Brutal Murder of American Woman on Tortola in the British Virgin Islands
Jim Morris
I just learned last Sunday that my ex-girlfriend (whom I was still close to)
was brutally murdered on the island of Tortola in the British Virgin
Islands. Such came as a real blow and is deeply saddening as well. The
following are the articles which appeared on the Associated Press (AP)
national wire service in the USA. A producer with the CBS' "48 Hours"
television series contacted me this morning as "48 Hours" is planning on
covering Lois' murder and the upcoming trial in Tortola...
Lois considered Tortola as her paradise and sanctuary (as she never expected
to get murdered there).
Best,
Jim Morris
Forwarded:
01-19-2000 16:38:04*F BC-Carib-British Virgin Islands-American K
Copyright 2000 By The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
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^Woman from New York state killed in British Virgin Islands<
ś CHARLOTTE AMALIE, U.S. Virgin Islands (AP) _ A woman from New York state
living in the British Virgin Islands was found dead by a roadside in the
Caribbean territory, police said Wednesday.
ś Lois +Livingston+ +McMillen+, 34, was found Saturday morning on the west
side of the island of Tortola, said police spokesman Sgt. Patrick Harewood.
He was uncertain about McMillan's hometown and her profession.
ś Police said the woman was last seen leaving her house at Belmont Estates
at 9 p.m. Friday. She was wearing the same clothes when her body was found
Saturday.
ś Police had not made any arrests by Wednesday but said they had conducted
several interviews. "We have taken four persons from the U.S.A. who were
associates of Ms. McMillen into custody to assist in the investigation,"
Harewood said.
ś Police refused to release the results of McMillen's autopsy.
ś The British territory reported three murders in 1999. There were no
reported murders in 1997 and 1998.
ś
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^Four U.S. citizens charged with murder in British Virgin Islands<
^Eds: Subs 2nd graf to CORRECT to spokesman, sted spokeswoman<
ś CHARLOTTE AMALIE, U.S. Virgin Islands (AP) _ British Virgin Islands
police have arrested and charged four U.S. citizens with killing an American
woman whose body was found by a roadside on the British island of Tortola,
police said Friday.
ś Michael Spicer, 36; Alexander Benedetto, 34; Evan George, 22; and
William Labrador, 36, were charged Wednesday in the Magistrate's Court with
the murder of Lois +Livingston+ +McMillen+, said Sgt. Patrick Harewood, a
police spokesman.
ś Police did not elaborate on how she was killed, but said they would
release the results of the autopsy in about one week.
ś McMillen, 34, was found dead Saturday morning on the west side of the
island of Tortola, police said. McMillen was a native of New York state, but
police were uncertain about her hometown or her profession.
ś She was last seen leaving her house at 9 p.m. on Jan. 14 and was wearing
the same clothes when her body was found Saturday, police said.
ś The four men and McMillen had lived in the same area on the west side of
the island, Harewood said.
ś Spicer, a student, and George, a construction worker, told police they
were natives of Washington, D.C., Harewood said. Both Benedetto, a
publisher, and Labrador, a businessman, were from New York state, he said.
ś The four men were sent to the islands' prison to await trial, Police
Commissioner Vernon Malone said. Bail is not granted in murder cases in the
British Caribbean territory.
ś The British Virgin Islands reported three murders in 1999. There were no
reported murders in 1997 and 1998.
ś (jer-em)
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^Connecticut woman killed on West Indian isle<
ś MIDDLEBURY, Conn. (AP) _ A Middlebury woman was slain on the British
Virgin Island of Tortola and a family friend and three other men are held as
suspects.
ś The body of Lois +Livingston+ +McMillen+, 34, an artist and feminist
activist, was discovered Jan. 15 along a shore road. McMillen had been
spending time at her parent's vacation home and was last seen about 9 p.m.
the night before leaving the home. The manner of death was not released.
ś Michael Spicer, a neighbor, was charged in the death. Also charged were
three of his houseguests Alexander Benedetto, Evan George and William
Labrador. Spicer, of Charlottesville, Va., has known the family since they
bought the island home about 20 years ago. The hometowns of the other
suspects were not released.
ś McMillen recently spearheaded a phone campaign to raise money for the
Susan B. Anthony's Shelter in Torrington. She also was a member of the Women
in Black, a New York City group that demonstrated in front of the United
Nations to protest the treatment of women in Bosnia.
ś The next court date for the suspects in May 3. A memorial service is set
for Feb. 12 at the Middlebury Congregational Church.
eric
>
Well Jim,
You have my sympathy, of course. But, having read what you posted,
this doesn't seem to have anything to do with Tortola or cruising.
Seems more like a case of the U.S. exporting it's own violence.
--
eric
S/V Nebaras
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Jim Morris
eric <neb...@my-deja.com> wrote in message
news:8818qt$alc$1...@nnrp1.deja.com...
Perhaps I should have mentioned it as well, Lois loved sailing even
participated in the sailboat racing off Tortola. As you already, the British
Virgin Islands is a beautiful venue for sailing.
I agree with you about the US "exporting its own violence". Especially to a
British territory which essentially has no crime (to my information)
relative to the American Virgin Islands which are only a "stone's throw"
away...
Forwarded:
Jim Morris
news:8818qt$alc$1...@nnrp1.deja.com...
> Well Jim,
> You have my sympathy, of course. But, having read what you posted,
> this doesn't seem to have anything to do with Tortola or cruising.
> Seems more like a case of the U.S. exporting it's own violence.
> eric
> S/V Nebaras
Hi Eric,
Perhaps I should have mentioned it as well: Lois loved sailing and even
participated in the sailboat racing off Tortola. As you already know, the
British
Virgin Islands are a beautiful venue for sailing.
John Hoagland
Our condolences to the family and loved ones of this lovely young woman.
The B-V-I Guide has this story on its NewsLinks page at
www.b-v-i.com/NewsLinks/.
We have a link to an extensive story in The Hartford Courant, near Lois'
home town.
John
B-V-I Guide
Jim Morris wrote in message ...
scott poorman
Tortola?
Thanks, Scott in San Diego.
Jim Morris
Thanks for your informative response post. Are you based on Tortola?
Best wishes,
Jim Morris
John Hoagland <ab...@efg.com> wrote in message
news:882v47$cfa$1...@nntp6.atl.mindspring.net...
Jim Morris
----- Original Message -----
From: John Hoagland <ab...@efg.com>
Sent: Friday, February 11, 2000 10:38 PM
Subject: Re: Brutal Murder of American Woman on Tortola in the British
Virgin Islands
> Greetngs,
>
> Our condolences to the family and loved ones of this lovely young woman.
>
> The B-V-I Guide has this story on its NewsLinks page at
> www.b-v-i.com/NewsLinks/.
>
> We have a link to an extensive story in The Hartford Courant, near Lois'
> home town.
>
> John
> B-V-I Guide
>
>
> Jim Morris wrote in message ...
> >
> >eric <neb...@my-deja.com> wrote in message
> >news:8818qt$alc$1...@nnrp1.deja.com...
> >>
> >> >
> >> Well Jim,
> >>
> >> You have my sympathy, of course. But, having read what you posted,
> >> this doesn't seem to have anything to do with Tortola or cruising.
> >> Seems more like a case of the U.S. exporting it's own violence.
> >>
> >> --
> >> eric
> >> S/V Nebaras
> >>
> >>
> >> Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
> >> Before you buy.
> >
> >Perhaps I should have mentioned it as well, Lois loved sailing even
> >participated in the sailboat racing off Tortola. As you already know, the
> British
> >Virgin Islands are a beautiful venue for sailing.
Jim Morris
what Eric meant and agreed with him too... Perhaps it is the violent
mentality conveyed via television and film (in the USA) as such is
"exported" overseas... However, Eric simply meant that the violence that is
so rampant in America was "exported" to the British Virgin Islands (which
hardly has a murder rate) with four US citizens (if they are guilty)
murdering another US citizen... For more information on such, read the
detailed "Hartford Courant" newspaper article (accessed via the Web link
which is referenced below).
.
eric <neb...@my-deja.com> wrote in message
news:8840hg$7b4$1...@nnrp1.deja.com...
> In article <9659-38A...@storefull-296.iap.bryant.webtv.net>,
> Pk...@webtv.net wrote:
> > Please explain how the U.S. Government
> > did in fact..in detail..export it's vilance
> > in THIS particular case..????
>
> Neither I nor Jim said anything about "Government". Come to think of
> it, I didn't say anything about "vilance" either. Go back to the
> travel channel if you want to fight, or at least read the whole post
> first.
