** WANTED ** For questioning regarding murders in Western Caribbean.

lenseman

lenseman

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Javier MARTIN is from Valencia, Spain, approximately 40-45 years of age, olive complexion, 5' 7-8", thin build, 140 Lbs., smokes cigarettes, speaks Castillion Spanish.

Please forward this e-mail to any cruising friends who might have come into contact with Javier in the Caribbean between Cartagena and Panama.

He is wanted in connection the deaths of Don North and Jean-Pierre Bouahard.

http://www.panama-guide.com/

http://yourcruisingeditor.wordpress.com/

http://www.sail-world.com/UK/Cruising-sailor-wanted-in-murder-case-could-be-anywhere/80254

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Cruisers_Network_Online/message/1957

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Cruisers_Network_Online/messages?o=1
 
Last edited:
** UPDATE ** 18 February 2011

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - Very early yesterday morning Don North's nephew, Ezra North and I departed for the San Blas islands to observe and assist the work of a task force deployed by the Panamanian justice system to find additional evidence against the serial killer Javier Martin. I'm going to leave out all of the details about the trip and travel which was interesting but not relevant to the investigation at hand. We arrived to El Porvenir at 10:00 am yesterday morning and immediately saw Don North's boat the "Windancer" (Green Twilight) at anchor in front of the National Border Service (SENAFRONT) station on the island. Rather than going straight to the boat, the lead prosecutor in this case, Rafael Baloyes who has a permanent office in the Homicide Division of the Direction of Judicial Investigation (DIJ), on assignment from the Auxiliary Prosecutor's office of the Public Ministry, decided he wanted to spend the daylight hours conducting interviews and inspections of sites of interest. They planned to conduct the Luminol testing that night. We stopped just long enough to drop off a bunch of technical gear at the SENAFRONT cop-shop, and hopped back into the boat, and headed to the East and the points of interest. Like, the spot where the "Windancer" (Green Twilight) was anchored when it was confiscated by the Maritime Authority of Panama, the spot where Javier Martin's "Twyla" sank, an island where reportedly one of the locals had a dinghy that belonged to Don North, and the place where Don North spent most of his time at anchor, Chichime. The investigators and detectives hit the Mother of All Mother Lodes when they opened up two small pup-tents on Humberto's property where Javier Martin last stayed. They found Javier Martin's passport in the same tent with a gun owned by Don North. They also found about a ton (no exaggeration) of property and equipment owned by Don North that Javier Martin had stolen from the "Windancer" and stashed on the island. (more)

"I Found It Two Months Ago" - There was this character named "Blas" who had this dinghy in his possession. It looked a lot like the one Don North had on his boat and someone reported that fact to the authorities. When we got there "Blas" said he had supposedly found it two months ago on the coast down towards Colon. When I looked at the boat I saw what looked like a bullet hole in the hull and pointed it out to the investigators. I didn't sit in on the interrogation and sworn statement made by "Blas" but when it was over, we confiscated the boat, loaded it up and took it with us to the next stop. "Blas" wasn't happy and it turns out that later that day another witness was able to confirm, 100% that the dinghy was, in fact, Don North's property (more later.) Anyway, now he might have to answer to the investigators again about how be came into possession of Don North's dinghy.

The Wreck of the "Twyla" - On the way to Chichime to talk to Humberto we went past the site of the wreck of Javier Martin's boat the "Twyla." The prosecutor is planning to send divers down to the wreck soon to search for related evidence. Javier Martin wanted to depart Chichime enroute to Colombia on 8 December 2010 - the day of the worst storm in Panama in 300 years - with eleven backpackers on board. The port captain in El Porvenir denied his request and told him no one was leaving port from Colon to Cartagena due to the bad weather. Javier Martin left anyway and set sail. The seas were so rough and the storm was so bad that he had to turn around to come back. Reportedly, the backpackers on board were scared out of their wits, to the point of losing control of their bodily functions. Javier Martin, who might have been drunk at the time, misjudged the approach and crashed into the reef at coordinates 093512N 0785306W. They got the backpackers off quickly and Javier made a call asking for the other boaters in the area to raise their anchors and to come to his aid, to pull him off of the reef. No one wanted to risk it, considering the strength of the storm that was blowing and that one boat had already gone into the reef and was sinking. The next day the "Twyla" slipped down the reef and into deeper water, where she rests today. The sinking of the "Twyla" started a chain of events that resulted in the murder of Jean Pierre Bouahard, the disappearance of Don North, and the arrest of Javier Martin.

