A Merciless Murder Reveals a Headline-Making Secret
(‘South of the Border,’ Forensic Information)
Dan Willoughby thought killing his spouse would make his life less complicated. He would keep away from a custody battle, marry his mistress, and benefit from the proceeds of Trish Willoughby’s life insurance coverage.
He succeeded in orchestrating the murder, however the whole lot else went improper. He received caught earlier than he had an opportunity to get wealthy. And it got here out that Dan’s girlfriend, Yesenia Patino, was hiding fairly a colourful previous.
The story yielded a lot information protection, and each Forensic Information and Snapped produced episodes about it. There have been reportedly three books written concerning the case. (It seems as if solely one in all them, Broken Items by Jim Henderson, remains to be in print.)
Household tragedy. As a result of Yesenia stole the highlight in the course of the investigation and trial, for this publish, I appeared into homicide sufferer Trish Willoughby’s life story. I additionally discovered extra about her dishonest husband — and streamed Yesenia’s two-hour deposition to resolve for myself whether or not it’s doable that he actually was astonished to be taught that her authentic first identify resulted in an “o.”
So let’s get occurring the recap of “South of the Border” together with additional info from web analysis:
Patricia “Trish” Toland was born on June 5, 1948 in Spokane, Washington, to younger mother and father Thera and Dorian Toland.
Dorian died in a private-plane accident when he was 23. (Because of reader Laur C. for writing in with the info.)
Thankfully, Thera had an entrepreneurial streak. She began out by aggressively promoting bras door to door.
We’re outta right here. However Thera, who had fluffy hair and fairly options, didn’t keep single for lengthy. She married an Air Power officer named Sterling Huish.
The household grew to incorporate six youngsters. House life left one thing to be desired, nonetheless, and the children moved out as early as doable, in keeping with a Phoenix New Instances story obtainable on Murderpedia.
Trish headed south to San Francisco and drifted round as a flower little one. She ultimately returned to Utah, the place the household had moved, and reconciled with Thera. The 2 ladies went to a Mormon church recurrently and have become inseparable.
Soiled dealings. After a failed first marriage to a person named Tony, Trish wed Daniel Hayden Willoughby in 1976. Dan, whom associates described as tall, tanned, and enticing (albeit in a gold-chain open-shirt form of means), transformed to Mormonism.
Dan labored as a district supervisor for Air Specific Worldwide and made round $75,000 a 12 months. He was devoted and labored lengthy hours, however his ethics got here into query.
To win over potential clients, he would inform lies about rivals, in keeping with a former affiliate interviewed for the Phoenix New Instances story. Dan additionally didn’t let his religion cease him from ingesting and partying; he earned the nickname “Disco Danny.”
MLM moguls. Nonetheless, others identified Dan’s virtues. He ceaselessly gave monetary assist to native households in want. After seeing a TV section a few 15-year-old lady named Marsha who was sad within the foster care system, Dan and Trish adopted her. The couple, who lived in Gilbert, Arizona, additionally had a son and one other daughter.
The Willoughbys may nicely afford three youngsters. Trish had was a powerhouse of a saleswoman similar to Thera. Their motto was “Stand up, costume up, and present up,” in keeping with the Queen Creek Solar Instances.
The 2 ladies owned T’n’T, a multilevel advertising enterprise that bought herb-based dietary dietary supplements made by Matol Botanical. A bottle of its KM-brand vitamin dietary supplements value $35.
Enjoyable within the solar. Trish used the nutritional vitamins herself and swore by them. “I felt one thing from the highest of my head to the underside of my ft,” Trish mentioned of the primary time she tried the dietary supplements. “I may really feel it in my hair. I felt it needed to be both unlawful or immoral, it felt so good.”
T’n’T was bringing in about $40,000 a month by 1991.
In February of that 12 months, Trish, Dan, and the children took a trip to the Mexican resort city of Puerto Peñasco, often known as Rocky Level. Dan, 52, had deliberate all the journey himself as a present for Trish, 42. He paid money for a Las Conchas seashore rental. (Sources range as as to if it was a home or a condominium however agree that it was pretty secluded.)
Whereas there, Dan took the children to the native science museum. Trish had a headache and selected to remain at their rental.