Jim Morris <jdtm...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:IGwp4.580$Zp1....@newsread1.prod.itd.earthlink.net...
Jim Morris
scott poorman <scottp...@aznet.net> wrote in message
news:38A5392B...@aznet.net...
> Can someone show me where to find out what kind of murder happened in
> Tortola?
> Thanks, Scott in San Diego.
Hi Scott,
You can read more information about Lois' murder in the Hartford Courant
newspaper article which can be accessed via the Web site referenced below.
Forwarded:
----- Original Message -----
Jim Morris
Thanks for your response post. After reading that Hartford Courant newspaper
article via the BVI Web site referenced below, I still don't understand the
full extent of what had happened to Lois (except that she was found dead the
next morning):
Dick Salter <dsa...@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:38a5a3a7...@NEWS.MINDSPRING.COM...
> >I agree with you about the US "exporting its own violence". Especially to
a
> >British territory which essentially has no crime (to my information)
> >relative to the American Virgin Islands which are only a "stone's throw"
> >away...
> Jim,
> My condolences as well. I lived on St. Croix (just a "stones throw"
> away) for 8 years so I know the islands very well. Much as I hate to
> say it much of the crime against "statesiders" comes from an
> inexplicable attitude they bring with them. As with any city or town
> the islands have areas that you just don't want to go into after dark.
> You really aren't THAT safe going there in daylight. But the warm,
> friendly attitude of most of the west indians tends to lull the common
> sense most of us have when visiting a strange city in the states. I
> managed a radio station on St. Croix. We were having some tower work
> done and had imported a tower crew from Alabama. Tower guys as a whole
> are some of the roughest, toughest men around. Yet one night (morning
> really, it was 3am) I got a call from the emergency room. The foreman
> of the crew was being stitched up from multiple head cuts, had lost 4
> teeth and had a concussion. Seems he had stopped to pick up a
> friendly, smiling native who wanted a ride to one of the worst
> sections of Christensted. Out of curiosity I asked him if he would
> have given a ride to a stranger if he had been in, say Birmingham. He
> responded with a strange look and a "Good God no, of course not!"
> Just wanted to make this point to any reading this thread, it CAN
> happen to you, paradise or no paradise.
> Dick Salter
Jim Morris <jdtm...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:y6Np4.3597$Zp1.1...@newsread1.prod.itd.earthlink.net...
Jim Morris
> JOHN SPRINGER; Courant Staff
> Writer
> Column:
> Series:
>
>
> MOURNERS REMEMBER SLAIN ARTIST'S SPIRIT
>
> MIDDLEBURY -- A 34-year-old artist whose body was found
on
>a beach in the
> British Virgin Islands on Jan. 15 was remembered Saturday
>as a thoughtful,
> deeply spiritual woman who wondered aloud why society
does
>not learn to stop
> hate and murder.
>
> As tempting as it might be to look for symbols connecting
>Lois Livingston
> McMillen's life and the way she died -- a brutal killing
>that is still a mystery --
> people should not try to make sense of a senseless act
like
>homicide, said the Rev.
> Dennis B. Calhoun, pastor of Middlebury Congregational
>Church.
>
> About 200 relatives, friends and neighbors of Russell and
>Josephine McMillen, the
> slain woman's parents, packed the church Saturday morning
>for a memorial
> service. Lois McMillen was buried on Long Island on Feb.
4.
>
> ``Her death as a symbol -- it is tempting to look at it
>that way,'' Calhoun said
> during the homily.
>
> ``Maybe some of us will say to ourselves in the wake of
our
>loss that we've had
> enough of the violent behavior that stalks our streets
and
>washes up on our shores.
> Maybe some of us have been so profoundly shocked and
>disturbed by the murder
> of someone we knew personally that we will be inspired,
as
>Lois was, to join the
> effort to bring a halt to the violence.''
>
> Four men from New York and the Washington, D.C., area,
>including one whom
> Lois McMillen knew from her family's visits to the
British
>Virgin Islands each
> winter for 20 years, are charged with killing the young
>woman. Authorities on the
> Caribbean island of Tortola say McMillen was not sexually
>assaulted or robbed,
> but they have refused to comment on any motive for the
>killing.
>
> Several of McMillen's relatives and friends read poems
and
>remembrances during
> the hour-long service that touched on the woman's
interest
>in art, concern about
> violence against women, fascination with angels, deep
>spirituality and
> disillusionment with modern society. An autopsy
determined
>that McMillen, who
> was beaten, died by drowning. Arrested were: Michael
>Spicer, 36, of Virginia;
> William Labrador, 36, of New York; Alexander Benedetto,
34,
>also of New
> York; and Evan George, 22, of Washington, D.C.
>
Jim Morris <jdtm...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:y6Np4.3597$Zp1.1...@newsread1.prod.itd.earthlink.net...
Jim Morris
(the "Washington Post", "USA Today", and "Newsweek" and "Time" publications
are planning to cover the murder and the upcoming trial as well according to
what I have learned):
February 8th, 2000
Ex-Charlottesville Resident 1 of 4 Charged in Island Slaying
By Carlos Santos
Richmond Times-Dispatch Staff Writer
A former Charlottesville man and three other men have been charged with the
murder of a Middlebury, Connecticut artist whose body was found on a small
island in the British Virgin Islands.
The body of 34-year-old Lois L. McMillen, who belongs to an affluent
Connecticut family, was found January 15th on the shore of the island of
Tortola, about 12 hours after she was seen leaving her parents' villa.
Michael Spicer, a former Charlottesville resident who now lives in
Washington, D.C., was charged on January 19th with her murder, said Sgt.
Patrick Harewood, press officer with the British Virgin Islands Police
Department. Spicer, 36, whose name is still listed in the Charlottesville
phone book, is a graduate of the Syracuse University law school.
Also charged with the murder were Evan George, a 22-year-old construction
worker from Washington, D.C.; William Labrador, 36, a businessman from New
York; and Alexander Benedetto, 34, who works for a publishing firm in New
York, Harewood said.
McMillen had been beaten severely. An autopsy, however, showed she had
drowned, Harewood said.
Spicer's Mother, Mrs. Lewis Spicer of Charlottesville, said her son "is
totally innocent.... It's a huge mistake."
A Connecticut newspaper, The Hartford Courant, reported that the Spicer
family villa is next to the McMillen villa. The three other men charged with
murder were Spicer's house guests, the newspaper said.
Charles "Bomba" Callwood, who owns a beachfront bar that McMillen
frequented, said that the small island is still talking about the slaying.
The island, with a population of 16,000, is the largest of the dozens of
islands that make up the British Virgin Islands. The tourist spot is
especially popular with yachters.
"A lot of people on the island knew her. Local people knew her." said
Callwood. "She was peaceful person... She was a very pretty girl."
Callwood said McMillen was an artist. "She was my buddy," he said.
McMillen father's, Russell G. McMillen, a retired businessman, declined to
comment.
Spicer and the other three men are being held without bond in a prison on
the islands, said Harewood. The four men will appear in court for a hearing
on February 23rd.
There is a detailed article(accessed via the following Web site for news
from the British Virgin Islands in the Caribbean Sea)that had appeared in
the Hartford Courant newspaper from Connecticut about the brutal murder of
my ex-girlfriend(who had remained a close friend):
http://www.b-v-i.com/NewsLinks/
Forwarded:
I just learned last Sunday that my ex-girlfriend (whom I was still close to)
was brutally murdered on the island of Tortola in the British Virgin
Islands. Such came as a real blow and is deeply saddening as well. The
following are the articles which appeared on the Associated Press
(AP)national wire service in the USA. A producer with the CBS' "48 Hours"
television series contacted me this morning as "48 Hours" is planning on
covering Lois' murder and the upcoming trial in Tortola...
Lois considered Tortola as her paradise and sanctuary (as she never expected
to get murdered there).
Best,
Jim Morris
Jim Morris <jdtm...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:kXur4.18702$Zp1.6...@newsread1.prod.itd.earthlink.net...
> news:7uwp4.577$Zp1....@newsread1.prod.itd.earthlink.net...
Jim Morris
http://www.dailyprogress.com/NewsItems/1news.htm
The following is an article which had appeared in today's issue of the
Charlottesville (Virginia) Daily Progress newspaper:
By ADAM GOLDMAN
Daily Progress staff writer
Not a bad winter vacation: soaking up the sun and the nightlife on Tortola
in the British Virgin Islands.
And it was all very familiar to Michael Spicer.
A 36-year-old law school graduate who didn't practice law, Spicer frequently
spent time at the villa his family owns on Tortola. When not on the upscale
resort island, or jet-setting around the world, he would divide his time
between his condo in Washington and his mother's $600,000 home in Albemarle
County.
