The Murder of Franklin Brewster
On the afternoon of July 3rd, 2006, shortly after eating a lunch of fish and rice brought from his house, Inspector Franklin M. Brewster Chase, the head of the Judicial Technical Police (PTJ) Sensitive Investigations Unit in Panama, the Unit in charge of investigating high profile drugs cases, became sick and was rushed to the Hospital. Sixteen days later, in the early hours of July 19th, he died. In the meantime the Panamanian Government announced that Mr. Brewster had been poisoned with an organophosphate product. Most likely, an insecticide mixed in his food. A communiqué circulated the next day from an alleged criminal organization, calling this “Operación Factura Roja”, the retaliation for the seizure of tons of cocaine in the "Operation Alamo ll". The note also threatened to assasinate more Panamanian officials who cooperate with the FBI or the DEA. Narcotraffickers advertising after a hit? First time ever.
The Panamanian Government asked for help from the FBI. That help came in the form of the Legal Attaché/FBI agent at the Panama Embassy, David Watley.
After the FBI investigation concluded in August, a copy of an FBI toxicity report was faxed to the Prosecutor from an office in Panama City. Let´s say that again. A copy of the report was faxed. An original document was not delivered to the authorities in Panama. This is forensic evidence in the high profile murder case of the Chief drug investigator in Panama who happens to be investigating international, multimillion drug organizations together with the DEA. The document came without following any legal or international protocols for these type of matters and without signatures or seals from the US Embassy under Ambassador William Eaton. An original document from the FBI has never been produced. The FBI itself acknowledged at the beginning of this research, in an official letter to the Panama America newspaper, that such document does not exist.
The toxicology report, allegedly was made at the FBI laboratory in Quantico, Virginia by Forensic Toxicologist Madeline A. Montgomery . The results indicate an absence of organphosphates in the blood and gastric samples taken from the murdered Inspector. They also indicate the presence of Atropine, Oximes and Lidocaine. That lab report, as it turns out, is a key piece of information, or lack of, uncovering a chain of events in this murder, acts of corruption, mishandling of evidence, illegal procedures, criminal behavior such as the impersonation of a Federal Agent and missing evidence from the FBI and the DEA officials stationed at the US Embassy in Panama. (See Fake Document)
Franklin Brewster, also an FBI Academy graduate, investigated and dismantled large drug operations, including the Rayo Montaño drug ring and helped capture several members of Colombia’s FARC guerrilla and AUC paramilitary groups in Panama. He also helped prosecute members of Colombian drug cartels laundering money.
An Investigation for the Newspaper The Panama America by Reporter Adelita Coriat uncovered the difficulties, investigative contradictions, missing evidence and details up until today unknown about this crime.
On July 3rd, 2006, Inspector Brewster left his Headquarters at 12:55 p.m. at the drug unit and went to run some errands in Panama City. The last place were he was seen was at a bank at 1:59 p.m. He returned to the unit´s HQ at 2:50 p.m. The hour before his arrival is unaccounted for. Minutes after eating his lunch upon his return to his office, he asked if the air conditioning unit was on because he was feeling hot. He started to experience abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and profuse sweating. After taking his shirt off and calling his co-worker Kenneth Brown and asking him to take him to a clinic, he was taken to Hospital Nacional with the help of another agent in the Unit. At the hospital, doctors suggested, an exposure to organophosphates. This was based on his symptoms. Two days later, Inspector Brewster was not responding to drug therapy at the hospital and the doctors there kept trying to ask the Embassy personnel to make contact with the Poison Control Center in Atlanta. The US legal Attaché kept insisting that it wasn´t necessary.
On July 6th, as the Inspector laid in the hospital, Panamanian authorities produced a toxicity report from a chromatography test. Even though there were no graphs printed and only computer typed results in text form, the exam reads "Negative for organophosphates". The same report also revealed the presence of Atropine, Oximes and Lidocaine. The first two are given for the treatment of insecticide poisoning, but not lidocaine. Lidocaine is a potent antiarrhythmic not called for in the medical protocol to treat poisoning. If given to a person with a normal heart beat, this will be fatal.
This investigation uncovered a letter dated July 12th from the Panamanian toxicology dept. for petition number 18928 sent to the office of the prosecutor in the case, Luis Martinez, advising him that his request for a chromatography test could not be fulfilled on that particular week due to the CPU being broken down since July 3rd. How was the test done on July 6th?
At this point, the Panamanian Prosecutor asks for American technical assistance to identify any substances in Inspector Brewster´s body.
