn't suspect him. It's pretty apparent they trusted. Okay.

[Garrett Moreland]

I mean, if he had an alibi, then, okay, I guess. I don't know.

[Peyton Moreland]

Now, there's a ton of other loose ends regarding Lois's case, like the fact that it was proven she had intercourse within 48 hours of her death, but she didn't appear to be sexually assaulted, and semen tests were not a match for any of the four men suspected of her murder.

[Garrett Moreland]

There's just no way. I mean, I just. I don't think it's them, but I could be totally wrong.

[Peyton Moreland]

There was also some indication that she had fish bites on her body, which would suggest she drowned further out from the shoreline. And then her body washed up in more shallow water. So maybe she was on a boat, and then her body washed up. There was also never an ID Made on the man that she was talking to at the Jolly Roger Inn the night she died. Remember? She was talking to a man. But there is one terrifying truth in this case. What began as a dream getaway turned into a walking nightmare for a lot of people. And sometimes it doesn't matter how friendly an invitation seems or how safe you think you are. One single night can change everything, whether victim or suspect. One wrong reaction, one sandy shoe, one drop of blood is all it takes to turn paradise into hell. And that is the murder of Lois McMillan and the attempted trials.

[Garrett Moreland]

That's crazy. So it's just never been solved? They'll never know?

[Peyton Moreland]

Nope.

[Garrett Moreland]

That sucks for her family. That's horrible. I. I mean, who else could. I mean, if. Here's the thing. There just isn't enough evidence for me to think it was them. I. There's no other suspects. Like, how does that happen? Just a cold case gone. Just nothing.

[Peyton Moreland]

And I will say, sometimes we see unsolved cases that. That the investigation has been, like, pounded into the dirt. Right. Like, they have attempted and attempted and attempted, and they just don't know where to go. But there is so much investigation done. I do feel like this investigation was just handled improperly from the beginning.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah.

[Peyton Moreland]

And got so skewed. Whether it was the men or an ex boyfriend or a random stranger. Whoever it was, the investigation was just not done in a proper way. We have DNA, we have evidence, and it feels like we have nothing.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah.

[Peyton Moreland]

All right, you guys, that was our episode this week, and we will see you next time with another one. I love it and I hate it. Goodbye. Close your eyes. Listen to Monday.com. feel the sensation of an AI work platform so flexible and intuitive it feels like it was built just for you. Now open your eyes, go to Monday. Com, Start for free, and finally breathe.