But within weeks of his Jan. 3 arrival on Tortola, Spicer's life took a
precipitous turn.
Spicer and three other men were charged by British Virgin Islands
authorities with the murder of 34-year-old Lois Livingston McMillen, a
struggling artist from Connecticut.
McMillen's body was discovered on the morning of Jan. 15, draped over a
beach rock. An autopsy report said the cause of death was drowning.
The four men, all of whom were staying at the Spicer villa, were questioned
by police and detained that same day. They were charged with McMillen's
murder on Jan. 19.
Spicer; Evan S. George, 22, a native of Santa Clara, Calif.; and William J.
Labrador, 36, and Alexander S. Benedetto, 34, both of New York, are being
held without bond at the prison in Road Town, capital of the British Virgin
Islands.
They are scheduled to appear at a preliminary inquiry Wednesday. At that
time, crown prosecutors will present forensic evidence that, they say, will
link the men to McMillen's killing.
Authorities have yet to offer a motive for the killing, but have hinted that
it probably was not premeditated.
"Everything we have, we will produce at the preliminary inquiry," said
Terrence Williams, senior crown counsel with the Tortola Attorney General
Chambers. "There is a responsibility to disclose what we have. There's no
reservation to show our evidence. There's no ambush."
Spicer's Road Town lawyer, Joseph Archibald, has declined to discuss the
case.
Spicer's brother, speaking from his home in Watertown, N.Y., said he
believed the men would be treated fairly by the British Virgin Islands
courts.
"We have the expectation that the Tortolan judicial system will work," said
Lewis "Casey" Spicer III. "We've come to have every confidence in the
Tortolans' handling of the case."
David A. Martin, former general counsel to the U.S. Immigration and
Naturalization Service and a professor at the University of Virginia's
School of Law, explained that the four are presumed innocent until proven
guilty.
"This is a British system with a full range of protections," Martin said.
"Whatever wrinkles there may be in procedure, [Spicer] should have all the
basic safeguards we would expect in an American trial."
A territory of the United Kingdom, the British Virgin Islands does not have
capital punishment. If convicted, Spicer and the three other men could face
life in prison, with the possibility of parole.
Despite their dire situation, the men's spirits aren't flagging, Spicer's
sister said.
"They are quite relaxed," said Chris Matthews, also of Watertown, who
recently visited her youngest brother in Road Town. "The guys all have
alibis."
Matthews said her brother has access to a fax machine and telephone and that
the four men were wearing their own clothes when she visited them in prison.
Meanwhile, word of Spicer's plight has reached the Charlottesville area,
prompting talk about a man many people frequently saw but knew little about.
A former employee at a Downtown Mall coffee shop, for example, said that
Spicer was a regular customer from 1994 to 1997, always ordering a
double-tall skinny latte.
"Everybody assumed he was independently wealthy," the woman said. "Everybody
kind of thought he was mysterious. Stories flew around town about him and
his activities."
In the beginning
Raised in Watertown in upstate New York near the eastern shore of Lake
Ontario, Michael Graves Spicer attended the local high school. His father,
Lewis Spicer, had been co-captain of the Syracuse University basketball team
in the mid-1940s and played professionally for the Syracuse Nationals before
becoming a lawyer.
Lewis Spicer died in 1981 - two days after Michael graduated from high
school - following an 18-year battle with Parkinson's disease. He left his
family a sizeable estate.
Michael Spicer graduated from Syracuse in 1986 with a bachelor's degree in
history. He moved to the West Coast and attended law school at the
University of California-San Francisco for a year. He then enrolled as a
first-year student at the Georgetown University Law Center, where he had
originally been placed on the waiting list.
"I just thought he was a great guy, but he was a little bit wild by my
standards," said Justin Cohen, a San Francisco resident who met Spicer
during the year Spicer lived in California. "He was very complex. His energy
level was very high. Some of us felt he had a little too much time on his
hands."
Spicer earned his law degree from Georgetown in 1990, yet he has never
practiced law. "He has taken the bar [exam] unsuccessfully," Cohen
explained.
Spicer's occupation, one family member said, is "managing his own assets."
Shortly after finishing law school, Spicer moved his mother, Teena, from
Watertown to a newly purchased house on Lake Road near the exclusive
Farmington Country Club in Albemarle County.
Casey Spicer said that his paternal great-grandfather had been a Baptist
minister in Charlottesville and that the family considered Virginia a
"special place."
Since then, his brother and sister said, Michael Spicer has taken care of
their mother, who exhibits early signs of Alzheimer's disease.
While staying with his mother in Albemarle, Spicer often went to downtown
Charlottesville nightspots such as Escafe and Club 216.
"He used to come all the time . but never caused any trouble at the club,"
said Clyde Cooper, a co-founder of Club 216 and its manager until last
March.
Carlos Pezua, a former bartender at Escafe, said that Spicer, whom he met
six years ago, came across as "aloof."
"He didn't interact with anyone specifically. He didn't have one set group
of friends," Pezua said. "He was definitely part of the scene."
Others described the 6-foot-tall, brown-haired Spicer as good-looking, chic,
well-read and perpetually tan.
When not living at his mother's house, he was always "just a phone call
away" in Washington, family members said.
Spicer recorded a message on the answering machine of his Washington condo
before he left for Tortola: "Thank you for calling. I'm either at the farm
in Virginia until Jan. 3, or from Jan. 3 till at least Feb. 12 I will be at
Zebra House on Tortola."
With him there would be Labrador, a friend for about 10 years who once
worked at a top modeling agency in New York; Benedetto, a former Navy Seal
who is employed at his father's New York publishing house; and George, who
met Spicer in San Francisco in 1998 and later moved to Washington, though
his last known address is a homeless shelter in Portland, Ore., where he is
wanted on drug charges.
Lay of the land
Homicide is far from common in the British Virgin Islands. The tranquil
islands - located east of Puerto Rico between the Atlantic Ocean and the
Caribbean Sea - have seen only six murders since 1996, and none of those
involved a visitor until McMillen's killing, said John Johnston, deputy
commissioner of the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force.
"We don't use the terminology 'zero tolerance,' but it is a very law-abiding
community," Johnston said. "I think that [the crime rate] is indicative that
this is a very peaceful part of the world.
"One of the mainstays of the economy is tourism, and we want tourists to
feel safe on the island. And given the statistics, we feel we can claim
that.
"Despite this having happened, it is still one of the safest havens in the
Caribbean. I would certainly hope it wouldn't put people off from coming
here."
Nevertheless, the killing of McMillen has Tortola talking.
"Everybody know about it," said Charles "Bomba" Smith, owner of Bomba's
Shack, a bar that McMillen frequented. "It shakes the island a little bit
because a lot of people know the girl."
Those who know Spicer, while stunned by the charges, maintain that he could
not have been involved in such a brutal crime.
Matthews said she is convinced that there is "absolutely no evidence that
could link them with [the crime]."
The arrest, Matthews said, was merely a precaution meant to safeguard the
island's main industry, tourism. "My thought all along has been that you
have to stop [the fear] fast so people aren't afraid to walk the beach,"
Matthews said.
The police don't agree.
"We wouldn't have them in the prison if we weren't confident that they were
involved," Johnston said.
Fateful days
Lois McMillen arrived on Tortola Dec. 30. Spicer and his friends got there
four days later.
Though the woman was, according to her father, Russell G. McMillen, retired
chairman and CEO of the Eastern Co. of Naugatuck, Conn., "shy socially" and
"didn't mix around," it would have been natural for McMillen to see Spicer,
considering they had known each other for about 20 years.
The Spicers built their Tortola villa in the late 1970s. Shortly thereafter,
the McMillens moved into a neighboring house and the families became
friends.
Lois McMillen also knew Benedetto from a past fling on the island, according
to Spicer's sister.
But McMillen didn't do much socializing upon arriving in Tortola, because
she became ill, according to her mother, Josephine McMillen. The young woman
wouldn't meet up with Spicer and his pals until the night of Jan. 12.
"[Lois] ran into them at Bomba's Shack on Wednesday night and drove them
home," Josephine McMillen said.
The next afternoon, "Michael called . and Lois took them to a local
restaurant," the mother said. "Then she took them to Road Town, a half an
hour away, to another bar for another drink."
Chris Matthews said her brother and his friends likely did not want to drive
on Tortola because of the island's strict drunken-driving laws.
On the evening of Jan. 14, the McMillens had supper at their villa, then
Lois went alone to a blues bar called the Jolly Roger. That, Josephine
McMillen said, was the last time she saw her daughter alive.
