Natural Selection: Scott v. Wild Bill

Treefort Media
  • 4.7 (119)
  • TRUE CRIME
  • WEEKLY SERIES
Natural Selection: Scott v. Wild Bill

A tale as bizarre as it is terrifying, NATURAL SELECTION: SCOTT V. WILD BILL is the stranger-than-fiction true story of a self-made millionaire enjoying an early retirement in paradise with his wife…  …Until he’s framed for murder and charged with running a ruthless international crime syndicate in Bocas del Toro, Panama. His accuser? Fellow American expat and brazen con man William “Wild Bill” Holbert…who also happens to be a cold-blooded serial killer.  Narrated by retired FBI profiler Candice DeLong (creator and host of hit podcast KILLER PSYCHE WITH CANDICE DELONG) and featuring exclusive interviews, including Wild Bill from a Panamanian prison – this audio documentary follows a man's years-long quest to prove his innocence and restore his freedom, his family, and his life. For more: Details on the show or Treefort: http://naturalselection.fm/ To follow Candice: https://www.instagram.com/candicedelong00 For ad sales and cross-promotional inquiries, please contact: partnerships@glassboxmedia.com

  1. I AM A GOD

    EPISODE 1

    I AM A GOD

    Bocas del Toro, Panama – 2009. Scott McAda, his wife Belinda, and their son Wes are enjoying a peaceful sunset on their yacht, the Natural Selection, when a motorboat approaches. An American couple introduce themselves as Bill and Jane Cortez. Always a friend to fellow expats, Scott invites them on board for a cocktail, but after several rounds of drinks, the night takes a bizarre and unsettling turn. “I AM A GOD. PEOPLE BOW DOWN BEFORE ME!” Bill proclaims. Scott chuckles at his guest’s drunken bravado and tells him, “You sound stupid.” This is the first in a series of similar run-ins between the two men. What begins as playful trolling becomes a dangerous game. The Cortez’s are not who they claim to be. They are fugitives who months before meeting the McAda’s murdered an entire family and stole their home. Scott has no idea that he is openly mocking a serial killer with a fragile ego, and that his sharp tongue will have devastating consequences. For more: Details on the show or Treefort: http://naturalselection.fm/ To follow Candice: https://www.instagram.com/candicedelong00 For ad sales inquiries, please contact: partnerships@glassboxmedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    45 min
  2. THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING

    EPISODE 2

    THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING

    Over a year has passed since that night aboard the Natural Selection. By now, William “Wild Bill” Holbert has graduated from grifter to murderer. He is arrested (along with his faithful companion, Laura Michelle Reese) and charged with murdering six fellow ex-pats in Central America. As he awaits trial in a Panamanian prison, Wild Bill makes a shocking claim — that affable retiree Scott McAda is the true mastermind behind these ruthless killings, as well as a vast criminal empire. The media coverage is relentless. It is Wild Bill’s word against Scott’s, and no one knows who to believe. For more: Details on the show or Treefort: http://naturalselection.fm/ To follow Candice: https://www.instagram.com/candicedelong00 For ad sales inquiries, please contact: partnerships@glassboxmedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    50 min
  3. THE CONCRETE PLAN

    EPISODE 3

    THE CONCRETE PLAN

    American fugitives and prolific con artists William “Wild Bill” Holbert and Laura Michelle Reese murder a man in Costa Rica, steal his suitcase full of money and dispose of his body in the yard of their rental home. Then the killers escape over the border into Panama to find their next mark. When they come upon a family selling their property in the tropical paradise of Bocas del Toro, Bill shoots dead the father, mother and son – and moves into their home. No one seems to notice the family is missing because Bocas is an expat community where people tend to come and go. It is also a place where backstories are rarely questioned, but wealthy retiree Scott McAda does not follow that unwritten code of conduct. He asks questions of Wild Bill, never once thinking it could lead to the years-long, legal nightmare that Scott cannot seem to shake. For more: Details on the show or Treefort: http://naturalselection.fm/ To follow Candice: https://www.instagram.com/candicedelong00 For ad sales inquiries, please contact: partnerships@glassboxmedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    50 min
  4. THE JOLLY ROGER SOCIAL CLUB

    EPISODE 4

    THE JOLLY ROGER SOCIAL CLUB

    William “Wild Bill” Holbert and his companion Laura Michelle Reese fled Costa Rica for Panama and are now running a dockside bar close to their new home called The Jolly Roger Social Club. The hangout is popular with expats, like wealthy American retiree Scott McAda, who grow accustomed to Wild Bill slinging drinks in a Viking helmet and telling outrageous stories. What no one realizes is that Wild Bill is methodically gathering information on his party-loving patrons, details that he will use to great effect as he and Laura amp up their life of crime. For more: Details on the show or Treefort: http://naturalselection.fm/ To follow Candice: https://www.instagram.com/candicedelong00 For ad sales inquiries, please contact: partnerships@glassboxmedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    45 min
  5. RIDE OR DIE