The Mother Lode - In A Tent: Humberto owns a small hostel on Chichime where Don North spent most of this time at anchor. He knew Don North very well and also had frequent contact with Javier Martin. He provided the details on when he had last seen the two men, their comings and goings, and importantly Javier Martin had recently rented the use of two tents that were set away from the center of the rest of the complex of huts and bohios. It would turn out that these two tents contained enough evidence to convict Javier Martin of the disappearance and presumed murder of Don North, ten times over. Once the interview was concluded, he led us to the tents to see what was inside.

So, Who Did Javier Martin Kill in 1997? - The inspectors also found original documents from 1997 regarding the ownership and registration of the "Twyla D" in the British Virgin Islands. And guess what? They don't reflect Javier Martin as the owner. I suspect that eventually a historical search of that boat will uncover that many years ago some poor, unfortunate, and as of yet unidentified sailboat owner met the same fate as Jean Pierre Bouahard and Don North - and the roots and evidence of that crime were only uncovered now. I suspect someone hired Javier Martin to work on their boat as a deckhand, and somewhere along the line the real owner went over the side and Javier Martin emerged as the new owner of a sailboat worth about $200,000 dollars - a Beneteau 44. And just like William Dathan Holbert, I'll be investigating the details of this possible murder case as well, in order to secure the possibility of a conviction in another urisdiction - so that Javier Martin will be sure to spend the rest of this worthless stinking life behind bars somewhere, anywhere.

Many More Details, But I'm Fading: It's been a very long day and I don't write well when I'm tired. So, I'm going to park it for now, get some rest, and come back swinging for the fences in the morning. You've got most of the highlights already, and I'll fill in more details tomorrow.

Copyright 2011 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.
 
Latest news:

We would encourage all cruisers to forward this to cruising friends in the Caribbean who may have additional information about Javier Martin when he was in St Maartin and Antigua. Also, any of the unanswered questions surrounding this case involving stolen boats and possibly missing owners/captains is obviously very important.
Anyone with information about anything connected to this case may call US number 954-646-4684.

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - Lately some new developments have emerged in the case of the Spaniard Javier Martin, who is currently being held in Pavilion 8 in La Joyita. He has been charged with murder in the deaths of the American Don North in the San Blas islands, and the Frenchman Jean Pierre Bouhard in Portobelo. In addition he is also facing additional charges for the possession of illegal weapons, theft, and the illegal use of credit cards (which he used to clean out the accounts of both victims.) If convicted on all counts, and the evidence against him is overwhelming, he will most likely be sentenced to 70 years or more in a Panamanian prison. Panama does not have "life in prison without the possibility of parole" but in the case of Javier Martin, the chances of him ever walking out of prison are very slim indeed. I already know a lot about what Javier Martin has done here in Panama but many questions remain unanswered. Like, where was he before he came here? How did a guy like Javier Martin end up as the owner of a Beneteau sailboat worth about $250,000 dollars (that he sunk)? Did he kill someone else before he came to Panama in order to steal their boat? Is he wanted anywhere else in the world? Did he steal his boat, which he renamed the "Twyla" and then sank in the San Blas islands, actually stolen from somewhere else?
The Most Important Pending Question: It now appears Javier Martin killed Don North in mid-January 2011, and Jean Pierre Bouhard on 31 January 2011. Then he spent another two weeks on the run before he was arrested in Santa Fe in the Darien on Valentines Day, 14 February 2011. Therefore, after he killed Don North, he spent about three weeks, running around, spending his victim's money, and trying to clean up his tracks. Did he have any help? Were there others here in Panama - people who he frequently associates with - who helped him in one way or another during that time? Most of the people I've spoken to about Javier Martin describe him as a frequent drug user, always drunk, nervous, untrustworthy, or dangerous. But he did have a "crew" of people he would hang out with, a group I've come to describe as the "Spanish Armada" - all Spaniards who at least appear to own sailboats - who also frequent the same areas where Javier Martin used to hang out. These people also make their living by hauling backpackers from the San Blas to Cartagena. So, the question is - Did any of these people know what Javier Martin did? Did they help him out when he was on the run? Did they knowingly aid and assist him? And if Javier Martin stole his sailboat in the Caribbean and then came to the virtual "no man's land" of the San Blas to make money, did these other guys do the same thing? Well, let's just say the investigation into this case is far from over. (more)

Slow Dripping The Details: Sorry, but I've developed more information on this investigation than I'm at liberty to divulge right now. I have to hold some things back for awhile, and will be putting out what I can, when I can. Hopefully this new series of articles about the Javier Martin case and the "Spanish Armada" will help to spark some memories and to get the people in the boating community talking again.