Spicer and his three friends also went out that evening. At some point
during the night, Labrador left his friends and went back to Zebra House,
authorities said.
It remains unclear where Spicer, Benedetto and George went and what they did
the rest of that night. However, a witness told police he had seen three men
following McMillen on the beach in the early hours of Jan. 15. He did not
see their faces.
Grisly scenario
At about 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 15, a passerby discovered the fully
clothed body of a white woman on the beach near the Sir Francis Drake
Highway on the west end of the island.
Near the scene, detectives found "female accessories strewn from the road to
the sea and some blood stains," according to an affidavit filed by Jacob
George, a chief inspector with the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force.
"Before leaving the scene, I formed the suspicion that the deceased had been
involved in a struggle and had died through foul play," George wrote.
The woman had neither been robbed nor raped, police determined. The time of
death has been established, prosecutor Williams said, but he would not
disclose it.
That same day, the McMillens reported that their daughter was missing. Based
on the family's description, the police deduced that the dead woman was Lois
McMillen. The parents later confirmed the identity of the body.
Police recovered Lois McMillen's rental car about a mile away from where her
body was found. The car's interior showed signs of a violent struggle,
according to McMillen's mother.
It didn't take very long for police to turn to Spicer and his friends once
they got reports that the men and McMillen had been seen together.
George, the chief inspector, interviewed Spicer and the other men shortly
after noon at Zebra House.
Justin Cohen, in San Francisco, said he spoke with Spicer on the telephone
that day. "He sounded a little down," Cohen recalled. "He was upset that
this beautiful young girl was dead. They had been spending time together."
Spicer, he said, also related that "the police have just been here."
By 6 p.m., Spicer, Labrador, Benedetto and George were detained on suspicion
of murder.
The police also obtained a search warrant for Zebra House, where they
identified the clothing the men had been wearing the night before.
"Michael Spicer admitted to having been wearing a blood-stained shirt," the
chief inspector wrote. "He was not able to account for the blood."
The four men were formally charged Jan. 19. They have been in the Road Town
prison ever since.
Michael Spicer, however, has not lost hope. He ended a fax to his sister
Friday the same way he has ended previous messages from prison: "I am
resigned to the fact that our innocence will prevail."
Jim Morris <jdtm...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:Alvr4.6892$O43.2...@newsread2.prod.itd.earthlink.net...
Jim Morris
http://www.dailyprogress.com/NewsItems/1news.htm
The following is an article which had appeared in today's issue of the
Charlottesville (Virginia) Daily Progress newspaper:
By ADAM GOLDMAN
Daily Progress staff writer
Not a bad winter vacation: soaking up the sun and the nightlife on Tortola
in the British Virgin Islands.
Jim Morris <jdtm...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:wZQr4.21234$Zp1.7...@newsread1.prod.itd.earthlink.net...
Jim Morris
http://www.dailyprogress.com/NewsItems/1news.htm
The following is an article which had appeared in today's issue of the
Charlottesville (Virginia) Daily Progress newspaper:
By ADAM GOLDMAN
Daily Progress staff writer
Not a bad winter vacation: soaking up the sun and the nightlife on Tortola
in the British Virgin Islands.
Jim Morris <jdtm...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:wZQr4.21234$Zp1.7...@newsread1.prod.itd.earthlink.net...
Callen Molenda
(Spicer) owned a villa in Tortola and knew his victim rather well. His mother
lives in Albemarle County in Virginia (where I'm from) and reportedly suffers
from the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. Local coverage of this story has
been very strange. There appears to be no motive and the men accused seem a
motley bunch - Spicer is said to be employed by "managing his assets" and one of
the others is apparently listed as having several open drug cases against him,
his last known address a homeless shelter in California.
The one thing the stories have all said is that she was a lovely and gentle
person. My condolences to you, Jim.
Callen
John Hoagland wrote:
> >¶ CHARLOTTE AMALIE, U.S. Virgin Islands (AP) _ A woman from New York
> state
> >living in the British Virgin Islands was found dead by a roadside in the
> >Caribbean territory, police said Wednesday.
> >¶ Lois +Livingston+ +McMillen+, 34, was found Saturday morning on the
> west
> >side of the island of Tortola, said police spokesman Sgt. Patrick Harewood.
> >He was uncertain about McMillan's hometown and her profession.
> >¶ Police said the woman was last seen leaving her house at Belmont
> Estates
> >at 9 p.m. Friday. She was wearing the same clothes when her body was found
> >Saturday.
> >¶ Police had not made any arrests by Wednesday but said they had
> conducted
> >several interviews. "We have taken four persons from the U.S.A. who were
> >associates of Ms. McMillen into custody to assist in the investigation,"
> >Harewood said.
> >¶ Police refused to release the results of McMillen's autopsy.
> >¶ The British territory reported three murders in 1999. There were no
> >reported murders in 1997 and 1998.
> >¶
> >----------------------------------------------------------------------
> >Doc: 00088522 DB: research_d_2000_1 Date: Fri Jan 21 15:15:33 2000
> >
> >*** Version history. (* = this story, F = final version) ***
> >
> >CD724BSP80 01-21-2000 15:15:33*F BC-Carib-British Virgin Islands-Murder, 1s
> >
> >Copyright 2000 By The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
> >---------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >C2708?-----
> >r ibx
> >^BC-Carib-British Virgin Islands-Murder, 1st Ld-Writethru,275<
> >^Four U.S. citizens charged with murder in British Virgin Islands<
> >^Eds: Subs 2nd graf to CORRECT to spokesman, sted spokeswoman<
> >¶ CHARLOTTE AMALIE, U.S. Virgin Islands (AP) _ British Virgin Islands
> >police have arrested and charged four U.S. citizens with killing an
> American
> >woman whose body was found by a roadside on the British island of Tortola,
> >police said Friday.
> >¶ Michael Spicer, 36; Alexander Benedetto, 34; Evan George, 22; and
> >William Labrador, 36, were charged Wednesday in the Magistrate's Court with
> >the murder of Lois +Livingston+ +McMillen+, said Sgt. Patrick Harewood, a
> >police spokesman.
> >¶ Police did not elaborate on how she was killed, but said they would
> >release the results of the autopsy in about one week.
> >¶ McMillen, 34, was found dead Saturday morning on the west side of the
> >island of Tortola, police said. McMillen was a native of New York state,
> but
> >police were uncertain about her hometown or her profession.
> >¶ She was last seen leaving her house at 9 p.m. on Jan. 14 and was
> wearing
> >the same clothes when her body was found Saturday, police said.
> >¶ The four men and McMillen had lived in the same area on the west side
> of
> >the island, Harewood said.
> >¶ Spicer, a student, and George, a construction worker, told police they
> >were natives of Washington, D.C., Harewood said. Both Benedetto, a
> >publisher, and Labrador, a businessman, were from New York state, he said.
> >¶ The four men were sent to the islands' prison to await trial, Police
> >Commissioner Vernon Malone said. Bail is not granted in murder cases in the
> >British Caribbean territory.
> >¶ The British Virgin Islands reported three murders in 1999. There were
> no
> >reported murders in 1997 and 1998.
> >¶ (jer-em)
> >
> >----------------------------------------------------------------------
> >Doc: 00106886 DB: research_d_2000_1 Date: Wed Jan 26 05:00:05 2000
> >
> >*** Version history. (* = this story, F = final version) ***
> >
> >MD727CB980 01-26-2000 05:00:05*F AM-CT--Island Murder:Connecticut woman kil
> >
> >Copyright 2000 By The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
> >---------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >M0655?ctba-
> >r nbx
> >^AM-CT--Island Murder,204<
> >^Connecticut woman killed on West Indian isle<
> >¶ MIDDLEBURY, Conn. (AP) _ A Middlebury woman was slain on the British
> >Virgin Island of Tortola and a family friend and three other men are held
> as
> >suspects.
> >¶ The body of Lois +Livingston+ +McMillen+, 34, an artist and feminist
> >activist, was discovered Jan. 15 along a shore road. McMillen had been
> >spending time at her parent's vacation home and was last seen about 9 p.m.
> >the night before leaving the home. The manner of death was not released.
> >¶ Michael Spicer, a neighbor, was charged in the death. Also charged were
> >three of his houseguests Alexander Benedetto, Evan George and William
> >Labrador. Spicer, of Charlottesville, Va., has known the family since they
> >bought the island home about 20 years ago. The hometowns of the other
> >suspects were not released.
> >¶ McMillen recently spearheaded a phone campaign to raise money for the
> >Susan B. Anthony's Shelter in Torrington. She also was a member of the
> Women
> >in Black, a New York City group that demonstrated in front of the United
> >Nations to protest the treatment of women in Bosnia.
