What I Survived – "Wild Bill – The Cartel Hitman – Part 3"

Host: Jack Laurence
Guest: ‘Wild Bill’ (Bill)
Date: March 31, 2026

Episode Overview

In the gripping third installment of the Wild Bill series, Jack Laurence brings listeners deeper into the true story of William Dathan Holbert, AKA "Wild Bill"—a notorious American fugitive and confessed killer, whose reign as a cartel hitman led to the murders of five American expats in Panama. Told from Bill’s own perspective (recorded from his Panamanian prison cell), this episode traces Bill’s transition from Costa Rican enforcer to Panama-based criminal “patron.” Listeners are taken inside the surreal world of expat havens, fake identities, the mechanics of transnational crime, and the psychological unraveling and excess that led to Bill’s downfall.

Key Topics & Discussion Points

1. The Incident That Forced Him Out of Costa Rica

• Midnight Emergency:
  • Bill receives a late-night call from criminal associates who accidentally killed someone and needed help disposing of the body.
    • [04:10] — "I got a call in the middle of the night...some guys were in deep trouble and they needed some help, some advice."
  • He advises but refuses to physically help as he wasn’t paid or involved in the killing.
    • [04:50] — "I’m not going to cut the body up because I didn’t do the killing. And I’m not going to involve myself that deeply in your crime."
• Fugitive Status:
  • The group's mishandling leads to the body’s discovery, arrests, and Bill is named as an accessory.
    • [06:15] — "If we get to the point where they take fingerprints or something, I’m in deep shit."
  • His contact at 'OIJ' (Costa Rican FBI equivalent) warns him of a warrant; Bill flees to Panama.
    • [06:57] — "They've issued a warrant for your arrest. You gotta get the fuck out of here."

2. Reinventing Himself in Panama: "Dr. Bill" the Psychiatrist

• Arrival in Boquete:
  • Bill describes Boquete, Panama as an expat paradise—"like Beverly Hills."
    • [08:43] — “It’s almost like Beverly Hills or something.”
• A New Identity:
  • On a whim, Bill claims he’s a psychiatrist, rents an office, and forges diplomas from defunct US universities.
    • [10:01] — “I said, well, I’m a psychiatrist from the United States…that’s not true at all, obviously.”
    • [11:03] — "I printed me up some things and I went in and I rented a place and hung my shingle on the wall."
• Business is Booming:
  • By meeting expats at the Panamante Hotel’s weekly brunch, he quickly gains clients, mostly older women with marital issues.
    • [12:59] — “90% of my business were women who came in who were unhappy because their husbands...left them there and they have nobody to talk to."
  • Enjoys high fees ($120-$150/hour) and integration into the elite social circle.

3. Gambling with Celebrities: Brush with Mel Gibson

• Poker Night in Valle Escondido:
  • Bill recounts joining exclusive poker nights and one memorable night smoking cigars and playing with Mel Gibson.
    • [15:09] — “Hey, boys, why don’t y’all shut the fuck up and let it take this rich bastard’s money?”
    • Mel is grateful for the normalcy: “He looked over at me and smiled, and he said, who are you? I said, I’m Dr. Bill.”
• Reflections on Identity & Fate:
  • Notably, Bill observes: “Funny that he was sitting next to one of the most infamous assassins in Central America…and had no idea. And I didn’t know it then either. I wasn’t an assassin yet.” [15:35]

4. The Cartel Comes Calling Again

• Past Catches Up:
  • At an expat bar, Bill is confronted by former cartel associates angry that he quit the organization and demanding his return.
    • [17:11] — “They were unhappy that I wasn’t working for them anymore…you couldn’t leave once you join.”
• Sense of Imprisonment:
  • Bill describes devastation at losing his new life:
    • [17:56] — “I thought I could pull that shit off forever...I was really excited about it…sad the cartel was there to pull me back in…”