Stolen Boats in St. Maarten and Antigua: I have a source in the Caribbean who wishes to remain confidential, and of course I always respect those requests, but I consider the source to be excellent and reliable. Here's a rundown of the information I have received, and you'll be able to easily spot several parallels to Javier Martin's activities here in Panama. The similarities are eerie.

Several years ago Javier Martin was caught by the French Maritime Police in St. Martin. He was briefly arrested for trying to steal a 62 fool sailboat from the Dutch side of the island.

Javier Martin illegally boarded a sailboat at night, removed all of the manufacturer's plates and references to the boat's actual identity, and he even painted a new name on the boat's transom. (Note: This is exactly what Javier Martin did here in Panama. He stole two sailboats - Don North's Windancer and Jean Pierre Bouhard's Levante. After taking the boats he changed their names. In the case of the Levante he created some bogus paperwork, with the assistance of the Port Captain of the Panama Maritime Authority in El Porvenir Ismael Sagel, and tried to use those documents to present himself as the rightful and legitimate owner of the Levante. And, he also changed the name of Don North's boat the Windancer to the "Green Twilight", and he changed the name of Jean Pierre Bouhard's Levante to the "Twyss.")

In typical Javier Martin bonehead fashion, he was discovered early in the morning of the next day after the sun came up, aboard the boat he was trying to steal, which he had run into a sandbank while trying to make his getaway. (Note: When Javier Martin stole Jean Pierre Bouhard's catamaran the Levante, he crashed it into the pier at the Green Turtle Cay Marina. The workers there said he obviously didn't know how to handle the boat. He also crashed the stolen 42' Beneteau the "Twyla" into a reef, sinking it.)

The French Marine Police boarded the boat where he had run it aground, but they were reluctant to take any action against Javier Martin at first because he had in his possession forged documents that looked like genuine ships' papers, a delivery contract, and even a false insurance declaration. (Note: Once again, Javier Martin did the exact same thing with the Levante. He created false paperwork to make his ownership of the Levante appear legitimate. And because of those documents the local authorities were hesitant to take any action against him.

The French Maritime Police took him into custody, and they discovered the ships' papers he was trying to use had actually been stolen from another boat that was in storage. He was released after three days. (Note: Another similarity. When Jean Pierre Bouhard's body floated to the surface in Portobelo, the Panamanian police briefly detained Javier Martin the following day. He was questioned, and released. Then once he was out he actually bragged to people that the police had let him go, and then he threatened people and warned them not to mess with him.)

Run For The British Virgin Islands: When the French Maritime Police in St. Martin released Javier Martin, he made a bee-line for the British Virgin Islands. (Note: When things started to get hot for Javier Martin in Panama, he went to Santa Fe in the Darien and was apparently making plans to travel overland on horseback to Colombia. Again, leave the country where he got in trouble, move to another country, keep going.)

Finally he stole a sailboat. Javier Martin went to the British Virgin Islands and that's where he apparently stole the 42' Beneteau which he renamed the "Twyla." Once he had that boat in his possession, he returned to St. Martin. There, he broke into another boat and stole a bunch of equipment. (Note: Javier Martin first killed Don North, threw his body into the ocean, and then stole a bunch of equipment from Don North's boat Windancer. He stashed that equipment in tents on ChiChime, and then went after the prize he really wanted, Jean Pierre Bouhard's catamaran the Levante. His intention was to return to ChiChime with the Levante to recover the stolen items.)

Before he came to St. Martin, Javier Martin was in Antigua. There, he got into a fight with a local. The police arrived on the scene and became suspicious of him. They searched his hotel room and found a large amount of cash and firearms. He was arrested but let out on bail. When that happened, he made a bee-line for St. Martin. (Note: When Javier Martin was arrested in Santa Fe in the Darien, he had a large amount of cash on him, as well as weapons.)

Yacht Delivery Service: Javier Martin had posters all over the place in St. Martin, advertising his supposed "yacht delivery service." (Note: Javier Martin had posters all over the place in Portobelo and in the San Blas advertising his charter services. His primary means of making money was to move backpackers from the San Blas to Cartagena.)
That's Called A Modus Operandi: Javier Martin has developed habits. He steals boats. He kills people. He takes their stuff. He moves from one country to another when the heat gets turned up. He moves within the sail boating community, offering services. He portrays himself as an accomplished sailboat captain, but then he always crashes and sinks his boats. He draws the attention of the local authorities, but he manages to talk his way out of a jam and avoid getting sent to prison. Until now, that is.