> >¶ The next court date for the suspects in May 3. A memorial service is
Jim Morris
Thanks for your considerate response post. The article you referred to
(which appeared in the Charlottesville Daily Progress newspaper from last
Sunday) is linked at John Hoagland's BVI News Web site which is referenced
below:
Forwarded:
I found a link which has a beautiful picture of her and links to the
articles about her brutal murder on the west end of Tortola:
http://www.b-v-i.com/newslinks/
I also received the following email with regard to another American had who
been shot in the back of the head dead (last September):
"Hey, Jim...I am familiar with the murder...I did not know her personally,
but of her. It was quite a shock. Actually, my husbands brother in law was
murdered last September on Tortola..shot in the back of the head when he
happened upon a robbery...anyhow, I am so upset with the direction of
things on Tortola. I just came back yesterday..while I was there, a tourist
walking hand in hand with her boyfriend, was struck and thrown 100plus feet
in East end..they had just decided to move there that morning. It's all so
sad. The present government is just so oblivious...they want to expand and
in the process will turn a quiet safe peaceful island into St. Thomas, or
worse.
Have you heard any more about Lois' murderers?"
Another email from Susan:
"Jim,
Thank you for all this information...My husband and I were discussing
"joining forces" because the murderer of Jason Bally in September has not
been solved..and we feel that
the Tortola police are less than adequate or concerned...further, we heard
other
unsettling stories this trip about attempted breakins at Riteway with
guns...they are obviously on the island and until Jason's shooter is
apprehended, running around free to continue their crime spree. Perhaps
Dateline might find more interest if several crimes could be combined and
concentrate
perhaps on the mood of the Tortola police..one example, they told Jason's
sister that the shooting might have been an accident..he was shot in the
back of
the head, and the man with him was also shot at and pursued.
Anyhow, having just returned late last night, I am pretty fried..let me read
all of this more carefully and we will be back in touch."
Callen Molenda <ac...@virginia.edu> wrote in message
news:38B2B293...@virginia.edu...
> Callen
> > John
> > B-V-I Guide
> > >> Well Jim,
> > >ś CHARLOTTE AMALIE, U.S. Virgin Islands (AP) _ A woman from New York
> > state
> > >living in the British Virgin Islands was found dead by a roadside in
the
> > >Caribbean territory, police said Wednesday.
> > >ś Lois +Livingston+ +McMillen+, 34, was found Saturday morning on the
> > west
> > >side of the island of Tortola, said police spokesman Sgt. Patrick
Harewood.
> > >He was uncertain about McMillan's hometown and her profession.
> > >ś Police said the woman was last seen leaving her house at Belmont
> > Estates
> > >at 9 p.m. Friday. She was wearing the same clothes when her body was
found
> > >Saturday.
> > >ś Police had not made any arrests by Wednesday but said they had
> > conducted
> > >several interviews. "We have taken four persons from the U.S.A. who
were
> > >associates of Ms. McMillen into custody to assist in the
investigation,"
> > >Harewood said.
> > >ś Police refused to release the results of McMillen's autopsy.
> > >ś The British territory reported three murders in 1999. There were no
> > >reported murders in 1997 and 1998.
> > >ś
> > >----------------------------------------------------------------------
> > >Doc: 00088522 DB: research_d_2000_1 Date: Fri Jan 21 15:15:33 2000
> > >
> > >*** Version history. (* = this story, F = final version) ***
> > >
> > >CD724BSP80 01-21-2000 15:15:33*F BC-Carib-British Virgin
Islands-Murder, 1s
> > >
> > >Copyright 2000 By The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
> >
>---------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > >C2708?-----
> > >r ibx
> > >^BC-Carib-British Virgin Islands-Murder, 1st Ld-Writethru,275<
> > >^Four U.S. citizens charged with murder in British Virgin Islands<
> > >^Eds: Subs 2nd graf to CORRECT to spokesman, sted spokeswoman<
> > >ś CHARLOTTE AMALIE, U.S. Virgin Islands (AP) _ British Virgin Islands
> > >police have arrested and charged four U.S. citizens with killing an
> > American
> > >woman whose body was found by a roadside on the British island of
Tortola,
> > >police said Friday.
> > >ś Michael Spicer, 36; Alexander Benedetto, 34; Evan George, 22; and
> > >William Labrador, 36, were charged Wednesday in the Magistrate's Court
with
> > >the murder of Lois +Livingston+ +McMillen+, said Sgt. Patrick Harewood,
a
> > >police spokesman.
> > >ś Police did not elaborate on how she was killed, but said they would
> > >release the results of the autopsy in about one week.
> > >ś McMillen, 34, was found dead Saturday morning on the west side of
the
> > >island of Tortola, police said. McMillen was a native of New York
state,
> > but
> > >police were uncertain about her hometown or her profession.
> > >ś She was last seen leaving her house at 9 p.m. on Jan. 14 and was
> > wearing
> > >the same clothes when her body was found Saturday, police said.
> > >ś The four men and McMillen had lived in the same area on the west
side
> > of
> > >the island, Harewood said.
> > >ś Spicer, a student, and George, a construction worker, told police
they
> > >were natives of Washington, D.C., Harewood said. Both Benedetto, a
> > >publisher, and Labrador, a businessman, were from New York state, he
said.
> > >ś The four men were sent to the islands' prison to await trial,
Police
> > >Commissioner Vernon Malone said. Bail is not granted in murder cases in
the
> > >British Caribbean territory.
> > >ś The British Virgin Islands reported three murders in 1999. There
were
> > no
> > >reported murders in 1997 and 1998.
> > >ś (jer-em)
> > >
> > >----------------------------------------------------------------------
> > >Doc: 00106886 DB: research_d_2000_1 Date: Wed Jan 26 05:00:05 2000
> > >
> > >*** Version history. (* = this story, F = final version) ***
> > >
> > >MD727CB980 01-26-2000 05:00:05*F AM-CT--Island Murder:Connecticut woman
kil
> > >
> > >Copyright 2000 By The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
> >
>---------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > >M0655?ctba-
> > >r nbx
> > >^AM-CT--Island Murder,204<
> > >^Connecticut woman killed on West Indian isle<
> > >ś MIDDLEBURY, Conn. (AP) _ A Middlebury woman was slain on the
British
> > >Virgin Island of Tortola and a family friend and three other men are
held
> > as
> > >suspects.
> > >ś The body of Lois +Livingston+ +McMillen+, 34, an artist and
feminist
> > >activist, was discovered Jan. 15 along a shore road. McMillen had been
> > >spending time at her parent's vacation home and was last seen about 9
p.m.
> > >the night before leaving the home. The manner of death was not
released.
> > >ś Michael Spicer, a neighbor, was charged in the death. Also charged
were
> > >three of his houseguests Alexander Benedetto, Evan George and William
> > >Labrador. Spicer, of Charlottesville, Va., has known the family since
they
> > >bought the island home about 20 years ago. The hometowns of the other
> > >suspects were not released.
> > >ś McMillen recently spearheaded a phone campaign to raise money for
the
> > >Susan B. Anthony's Shelter in Torrington. She also was a member of the
> > Women
> > >in Black, a New York City group that demonstrated in front of the
United
> > >Nations to protest the treatment of women in Bosnia.
> > >ś The next court date for the suspects in May 3. A memorial service
eric
"Jim Morris" <jdtm...@earthlink.net> wrote:
> Hi Callen,
>
> Thanks for your considerate response post. The article you referred to
> (which appeared in the Charlottesville Daily Progress newspaper from
last
> Sunday) is linked at John Hoagland's BVI News Web site which is
referenced
> below:
>
rec.boats.cruising. We are party people!
Jim, This has obviously been tough on you but enough is enough. At
least learn how to postYou don't need to use quotes of quotes of
quotes....
Wishing you the best
Jim Morris
the recent crime reports to get out internationally to possibly reduce
tourism to the British Virgin Islands!)? Is such accurate?
eric <neb...@my-deja.com> wrote in message
news:898m58$g50$1...@nnrp1.deja.com...
> In article <wPJt4.8718$7c2.1...@newsread2.prod.itd.earthlink.net>,
> "Jim Morris" <jdtm...@earthlink.net> wrote:
> > Hi Callen,
> >
> > Thanks for your considerate response post. The article you referred to
> > (which appeared in the Charlottesville Daily Progress newspaper from
> last
> > Sunday) is linked at John Hoagland's BVI News Web site which is
> referenced
> > below:
> >
> ENOUGH ALREADY! PLEASE STOP CROSS POSTING ALL THIS MORBID CRAP ON
> rec.boats.cruising. We are party people!
