How Wild Bill went from fraud to a contract killer

A self-confessed killer called Wild Bill has spoken with the I Catch Killers podcast about what led him to crime and how it spiralled into murder for money.

Jack Laurence was lying in bed with his wife one night when an American contract killer first got in contact.

Wild Bill had heard of Laurence’s podcast Conversations from Death Row and wanted to tell his story.

It’s an extraordinary tale of how he became a criminal, fled the US and began killing for money.

“He’s in a Panamanian prison, probably one of the worst prisons in the Western Hemisphere. It’s one of those situations where the prison guards don’t really go inside themselves. There’s guns in there, there’s drugs in there, there was actually, there was a massacre not that long ago,” Laurence told Gary Jubelin’s I Catch Killers podcast.

Panama jails are corrupt so speaking to the outside world is easy – inmates in the US though were able to call legitimately because of their constitutional right to freedom of speech, Laurence said.

I Catch Killers podcast guest, Jack Laurence. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

Wild Bill was guilty of his crimes and Laurence was hesitant about telling his story.

“People say he wasn’t a contract killer, [that[ he killed because of greed … Now he admits he killed for greed – but he said he was paid to do it.

“He’s an American guy from country America, [and] had a great upbringing. So there’s none of this trauma behind his background, which you often find in these situations.

“And he said his criminality all sort of sparked from a divorce and a situation with a judge,” Laurence said.

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Wild Bill claimed he was treated unfairly.

“And he said, at that moment, ‘I snapped’. And he goes, ‘well, if they want a criminal, I’m giving them the best damn criminal they’ve ever seen’.

Wild Bill fled the US, where he was wanted for fraud, to South America where he met “colourful” characters.

It was in Panama he became a “Mr Fix it” for the underworld and corrupt judges.

“He said they needed things dealt with. And that’s where it started. He started doing little things with a baseball bat, you know, teaching people that, you don’t mess with this person or leave that person alone.

“And he said that just slowly progressed into, obviously, the ultimate side of things. So, stand over a man and then evolved into contract killing,” Laurence said.

Wild Bill was eventually caught and sentenced to 46 years in a Panama jail. Laurence said Wild Bill claimed to have changed his life.

Laurence, with I Catch Killers podcast host Gary Jubelin. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

“He says that he helps gang members get away, the youngsters get away from crime, get off the drugs.

“He’s working to do better with his life and be better. So, looking at that angle, I was like, ‘Okay, so he’s saying he’s better, he’s saying he’s changed’.

“So, why not tell that story? And let people, as we said at the start, let other people make up their mind whether they believe him or not.” he said.

Originally published as How Wild Bill went from fraud to a contract killer