BLOOD SAMPLES
At the crime scene, the food, eating utensils, water bottles and the Inspector´s clothes were not taken in for analysis.
The Panama America was able to establish that some of the blood samples taken from Inspector Brewster at the hospital and sent to the FBI left Panama with 5 diferent ID numbers. A grave error when it comes to collection of evidence. Additionally, the samples lacked identifying information such as the sample collector´s name or time of the sample collection.
Despite the negative results for traces of organophosphates , prosecutor Martinez filed charges against three officers and co workers of Inspector Brewster: Gioconda Veliz, Kenneth Brown and Irving Francis
In complete violation of Panama and US law, agents Veliz and Brown were placed under the custody of foreign Citizens. Several US personnel from the FBI and the DEA took them to a hotel and held them in separate hotel rooms were they were interrogated for hours and given polygraph examinations. None of them are licensed to do polygraph exams in the Republic of Panama. Much less without a Court order. This happened away from any law enforcement facilities under Panamanian jurisdiction, without the presence of any Panamanian authorities, or attorneys for the police officers.
After identifying themselves as FBI agents they started to scream indicating that they knew that the Panamanian agents had poisoned Inspector Brewster´s food and slamming their hands on the tables trying to coerce a confession from the Panamanian agents. During this event, agent Veliz noticed that one of the "Federal agents" showed her fake FBI Credentials very fast. Agent Veliz already knew this person from being around Panama as a sailor for the US Navy.
When she spoke to him and informed him that she knew him and that she knew he was not a US Federal Agent, the man disappeared from the room and never came back to continue with his act.
This man goes by the name of John Warner, US Navy.
To this day, it is unknown how many US Embassy personnel and other non personnel presented themselves to the Panamanian Government as FBI agents. At least one person was impersonating a Federal Agent with fake credentials, doing legal work in the name of the FBI and the American Embassy in Panama. These illegal activities were being directed by the US Embassy Legal Attache David Watley and the DEA agent Joseph Evans while the US Ambassador to Panama William Eaton did absolutely nothing to avoid breaking US and Panama Laws while two US Federal Employees under his supervision went about Panama City covering up the murder of a fellow police officer.
Inspector Brewster died on July 19th from pulmonary complications and his body was cremated a few days later while the case was still under investigation. Additional tests were suggested by the Panamanian Medical authorities to search for compounds similar to organophosphates in his body. There´s no indication in the file to indicate that they were performed. His death certificate reads "Traumatic death due to organophosphate poisoning". In his autopsy, the Coroner notes that there are pending tests. According to a chemical analyst consulted in the case, the cause of death cannot be ascertain if there are tests to be performed.
The Panamanian Government asked for help from the FBI. That help came in the form of the Legal Attaché/FBI agent at the Panama Embassy, David Watley.
After the FBI investigation concluded in August, a copy of an FBI toxicity report was faxed to the Prosecutor from an office in Panama City. Let´s say that again. A copy of the report was faxed. An original document was not delivered to the authorities in Panama. This is forensic evidence in the high profile murder case of the Chief drug investigator in Panama who happens to be investigating international, multimillion drug organizations together with the DEA. The document came without following any legal or international protocols for these type of matters and without signatures or seals from the US Embassy under Ambassador William Eaton. An original document from the FBI has never been produced. The FBI itself acknowledged at the beginning of this research, in an official letter to the Panama America newspaper, that such document does not exist.
The toxicology report, allegedly was made at the FBI laboratory in Quantico, Virginia by Forensic Toxicologist Madeline A. Montgomery . The results indicate an absence of organphosphates in the blood and gastric samples taken from the murdered Inspector. They also indicate the presence of Atropine, Oximes and Lidocaine. That lab report, as it turns out, is a key piece of information, or lack of, uncovering a chain of events in this murder, acts of corruption, mishandling of evidence, illegal procedures, criminal behavior such as the impersonation of a Federal Agent and missing evidence from the FBI and the DEA officials stationed at the US Embassy in Panama. (See Fake Document)
Franklin Brewster, also an FBI Academy graduate, investigated and dismantled large drug operations, including the Rayo Montaño drug ring and helped capture several members of Colombia’s FARC guerrilla and AUC paramilitary groups in Panama. He also helped prosecute members of Colombian drug cartels laundering money.
An Investigation for the Newspaper The Panama America by Reporter Adelita Coriat uncovered the difficulties, investigative contradictions, missing evidence and details up until today unknown about this crime.