>
> Jim, This has obviously been tough on you but enough is enough. At
> least learn how to postYou don't need to use quotes of quotes of
> quotes....
>
> Wishing you the best
Jim Morris
Jim Morris <jdtm...@earthlink.net> wrote in message:
> > > Hi Callen,
> > >
> > > Thanks for your considerate response post. The article you referred to
> > > (which appeared in the Charlottesville Daily Progress newspaper from
> > last
> > > Sunday) is linked at John Hoagland's BVI News Web site which is
> > referenced
> > > below:
> > >
> > ENOUGH ALREADY! PLEASE STOP CROSS POSTING ALL THIS MORBID CRAP ON
> > rec.boats.cruising. We are party people!
> >
> > Jim, This has obviously been tough on you but enough is enough. At
> > least learn how to postYou don't need to use quotes of quotes of
> > quotes....
> >
> > Wishing you the best
Jim
posts containing so much material without snipping what is not relevant.
Like I said before, I think everyone feels sympathy for your loss BUT, you
need to move on and do your personal healing instead of attempting to create
a shrine of types to your lost love in the newsgroups.
Jim
Jim Morris wrote in message ...
>Let me guess: You own or run a business based out of Tortola (and don't
want
>the recent crime reports to get out internationally to possibly reduce
>tourism to the British Virgin Islands!)? Is such accurate?
>
>eric <neb...@my-deja.com> wrote in message
SNIP!!
Jim Morris
recent murders on Tortola (especially the gentleman who had been shot in the
back of the head as his killer is still at large). Take care.....
Jim <rob...@aug.com> wrote in message
news:sbgi38...@corp.supernews.com...
> No Jim, it is just that it is getting to be a pain in the butt with your
> posts containing so much material without snipping what is not relevant.
> Like I said before, I think everyone feels sympathy for your loss BUT, you
> need to move on and do your personal healing instead of attempting to
create
> a shrine of types to your lost love in the newsgroups.
> Jim
>
> Jim Morris wrote in message ...
> >Let me guess: You own or run a business based out of Tortola (and don't
> want
> >the recent crime reports to get out internationally to possibly reduce
> >tourism to the British Virgin Islands!)? Is such accurate?
> >
> >eric <neb...@my-deja.com> wrote in message
>
> SNIP!!
>
>
John Bull
>As I understand it the accused killers are American, and apparently one of them
>(Spicer) owned a villa in Tortola and knew his victim rather well. His mother
>lives in Albemarle County in Virginia (where I'm from) and reportedly suffers
>from the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. Local coverage of this story has
>been very strange. There appears to be no motive and the men accused seem a
>motley bunch - Spicer is said to be employed by "managing his assets" and one
> of
>the others is apparently listed as having several open drug cases against him,
>his last known address a homeless shelter in California.
>
>The one thing the stories have all said is that she was a lovely and gentle
>person. My condolences to you, Jim.
>
>Callen
While it might not particularily pc of me to say so, when you travel or live in
predominately black areas in the Carribean, especially Jamaica, American and
British Virgin islands, where there has been an ongoing system of welfare, the
dole, codling of criminals and lots of pc crap going on, there is a higher
crime rate.
The Virgin islands and Haiti, and Martinique and Jamaica are notorious for their
high level of crimes against white tourists.
Most of this is hushed up because they don' want to kill the golden cow, but a
little research on your part can save you tons of grief when you go sailing.
Joe Della Barba
Bull) wrote:
>In article <38B2B293...@virginia.edu>, Callen Molenda <ac...@virginia.edu> babbled on and on:
>>As I understand it the accused killers are American, and apparently one of them
>>(Spicer) owned a villa in Tortola and knew his victim rather well. His mother
>>lives in Albemarle County in Virginia (where I'm from) and reportedly suffers
>>from the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. Local coverage of this story has
>>been very strange. There appears to be no motive and the men accused seem a
>>motley bunch - Spicer is said to be employed by "managing his assets" and one
>> of
>>the others is apparently listed as having several open drug cases against him,
>>his last known address a homeless shelter in California.
>>
>>The one thing the stories have all said is that she was a lovely and gentle
>>person. My condolences to you, Jim.
>>
>>Callen
>
>
>While it might not particularily pc of me to say so, when you travel or live in
>predominately black areas in the Carribean, especially Jamaica, American and
>British Virgin islands, where there has been an ongoing system of welfare, the
>dole, codling of criminals and lots of pc crap going on, there is a higher
>crime rate.
>
>The Virgin islands and Haiti, and Martinique and Jamaica are notorious for their
>high level of crimes against white tourists.
>
>Most of this is hushed up because they don' want to kill the golden cow, but a
>little research on your part can save you tons of grief when you go sailing.
I spent a week in the BVIs and I considered myself safer there by FAR
than any large city in the USA. St. Thomas is another matter.
As far as whites being targeted, if you lived in a shithole shack
would you steal a dented teapot from the shithole next to you or steal
a videocamera from a tourist? This is not a conspiracy, just common
sense. As far as Haiti and Martinique go, there is enough ongoing low
level civil war in Haiti for ANYONE who can read to know it is not the
safest place to go and I hear you might get exposed to rude French
people on Martinique. You decide which is a worse fate :)
Joe
martoraj
lowest crime rate in the Carribbean. There is full employment, and many, many families have sent their
kids to college. Most important, Lois wasn't killed by a native; she was murdered by one of her rich,
white American companions. You are using this tragedy to push your own political agenda and have ended
up proving the opposite.
joan
Jere Lull
>
> While it might not particularily pc of me to say so, when you travel or live in
> predominately black areas in the Carribean, especially Jamaica, American and
> British Virgin islands, where there has been an ongoing system of welfare, the
> dole, codling of criminals and lots of pc crap going on, there is a higher
> crime rate.
>
> The Virgin islands and Haiti, and Martinique and Jamaica are notorious for their
> high level of crimes against white tourists.
>
> Most of this is hushed up because they don' want to kill the golden cow, but a
> little research on your part can save you tons of grief when you go sailing.
Black or white has NOTHING to do with it. PC has NOTHING to do with it. WELFARE has nothing to do with
it.
BVI and USVI are worlds apart; Jamaica and Haiti in the next galaxy or so. [Please excuse shortcut
generalizations here, Jam and Haiti, I'm trying to respond quickly and I don't know you,
particularly.]
The BVI are a self-sustaining economy where anyone that wants to work can, and anyone who doesn't can
survive fairly handily off the land with some help from their friends. There just isn't a lot of crime
of any sort. The highest incidence seems to be domestic and there's not a lot of that. Visitors are
very well taken care of, almost all the time. [I'm not there all the time, so won't be more
definitive, except to say that not one of our crew has been mishandled in 16 or so years.]
As far as I can tell, not yet having found the transcripts from the official hearing yet, this seems
to be one or more guys that beat up on a girl, all from the USA.
If I had been able to respond directly to "John Bull", I would have, but these groups are the only
venue I have right now.
Please don't think the BVI and USVI are related more than geography. They're really separated by a
couple of decades' "progress". Frankly, I prefer the old style of the BVI.
--
Jere Lull
Xan-a-Deux -- '73 Tanzer 28 #4 -- out of Tolchester, MD
Xan's Pics & Specs: http://members.dca.net/jerelull/X-Main.html
Our BVI Vacation trip FAQ (250+ Annotated pics): http://members.dca.net/jerelull/BVI.html
Jim Morris
Thanks for your phone message... The following is the latest. At your
convenience, let me know what you think about such... Look forward to
keeping in touch...
Best,
Jim Morris
Los Angeles
(310) 358-7348
----- Original Message -----
From: Jim Morris
Sent: Friday, March 03, 2000 8:13 AM
Subject: Fw: Murder of a Beautiful American Woman on the Island of Tortola
in the British Virgin Islands
Forwarded:
Dear Jim
Your recent AP national/international article is included below. Another
aspect to keep in mind with Lois' murder is that Evan George had an
outstanding drug charge according to what I had read in at least one
article. Was Lois' murder a result of jealousy by a drug/alcohol induced
George who saw Spicer (who is gay/bi-sexual) getting "close" to Lois as
Spicer and Lois were spending time together before she was murdered? Or did
Lois confront Spicer about being gay/bi-sexual with George (who Spicer had a
two and a half year relationship with as your most recent article
mentioned):
http://www.b-v-i.com/newslinks/
Sent: Wednesday, March 01, 2000 9:59 PM
Subject: Didn't See the Following AP National/International Wire Feature
Article at http://www.wire.ap.org
The following includes the AP national/international wire articles as well
as a Web link (for the British Virgin Islands) which references the articles
from the Hartford Courant and Charlottesville Daily Progress newspapers.