5. Inside the Cartel: Organization, Violence, and "Making His Bones"

• Cartel Structure:
  • Not a formal hierarchy; more of a “loose association” where each person is a specialist—trafficking, killing, legal fraud, etc.
    • [20:38] — “Everybody had something to do.”
• Becomes the "Cleaner":
  • Bill explains he hunted other fugitives and collected Mafia contracts—killing US fugitives hiding in Central America and taking their assets.
    • [21:24] — “I would hunt them…when I would find someone…then I would kill them and take all their property, take all their money.”
• Rising to Power:
  • Describes a pivotal murder for the US Mafia, where he finds $600,000 in the victim’s safe, instantly elevating his status.
    • [22:59] — “With that amount of money, that made me a very powerful man from one day to the next.”
  • Secures his place in the cartel through violence and intimidation:
    • [25:12] — “I wasn’t a leader. There was no leader…it was a consortium…The reasons why they accepted me was pure violence. They didn’t have a choice because I would kill you if you didn’t accept me.”
    • [26:17] — “The group can’t begin disrespecting their matón, their killer.”

6. Consequences: The Downward Spiral of Wealth and Paranoia

• High Living, High Costs:
  • Newly flush with cash, Bill lives extravagantly—multiple houses, cars, boats, parties.
    • [27:20] — “I just spent it like a drunken sailor…my living expenses were about US$30,000. And this was in 2007.”
• Chain of Bad Decisions:
  • Admits that the need to fund this lifestyle kept him trapped in crime.
    • [28:02] — “Having all this shit and having to come up with money to pay for it all…I would just like to pull the plug and go back to living a simple existence.”
• Reflection and Regret:
  • In prison, Bill expresses gratitude for the “consequences” that forced him to mature.
    • [28:11] — “I don’t regret being put in prison…I've had to mature and become a better person…thinking there were no consequences for my actions at all, which I was very, very surprised by the fact that there are.”

Notable Quotes & Key Moments

• On crossing the line:

  • “I went from being just a lackey that somebody sends to beat the shit out of somebody to being el patron. And I don’t think that I was ready for that. I'll be honest with you.” [24:22]

• Wild Bill’s mantra:

  • “Things happen the way they happen for a reason. I'm thankful. I don't regret being put in prison.” [28:11]

• On cartel loyalty:

  • “We own your ass because you killed one of our people. We know about it. We know where the body's buried. So you're going to do what we say.” [17:28]

• A chilling self-assessment:

  • “Several of the guys didn’t like that…I said, well, then I'll fucking kill you, and then you won't have to worry about it anymore.” [25:03]

• On the nature of criminal organizations:

  • “It was a group of men who consulted one another when it was necessary…if you needed a drug trafficker, you used this guy. And if somebody else tried to come in, we all ganged up against that person.” [25:12]

Timestamps for Major Segments

• Fleeing Costa Rica and Going Underground in Panama: [04:05] – [08:46]
• Dr. Bill, Fake Psychiatrist in Boquete: [08:46] – [13:35]
• Poker with Mel Gibson: [13:47] – [15:37]
• Cartel Confrontation at the Bistro: [16:00] – [18:31]
• Inside Cartel Operations and Becoming a Hitman: [19:40] – [23:59]
• Power, Violence, and Maintaining Control: [24:14] – [26:39]
• Wealth, Regret, and Reflection from Prison: [26:55] – [28:40]

Memorable Moments

• The Mel Gibson Poker Game: An unexpected brush with celebrity, illustrating the surreal duality of Bill's existence. [14:46] – [15:37]
• Transition from “lackey” to “patron”: The moment money and violence secure Bill’s place in the underworld. [22:59] – [25:09]
• Brutal honesty about violence as currency: “Every couple of years you have to do something like that, even in the criminal world especially, and to maintain. So, like when somebody disrespects you or something, to kill them in a public way was the way I maintained order.” [26:17]–[26:39]

Closing

The episode ends with a preview: Bill’s time as Dr. Bill is running out, an arrest warrant is looming, and this time there is no escape. The story takes a darker tone, foreshadowing Wild Bill’s capture—and his future as a Christian minister in a Panamanian prison.

If you’re curious to learn more about Bill’s experiences, the host notes that Wild Bill has written a book from inside prison, with more details found in the episode’s show notes.