    EPISODE 5

    RIDE OR DIE

    One Spring evening in 2010, Scott McAda is waiting on the docks of Bocas del Toro, Panama for a friend to whisk him across the lagoon when along comes a boat with one occupant - William “Wild Bill” Holbert. Wild Bill insists on taking Scott to his destination, leaving the two men alone in the remote, open waters. Scott has no clue that months earlier a fellow expat found himself in a similar scenario and was never heard from again. For more: Details on the show or Treefort: http://naturalselection.fm/ To follow Candice: https://www.instagram.com/candicedelong00 For ad sales inquiries, please contact: partnerships@glassboxmedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    37 min
  6. FRIENDLY FIRE

    EPISODE 6

    FRIENDLY FIRE

    Not long after American fugitive William “Wild Bill” Holbert lands in Central America, he sets up shop as a “psychiatrist” catering to fellow expats, a ruse which helps him progress from con man to serial killer. As a fake therapist he hones two useful skills – building trust and feigning empathy – that he uses to his advantage while targeting people for their homes. When Wild Bill befriends a lonely, recent divorcée at his dockside bar in Bocas del Toro, he realizes too late that he gravely miscalculates his victim. For more: Details on the show or Treefort: http://naturalselection.fm/ To follow Candice: https://www.instagram.com/candicedelong00 For ad sales inquiries, please contact: partnerships@glassboxmedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    49 min
  7. CERTIFIED PSYCHOPATH

    EPISODE 7

    CERTIFIED PSYCHOPATH

    As the body of another victim lays in a shallow grave in Bocas del Toro, serial killers William “Wild Bill” Holbert and Laura Michelle Reese flee Panama. A manhunt crisscrosses Central America, lasting weeks while the expat community in Bocas reels from the news that their friendly neighborhood barkeep was actually a cold-blooded murderer. Despite a Hollywood movie-like capture that lands him behind bars, Wild Bill remains confident he can outsmart the Panamanian legal system. In part, Bill’s plan involves forcing Scott McAda, the affable retiree who took pleasure in publicly trolling him, into a face-off in court. For Scott, the prospect of decades in a Panamanian prison now hinges on Wild Bill’s testimony – the words of a certified psychopath. For more: Details on the show or Treefort: http://naturalselection.fm/ To follow Candice: https://www.instagram.com/candicedelong00 For ad sales inquiries, please contact: partnerships@glassboxmedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    49 min
  8. COURTING DISASTER

    EPISODE 8

    COURTING DISASTER

    The stakes are high for Scott McAda as he faces off against William “Wild Bill” Holbert in a Panamanian courtroom. The wealthy retiree is confident that his meticulous preparation will bring him justice and reveal he is telling the truth, not the avowed murderer in shackles sitting across the table. But, once again, Scott underestimates his nemesis – as the serial killer lobs a new accusation at him. The latest claim from Wild Bill leaves Scott reeling, with his entire defense seemingly shattered, Scott fears he is out of options in the quest to clear his name. Scott remains under country arrest in Panama, but his big boat is quite capable of getting the McAda's back to the States, should they choose to flee. For more: Details on the show or Treefort: http://naturalselection.fm/ To follow Candice: https://www.instagram.com/candicedelong00 For ad sales inquiries, please contact: partnerships@glassboxmedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    33 min
See All Season 1 (13)

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4.7
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A tale as bizarre as it is terrifying, NATURAL SELECTION: SCOTT V. WILD BILL is the stranger-than-fiction true story of a self-made millionaire enjoying an early retirement in paradise with his wife…  …Until he’s framed for murder and charged with running a ruthless international crime syndicate in Bocas del Toro, Panama. His accuser? Fellow American expat and brazen con man William “Wild Bill” Holbert…who also happens to be a cold-blooded serial killer.  Narrated by retired FBI profiler Candice DeLong (creator and host of hit podcast KILLER PSYCHE WITH CANDICE DELONG) and featuring exclusive interviews, including Wild Bill from a Panamanian prison – this audio documentary follows a man's years-long quest to prove his innocence and restore his freedom, his family, and his life. For more: Details on the show or Treefort: http://naturalselection.fm/ To follow Candice: https://www.instagram.com/candicedelong00 For ad sales and cross-promotional inquiries, please contact: partnerships@glassboxmedia.com

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