Podcast Summary
Podcast: What I Survived
Host: Jack Laurence
Episode: Wild Bill – The Cartel Hitman – Part 1
Date: March 31, 2026
Overview:
In this gripping episode, Jack Laurence dives into the life and transformation of William Dathan Hulbert, better known as "Wild Bill," who went from an all-American upbringing to infamy as a cartel hitman and, eventually, a prison chaplain in Panama. Through direct interviews with Bill—recorded via WhatsApp from a maximum-security cell—Jack unravels the events, decisions, and moral junctions that led Bill down his notorious path, offering candid insights and first-hand accounts into a world rarely seen.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Introduction to Wild Bill
- Jack sets the scene, discussing the phenomenon of American fugitives fleeing justice by escaping abroad, particularly to Central and South America. He introduces William Dathan Hulbert—now known as "Wild Bill"—as one of the most infamous, who fully admits to his crimes unlike other guests Jack has interviewed.
Quote:"Everyone I've spoken to so far has denied any wrongdoing. Whereas Bill fully admits to his crimes." (Jack Laurence, 04:39)
2. Wild Bill’s Background: An Unexpected Start
- Bill shares that he grew up in a wholesome, rural Christian environment in western North Carolina, with a normal, hardworking childhood and no history of abuse, trauma, or early violent tendencies.
Quote:“I had a really normal upbringing... I never did any of that stuff… cookie-cutter American life.” (Wild Bill, 08:06)
- He managed bees on his family’s farm, played football, and went to “Redneck Tech”—Blue Ridge Community College—studying agriculture.
Memorable Moment:
The contrast between his seemingly idyllic past and the man he would become.
3. Early Criminal Enterprises
- Bill admits to having an entrepreneurial streak that edged into illegality, starting with selling stolen goods, cable TV "black boxes," and eventually forging driver’s licenses in college.
Quote:“Certainly illegal, but right on the edge of being illegal, but also socially acceptable… I sold stolen equipment—I didn't steal it myself, but I sold stolen equipment.” (Wild Bill, 09:50)
- He describes nearly being caught by the State Bureau of Investigation, only to talk his way out by leveraging his legitimate business fronts.
4. Downfall: Divorce and the Breaking Point
- After starting a family young and running several successful businesses, everything crashed following his divorce in 2004.
- Bill identifies his unfair family court experience—where he was jailed for contempt due to an impossible payment order and denied access to his children—as the emotional trigger that propelled him into a life of crime.
Quote:"If they want a criminal, I'm going to show them the best damn criminal there is. And that's what I did." (Wild Bill, 15:02)
5. On the Run: Escaping the US
- Bill details acquiring large sums of money “through means he can’t fully discuss” and his strategic, multi-country escape by boat and plane, evading authorities at each turn.
Quote:"I couldn't make enough fake IDs… I knew that I was really short for the world, you know. It wasn't going to be long before the authorities caught up with me." (Wild Bill, 16:12)
- He finds Costa Rica to be the safest haven, blending into a bustling international community on the Caribbean coast.
6. Immersing in Costa Rica’s Criminal World
- Bill describes his life in the expat surf town of Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, living with Italian exiles and working out of the Arecife bar—initially enjoying himself, but soon entangled in local violence.
- He recounts an early violent confrontation:
- Witnessing Italian friends threatened by armed men, Bill calmly intervenes, disarms a gunman after knocking him out, and shoots him in the kneecap as a warning, impressing and frightening those around him.
Quote:"I hit him as hard as a human being can be hit in the face… snatched the pistol right out of his hand… just shot him in the kneecap. 'Plow.'" (Wild Bill, 24:00)
- Witnessing Italian friends threatened by armed men, Bill calmly intervenes, disarms a gunman after knocking him out, and shoots him in the kneecap as a warning, impressing and frightening those around him.
7. Induction into Organized Crime
- Bill is soon recruited by a smuggling boss (unnamed for legal reasons), running a trafficking operation transporting Chinese migrants by sea after they’re offloaded from container ships—establishing his first steps into cartel work.
Quote:
“I picked up a job running the leg from Bocas del Toro, where they were housed... to Jamaica.” (Wild Bill, 25:13)
8. Transition to Violence and Killing
- The episode closes with the promise that, in the next part, Bill will detail his first kill—claimed to be in self-defense—marking his full transformation into a professional killer.
Teaser Quote:
“He comes back and tries to tackle me… the deck was wet and I slipped… and he fell on top of me.” (Wild Bill, 26:28)
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On childhood normality vs. future violence:
"A lot of people want to talk about how killers burn frogs and, you know, tortured dogs. I never did any of that stuff, you know... I grew up a really normal existence as a kid."
– William Dathan Hulbert (Wild Bill), 08:06 -
On the pivot point of his life:
"If they want a criminal, I'm going to show them the best damn criminal there is. And that's what I did."
– Wild Bill, 15:02 -
On violence and his entry into the criminal underworld:
"Violence, physical violence, is not something that even remotely bothers me at all or scares me. It's something very natural for me."
– Wild Bill, 21:09
Timestamps for Important Segments
- 02:14 – Bill introduces himself and his criminal background
- 08:06 – Bill describes his upbringing
- 09:50 – Early illegal hustle: cable boxes and fake IDs
- 14:05 – The custody battle that “broke” him
- 16:12 – Fleeing the US; evading law enforcement
- 18:47 – Detailed account of international escape
- 20:46 – Life and first violent confrontation in Costa Rica
- 25:13 – Smuggling job with the cartel
- 26:28 – Teaser for the first kill (to be discussed in Part 2)
Tone & Style
The episode is candid, darkly compelling, and at times grimly humorous—anchored by Bill’s surprisingly matter-of-fact, self-effacing storytelling and Jack’s thoughtful, empathetic narration. The interplay between shock at Bill’s life choices and his oddly relatable beginnings gives the episode its emotional punch.
Next Episode Preview
The story continues as Wild Bill recounts his first kill, the escalation of his criminal activities, and the journey toward his present role as a prison chaplain—a transformation from notorious hitman to minister behind bars.
For more details or to explore Wild Bill’s written account of prison life, check the show notes.