Janon Fisher (janon....@apbnews.com) is working on a detailed article
which is scheduled to appear (at http://www.apbnews.com) later today. Some
of the http://www.apbnews.com articles also appear at the "Crime and
Punishment" news page at: http://www.msnbc.com and at http://www.yahoo.com
as well.
Best,
Jim Morris
Los Angeles
(310) 358-7348
Forwarded:
The following includes some of my speculative thought with regard to the
possible motive for Lois' murder. Janon Fisher's www.apbnews.com article on
Lois' murder will appear later today as I just emailed him a beautiful photo
of her to use with his article.
Sent: Tuesday, February 29, 2000 8:51 AM
Subject: Fw: Brutal Murder of Affluent American Woman on the Island of
Tortola in the British Virgin Islands
----- Original Message -----
From: Janon Fisher <janon....@apbnews.com>
To: 'Jim Morris' <jdtm...@earthlink.net>
Sent: Tuesday, February 29, 2000 8:36 AM
Subject: RE: Latest AP Article on the Brutal Murder of a Beautiful Artist on
the Island of Tortola in the British Virgin Islands
> Mr. Morris,
> I've been assigned to cover Lois McMillen's murder. Could you tell me
where
> you fit into the equation? Please email me with your phone number a good
> time to call so that we can talk.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Janon Fisher
> Reporter
> APBnews.com - Crime, Justice, Safety
> 65 Broadway, 17th floor
> New York, NY 10006-2503
> t:(212)430-5964
> f:(212)504-3206
> http://www.apbnews.com/media/gfiles/index.html
Dear Ms. Fisher,
Thanks for your email. Lois was an ex-girlfriend (whom I was still very
close to as we kept in touch via email and on the telephone). I would visit
her in New York when she had an apartment in Manhattan while attending
Parsons, and she would visit me in Los Angeles. I originally met her in Los
Angeles back in 1987. I am have been shocked and deeply saddened by her
murder.
The Associated Press contacted me yesterday for a picture to use (which I
could provide to you as well) in association with the following feature
article which went to the AP national and international wire services
yesterday at 5:00 PM (to my information). AP had also acquired two photos
which were made available to the Hartford Courant newspaper. The Hartford
Courant articles (along with the article from the Charlottesville Daily
Progress newspaper are referenced at the following Web site (which is also
referenced in the forwarded compilation email which I have included below):
http://www.b-v-i.com/newslinks/
After you have had a chance to review the following, please let me know.
Thanks.
Forwarded:
Subject: Fw: AP National/International Feature Wire Article which Moved
Yesterday at 5:00 PM
The following includes the latest Associated Press national/international
wire article and Web link which references the articles that had appeared in
the Hartford Courant and Charlottesville Daily Progress newspapers:
http://www.b-v-i.com/newslinks/
^AM-CT-Caribbean-Artist Slaying,1333<
^Artist's slaying, Americans' arrests, shock 'Nature's Little Secrets'
Isles<
^By JAMES ANDERSON=
^Associated Press Writer=
ś ROAD TOWN, British Virgin Islands (AP) _ Amid the soothing ping of
yachts' masts and roosters' crowing, the discovery of the body of a U.S.
artist along a scenic, boulder-strewn shore stunned this corner of
Caribbean paradise _ a place whose easy propriety draws thousands yearly to
its cozy harbors.
ś Of only slight consolation to British Virgin islanders were the arrests
of four foreigners _ all American visitors _ hours after Lois Livingston
McMillen, 34, of Middlebury, Connecticut, was slain the night of Jan.
14-15.
ś The men had been seen with her in the days before her drowning death,
and they face murder charges that could bring life in prison, with
possibility of parole.
ś "This kind of thing never happens here," said Ben Bischmann, 24, a
Chicago native who is a manager at Pusser's Soper's Hole, a West End
harborside pub popular with locals, sun-bronzed sailors and vacationers.
ś "This is a place where you leave the keys in your car and don't lock
the doors," Bischmann said. "You hitchhike if you need a ride home."
ś Michael Spicer, 36, a law student from Washington, D.C., and a longtime
neighbor of McMillen's on Tortola; his Tortola houseguests Evan George, 22,
a construction worker from Washington; investment banker William Labrador,
36, of Southhampton, New York; and Alexander Benedetto, 34, who works for a
book publisher in New York City, all deny the charges and deny being with
McMillen the night she disappeared.
ś They are jailed at Her Majesty's Prison, a remote hilltop place that
boasts a panoramic view of the palm-fringed shores where they _ and the
deceased _ once partied.
ś A preliminary inquiry set for March 27 will determine whether the case
goes to trial. Until then, prosecutors won't present evidence in the
slaying, said senior crown counsel Terrence Williams.
ś If it is sent to the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, trial likely
won't occur before October when the court _ which serves several countries_
has its next session here.
ś McMillen's death shocked many of the 14,000 residents of Tortola, the
most populated of the British Virgin Islands' 40-odd islands and keys. The
relatively crime-free archipelago is a scenic territory whose population
swells with thousands of sailors and vacationers and whose British-based
law system bars counsel from discussing evidence outside of court.
ś The available documents _ as well as interviews with police and
residents _ revealed little motive for a slaying, alongside a web of
overlapping relationships between McMillen and the four men accused in her
death.
ś "It's really, really sad. I pray for her," said Sgt. Patrick Harewood
of the Royal British Islands Police Force as he looked at a photo of the
striking McMillen, gazing intently at the camera.
ś Remembered at a Feb. 12 Connecticut memorial as a painter,
philanthropist and ardent activist against domestic violence, by some local
accounts McMillen allowed few to get close to her _ but was passionate in
her beliefs and causes and liked to dress to the nines. She had come to the
family's Tortola villa often with her father, Russell G. McMillen, retired
chairman of a lock manufacturing company, and her mother, Josephine.
Spicer's family owned a home up the hill at Long Bay and he had known the
McMillens for about 15 years.
ś McMillen's body was found Jan. 15 by a pedestrian on the shore next to
Sir Frances Drake Highway near Tortola's West End. She was fully clothed
with "what appeared to be blood oozing from her ear," Chief Inspector Jacob
George said in an affidavit. Officers found "female accessories strewn from
the road to the sea and some blood stains," and George surmised she "had
been involved in a struggle."
ś A pathologist determined she had not been sexually assaulted.
ś Her rental vehicle was found nearby. In it, George stated, was a
shoeprint that police photographed, presumably to be used as evidence.
ś In an affidavit, Spicer stated that he and his friends saw McMillen the
night of Jan. 12 at Bomba's Surfside Shack, a popular north-cast bar, and
that McMillen gave the four a ride home early Jan. 13. The night of Jan.
13, the four and McMillen went out for food and drinks at Pusser's.
Labrador walked home, and McMillen later drove the rest home, Spicer said.
ś "That was the last time I saw Lois," Spicer allegedly declared in a
separate statement to police. "Since all of us have been here, we've been
going out drinking a lot. ..."
ś McMillen was last believed seen the evening of Jan. 14 at the West End
waterfront bar of the Jolly Roger Inn, which sports pirate's flags flapping
in the breeze and a prized view of ray-strewn sunsets.
ś That night, Spicer said he and his houseguests went to Quito's Gazebo,
a low-key north-coast beach bar _ a half hour's drive from the Jolly Roger
_ where locals and visitors mix easily to reggae music. They took a cab
home about 2:30 a.m., then watched a movie, "Vertigo." Labrador told police
he went with other friends to an ATM machine, then decided to stay home
that night.
ś Hours after McMillen's body was discovered along Tortola's southwest
shore, police went to Spicer's home. They left, then returned and seized
clothing worn by the men the previous night.
ś "Michael Spicer admitted to having been wearing a blood-stained shirt.
He was not able to account for the blood," said a statemenet from Sgt.
George. It added that "there was blood on one pair" of three pairs of wet,
sandy shoes also seized.
ś Spicer and Evan George's attorney, Oscar Ramjeet, suggested that
forensic tests being conducted in Jamaica could benefit his client.
Benedetto's attorney, Paul Dennis, declined comment. Labrador attorney
Gerard Ferrara didn't immediately return telephone messages.
ś In another affidavit, Benedetto said he met McMillen in Tortola in 1997
and began a relationship with her. "The relationship ended amicably after
three months," said Benedetto, who said he works in a family book
publishing business.
