he is now in jail, and vicki mabrey got to talk to the man accused of killing five other americans. >> i'm vicki mabrey from "nightline," new york. did you kill those five people? >> i'm not at liberty to talk about my case. >> reporter: this is the man panamanian police say has confessed to five murders. killing his neighbors and friends to get their property and their cash. >> everybody knew he was crazy but nobody thought he was a killer. >> reporter: sandy hodge moved to bocas del toro five years ago to get away from the states and live in peace by the sea. this island chain off the coast of panama is where you come to escape from the rat race, or the law. most say it's paradise. but that all changed when a couple called bill and jane cortez arrived a few years ago. he was known here as wild bill cortez. >> they're taxing us to death. they're removing our jobs. >> reporter: it turns out he was really william holbert, a white