Are There Others Following The Same Pattern of Behavior? Now, that's the part that I can't talk about, yet. The Panamanian authorities are in the process of investigating several sailboats operating in Panamanian waters, to see if they are what they say they are. The authorities also know their "man" in El Porvenir is completely and absolutely corrupted. He apparently planted evidence on another man's boat to make him look like the person responsible for Don North's murder, and then tried to get the police to arrest and search the innocent person. Again, more things I can't talk about yet. More to come. Stay tuned. Next up, "The Sinking Of The Spanish Armada".

Copyright 2011 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com
 
ccscott49 said:
Very interesting stuff! I will await the next installment!
Click to expand...

It is here:

About US Sailboat Registrations And The "Intaka" Leaving Cartagena

Saturday, July 09 2011 @ 04:18 PM COT

Contributed by: Don Winner

Views: 1
Drug TraffickingBy DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - I received the following in response to today's article about the US registered sailboat the "Intaka" - "Dear Don; First of all, info on U.S. registration. U.S. documentation has to be renewed (no fee) each year to keep it active. However, there is no requirement for a U.S. boat to have national documentation - one can also use a State registration. And no penalty for letting it lapse, other than having to pay a fee to restart registration after a lapse. For international cruising, however, U.S. documentation is considered to be "better".

A foreign national who buys a U.S. documented boat is NOT ALLOWED to keep up the U.S. registration as the new owner. That said, it is not at all unusual to see an apparently U.S. registered/flagged boat legitimately owned by a non-US resident. Many, many of the wealthy Colombians at Club de Pesca, a private yacht club in Cartagena, avoid paying heavy Colombian fees and taxes by purchasing U.S. flagged sail and power boats and never re-registering as Colombian vessels. Same in Costa Rica, from our personal experience. We have also met many Europeans who start their circumnavigation by flying to the Caribbean, buying a used sailboat of U.S. or other non-European registry, never re-registering in their home country, and thereby avoiding the hefty E.U. VAT (value added tax). The system of registration and flagging of recreational vessels is pretty loose, as you can see.

You have castigated Panamanian authorities for letting Javier Martin check in with a forged registration - but I am SURE it happens in many countries ALL the time! I am not at all applauding this practice - we keep up our U.S. registration religiously - but just letting you know the reality of the situation. In 12 years of cruising Latin America, both in the Pacific and Caribbean, we have only ever heard of ONE person who was questioned on his documentation upon checking in - ironically in Panama - and it was because the boat was registered under the name of a corporation, with no personal name of owner indicated (perfectly legitimate in the U.S.) He had to provide a notarized statement attesting to the fact that he, as president of the corporation, was the actual owner. The various National maritime authorities in Latin America don't spend alot of time and effort regulating pleasure boats, and don't generally have the resources or infrastructure to do much, if any, enforcement.

Now, on the subject of INTAKA, we believe she may have recently left the same boatyard where we had some work done in Cartagena! Our contractor was also hired to do a quick repaint job on a big, white steel sailboat which my partner swears is the same one shown in your pictures. Our contractor mentioned the owner was Spanish, and the last day he saw him he was accompanied by a young Colombian gal. If it is the same boat, it just went back in the water on July 1 or 2. We can try to get whatever details he may have about this boat, and will let you know if, indeed, it was INTAKA. When you get hauled out, you must provide boat registration info. If it turns out to be INTAKA, I'll let you know.

It sure sounds like someone knew what was being transported on INTAKA and tipped off the authorities!! Panama does NOT routinely stop and inspect boats, we can assure you from long experience. Best regards, M & R, aboard the (some details snipped)."

Thanks, Guys: OK, so it's no big deal, and in fact it's even commonplace, to see a sailboat that was formerly registered in the US running around the Caribbean, and then the new owners never register the boat in their home countries to avoid taxes. Wouldn't it be relatively easy for countries like Colombia or Panama or Costa Rica to simply do a quick search (like I did) to discover that the US registration is no longer valid? Anyway, I understand there are limited assets and resources to chase down random sailboats running around, and people are just taking advantage of the lax enforcement and loopholes, like they do everywhere. As far as the repairs and the departure of the Intaka from Cartagena, I would not be at all surprised if by now that repair yard manager is a pretty popular guy with the Colombian authorities. I'm sure the backtracking on the Intaka's path is getting a pretty hard look. Above all, be safe. And, thanks for the quick lesson on US boat registrations.

Copyright 2011 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.

http://www.panama-guide.com/
 
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