ś Benedetto said he didn't see McMillen again until Jan. 12, at Bomba's,
where "we spoke for about an hour and she told me that she did not like
Tortola anymore and that the natives were treating her with aggression and
meanness."
ś At Bomba's, a ramshackle beach bar whose decor consists of wall
graffiti scrawled by hundreds of visitors and weathered panties and bras
donated by revelers and strung from the corrugated tin ceiling, McMillen
was remembered as a regular.
ś "I know Lois since she was 17 years old. I watched her grow up," said
owner Bomba "Shack," an imposing 54-year-old. "I tell you what, she was a
girl who liked to dress. ... Everyone knew her as the girl who dressed all
the time."
ś A photo pinned to a wall shows Bomba standing next to McMillen, wearing
a purple sequinned dress and holding a tambourine.
ś "I'd be the guy she'd ask, will you tell these guys to leave me alone,"
Bomba said. "She was quite popular but she wasn't a girl you could talk sex
to."
ś In his own Jan. 16 statement to police, Evan George stated that he was
unemployed, had had a relationship with Spicer for 2-1/2 years, and lived
in a Washington studio apartment owned by Spicer. "Michael is the
benefactor of a trust fund and he also plays the stock market," George
declared.
ś Meanwhile, the locals wait nervously. On islands dubbed "Nature's
Little Secrets," where drivers and pedestrians shout hellos in passing,
they don't want the sensationalism that can accompany U.S. trials to
jeopardize a tourism industry worth some dlrs 200 million last year and
responsible for about half the jobs.
ś And more importantly, many say: An adopted daughter is gone.
ś "She been missing here," Bomba said. "Really missing."
Jim Morris <jdtm...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:k7lu4.830$iv2....@newsread2.prod.itd.earthlink.net...
>
> Slimpickins <Sl...@work.com> wrote in message
> news:899inb$53c$1...@news.fsu.edu...
> > ****Your post mentions NOTHING about the "gay rage" of which Your
subject
> > title States. WHAT "gay rage"?! *Slim
>
> You apparently need to relax a little more... Below, I do my best to
answer
> your question:
>
> Forwarded:
>
> John wrote:
>
>
> > > >James,
>
> > > >Thanks for your information. I'm so sorry for your loss. She sounds
> like she was someone special and the crime... atrocious. What is your
> opinion of the four men arrested. Simply put, do you think they did it?
Why?
> Whats the evidence?
>
> > >Hi John,
> > > >
> > > >Thanks for your considerate email. She was special. When you get a
> chance to read the Charlottesville Daily Progress newspaper article (if
you
> haven't done such already)which can be accessed via the following Web
site,
> you will read that Michael Spicer's bloodstained clothing was found at his
> villa (which is next door to the McMillen villa) by the Tortola Police:
>
> > > >http://www.b-v-i.com/NewsLinks/
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >Analysis of the blood is being done at a forensic lab on Jamaica.
The
> results have not yet been received by the Tortola Police as such delayed
the
> preliminary inquiry (which was to have taken place on February 23rd) until
> next month (on March 27th) on Tortola. That preliminary inquiry will
reveal
> the crown's case against the four US citizens arrested for Lois' murder.
In
> an attempt to help with the case, I forwarded the following email exchange
> (with Chad Russsell) to the senior crown counsel(as it conveys some of my
> thinking)
>
>
The above referenced Associated Press article made mention in that Spicer
has had an "affair" with 22-year-old Evan
> George (with George apparently being financially dependant on the wealthy
> Spicer as George flew from the west coast to D.C. where
> Spicer was living)?
> > > >If Spicer is bi-sexual and rekindled something (or even started
> something) with Lois as their families have known each other for twenty
> years, did George get into a "gay rage" against Lois based on jealousy? If
> Lois did have something going on with Spicer, did she call him a fag
> (referring to his possible gay relations with George and the other three)
> when she saw no hope of having an eventual normal relationship with him
> (even though Lois' Mother denies that Lois had anything going on
> romantically with Spicer, but such shouldn't be the final word in case
Lois
> did possibly have something going on with Spicer that Lois' Mother didn't
> know about)? If Lois did challenge Spicer about him being gay/b-sexual,
did
> her doing such drive Spicer into a "gay rage" in the car (as Lois' Mother
> had told me that there were signs of a violent struggle in the car-such is
> also mentioned in the Charlottesville Daily Progress article)? In another
> possible scenario, did Spicer and the other three make sexual advances on
> Lois which were rebuffed that triggered violence as the men were seen to
be "on the hunt" earlier at the resyatuarants? I still think that the
> possible "gay rage" scenario is the most plausible...
> > > >
> > > >I was told told by the AP reporter (who was on Tortola yesterday)
> that a possible romantic liaison between Spicer and Lois has been raised.
I
> also read that Benedetto had a "fling" with Lois according to what
Spicer's
> sister had mentioned in that Charlottesville Daily Progress newspaper
> article (but Spicer's sister could be simply "blowing smoke" about such
like
> when she had said in that Daily Progress article that there isn't any
> evidence-if that blood on Spicer's clothing comes back as Lois' blood, I
> would say such is pretty damning for Spicer and is evidence!).
> > > >
> > > >If Benedetto did have a prior "fling" with Lois, did Benedetto get
> jealous of Lois and Spicer (if they had something going on)? Again, did
George get
> jealous of a possible romantic liaison between Spicer and Lois?
> > > >
> > > >Labrador returned early to Spicer's villa according to that Daily
> Progress article? Why? Did he get jealous if Lois had rekindled something
> with Benedetto (if she did indeed have a prior "fling" with Benedetto) and
> if Labrador had something gay going on with Benedetto? I think Spicer was
> with George and Benedetto was with Labrador (with possible "interaction"
as
> such is known to occur with some gay/bi-sexual scenarios). Again, a
possible envy
> driven "gay rage" scenario has to be investigated, and I have made such
> known to the appropriate authorities on Tortola...
I would also like to know how Lois' body got to be a mile away (or
> so) from the car? At first, I thought that she might have been beaten and
> thrown into the water (with the current and tide washing her up on that
> rock). But her accessories were found near her body according to that
Daily
> Progress article. So how did she get onto that rock? Did one or more of
them
> beat her and then throw her in the water (or did they leave her there to
> drown after beating her in a possible drunken stupor?)with the tide
> elevating her onto the rock and leaving her upon it when the tide lowered.
> Or after beating her, did they kill her by intentionally drowning her in
> order for her not to be alive to later file assault charges against
whoever
> did such to her (out of the four)? Then did they leave her on the rock and
> drive away in her car and abandon it a mile or so down the road after they
> realized that they couldn't be seen in her car? Or after beating her (and
> leaving her in the water to drown or intentionally drowning her or did she
> stumble to the water where she eventually drowned after becoming
> unconscious from the brutal beating). Did the men drive off in the car
while
> she stumbled to the water and then abandon it a mile or so away because
they
> didn't want to be seen in the car. Again, I have so many questions that
> still remain unanswered...
Jim Morris
John Bull <SpoofA...@killspammers.org> wrote in message
news:bbpu4.2702$w81.2...@typhoon.austin.rr.com...
of them
> >(Spicer) owned a villa in Tortola and knew his victim rather well. His
mother
> >lives in Albemarle County in Virginia (where I'm from) and reportedly
suffers
> >from the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. Local coverage of this
story has
> >been very strange. There appears to be no motive and the men accused
seem a
> >motley bunch - Spicer is said to be employed by "managing his assets" and
one
> > of
> >the others is apparently listed as having several open drug cases against
him,
> >his last known address a homeless shelter in California.
> >
> >The one thing the stories have all said is that she was a lovely and
gentle
> >person. My condolences to you, Jim.
> >
> >Callen
>
>
live in
> predominately black areas in the Carribean, especially Jamaica, American
and
> British Virgin islands, where there has been an ongoing system of welfare,
the
> dole, codling of criminals and lots of pc crap going on, there is a higher
> crime rate.
>
> The Virgin islands and Haiti, and Martinique and Jamaica are notorious for
their
> high level of crimes against white tourists.
>
> Most of this is hushed up because they don' want to kill the golden cow,
but a
> little research on your part can save you tons of grief when you go
sailing.
That article about Lois' murder is up at http://www.apbnews.com. Her eyes
look much darker than in the picture I had sent to them... Also, they quoted
me in saying that she pursued the acting thing after Parsons, but it was
before...
http://www.apbnews.com/newscenter/breakingnews/2000/03/10/tortola0310_01.htm
l
Forwarded:
> > > > accounts McMillen allowed few to get close to her _ but was
passionate
> > in
>>>>James