On July 3rd, 2006, Inspector Brewster left his Headquarters at 12:55 p.m. at the drug unit and went to run some errands in Panama City. The last place were he was seen was at a bank at 1:59 p.m. He returned to the unit´s HQ at 2:50 p.m. The hour before his arrival is unaccounted for. Minutes after eating his lunch upon his return to his office, he asked if the air conditioning unit was on because he was feeling hot. He started to experience abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and profuse sweating. After taking his shirt off and calling his co-worker Kenneth Brown and asking him to take him to a clinic, he was taken to Hospital Nacional with the help of another agent in the Unit. At the hospital, doctors suggested, an exposure to organophosphates. This was based on his symptoms. Two days later, Inspector Brewster was not responding to drug therapy at the hospital and the doctors there kept trying to ask the Embassy personnel to make contact with the Poison Control Center in Atlanta. The US legal Attaché kept insisting that it wasn´t necessary.
On July 6th, as the Inspector laid in the hospital, Panamanian authorities produced a toxicity report from a chromatography test. Even though there were no graphs printed and only computer typed results in text form, the exam reads "Negative for organophosphates". The same report also revealed the presence of Atropine, Oximes and Lidocaine. The first two are given for the treatment of insecticide poisoning, but not lidocaine. Lidocaine is a potent antiarrhythmic not called for in the medical protocol to treat poisoning. If given to a person with a normal heart beat, this will be fatal.
This investigation uncovered a letter dated July 12th from the Panamanian toxicology dept. for petition number 18928 sent to the office of the prosecutor in the case, Luis Martinez, advising him that his request for a chromatography test could not be fulfilled on that particular week due to the CPU being broken down since July 3rd. How was the test done on July 6th?
At this point, the Panamanian Prosecutor asks for American technical assistance to identify any substances in Inspector Brewster´s body.
BLOOD SAMPLES
At the crime scene, the food, eating utensils, water bottles and the Inspector´s clothes were not taken in for analysis.
The Panama America was able to establish that some of the blood samples taken from Inspector Brewster at the hospital and sent to the FBI left Panama with 5 diferent ID numbers. A grave error when it comes to collection of evidence. Additionally, the samples lacked identifying information such as the sample collector´s name or time of the sample collection.
Despite the negative results for traces of organophosphates , prosecutor Martinez filed charges against three officers and co workers of Inspector Brewster: Gioconda Veliz, Kenneth Brown and Irving Francis
In complete violation of Panama and US law, agents Veliz and Brown were placed under the custody of foreign Citizens. Several US personnel from the FBI and the DEA took them to a hotel and held them in separate hotel rooms were they were interrogated for hours and given polygraph examinations. None of them are licensed to do polygraph exams in the Republic of Panama. Much less without a Court order. This happened away from any law enforcement facilities under Panamanian jurisdiction, without the presence of any Panamanian authorities, or attorneys for the police officers.
After identifying themselves as FBI agents they started to scream indicating that they knew that the Panamanian agents had poisoned Inspector Brewster´s food and slamming their hands on the tables trying to coerce a confession from the Panamanian agents. During this event, agent Veliz noticed that one of the "Federal agents" showed her fake FBI Credentials very fast. Agent Veliz already knew this person from being around Panama as a sailor for the US Navy.
When she spoke to him and informed him that she knew him and that she knew he was not a US Federal Agent, the man disappeared from the room and never came back to continue with his act.
This man goes by the name of John Warner, US Navy.
To this day, it is unknown how many US Embassy personnel and other non personnel presented themselves to the Panamanian Government as FBI agents. At least one person was impersonating a Federal Agent with fake credentials, doing legal work in the name of the FBI and the American Embassy in Panama. These illegal activities were being directed by the US Embassy Legal Attache David Watley and the DEA agent Joseph Evans while the US Ambassador to Panama William Eaton did absolutely nothing to avoid breaking US and Panama Laws while two US Federal Employees under his supervision went about Panama City covering up the murder of a fellow police officer.
Inspector Brewster died on July 19th from pulmonary complications and his body was cremated a few days later while the case was still under investigation. Additional tests were suggested by the Panamanian Medical authorities to search for compounds similar to organophosphates in his body. There´s no indication in the file to indicate that they were performed. His death certificate reads "Traumatic death due to organophosphate poisoning". In his autopsy, the Coroner notes that there are pending tests. According to a chemical analyst consulted in the case, the cause of death cannot be ascertain if there are tests to be performed.