Barely alive. When Dan and the children got here residence, Thera — the couple’s youthful daughter, named after her grandmother — ran to the master suite to inform Trish about their outing. She found Trish in mattress together with her head wrapped in a blood-soaked towel.
She had a number of blunt power wounds, lacerations to her face from a kitchen knife, and a bruise on her stomach.
However she was nonetheless respiratory.
Dan led the kids in a prayer for his or her mom. Then, leaving Trish alone within the rental, he loaded the children into the automotive and drove to a Crimson Cross middle for assist, in keeping with courtroom papers. Trish died within the hospital.
Crime of alternative? At first, the Mexican police thought an area had dedicated the homicide. There have been many impoverished folks within the space. The killer had taken two of Trish’s rings and $400 in money.
In the meantime, at Trish’s funeral in Arizona, the proprietor of Matol Botanical connected a pin with the corporate’s insignia to her garments; it was the best honor the corporate may give.
A lot rain fell on the grave that day, nonetheless, that pallbearers needed to take Tricia and her coffin again to the church, the place the household was having a luncheon. “It’s similar to Trish to not need to be overlooked of the get together,” her mom mentioned, in keeping with the Phoenix New Instances.
Too many individuals knew. On the very starting of the homicide investigation, Thera felt protecting of her son-in-law. She was prepared to assist assist the household financially so Dan may commit his time to the children. However after studying particulars concerning the case, Thera turned towards Dan.
As quickly because the February 23, 1991 murder made information within the Willoughbys’ hometown, Dan known as a gathering of his neighbors to ask them to not speak to the police. Nonetheless, individuals who knew the household started calling Arizona authorities to report that Dan had a girlfriend, Yesenia Patino, initially from Mexico.
Yesenia, who had black hair, darkish pores and skin, and a giant smile with white tooth, admitted to police that Dan Willoughby had set her up in an house and purchased her jewellery.
Confronting the facet chick. Trish knew concerning the affair however reportedly needed to restore the wedding. “It doesn’t matter what harm she was feeling, she would all the time placed on that face of happiness in order that she didn’t let different folks harm together with her,” brother Nick Huish informed the Phoenix New Instances. “She was not going to share these damaging feelings.”
She did, nonetheless, go to Yesenia’s residence and confront her. Afterward, Dan moved Yesenia to a unique house and continued seeing her.
However Yesenia denied having something to do with the homicide and claimed she wasn’t in Mexico then.
When police requested her for identification, Yesenia supplied a Social Safety card with the identify Alfredo Patino.
Transfabulous. Yesenia Patino was a person named Alfredo. And Alfredo had acquired a felony document, together with male prostitution, earlier than transitioning into Yesenia. She had some shoplifting in her previous, though it’s not clear whether or not that occurred earlier than or after the surgical procedure.
The story of Yesenia’s transgender historical past slowly unfurled. She had the surgical procedure in 1982 in Trinidad, Colorado, at a value of $6,000 to $10,000—paid for by a person named Jack Mielke, in keeping with the Arizona Republic. Sooner or later, Jack and Yesenia married, however their union was annulled in 1990.
The medical process was an enormous success, in keeping with Yesenia, who mentioned that she acquired quite a few lovers and that a lot of them needed to marry her. She and Dan met by likelihood at both a bus cease or exterior a comfort retailer (or each). They hit it off and shortly took a visit collectively to Laughlin, Nevada. Dan reportedly lied to his colleagues, telling them that he met Yesenia in a Spanish class that she was instructing and that she acted as an interpreter for him on enterprise journeys.
Monetary falsehoods. Dan had a photograph of himself and Yesenia enlarged and put it in a body. He mentioned that he needed to marry her, however he’d be “taken to the cleaners” if he divorced Trish.
Police discovered that Dan had been fired from his job for padding expense reviews to pay for his trysts with Yesenia — and for slacking off on the whole. He then stopped working exterior the house and have become a home husband.
It didn’t dent the Willoughby household’s funds an excessive amount of. Trish earned $340,000 in 1990, in keeping with courtroom papers.
Hiding in plain sight. Trish’s mom informed Forensic Files that she thought Dan anticipated to get half of the enterprise, which was price roughly $2.5 million. Trish’s brother Nick Huish mentioned he believed that Dan needed to take the cash reaped from Trish’s demise and dwell the excessive life in Mexico. Trish had life insurance coverage insurance policies with a complete payout of $1.25 million.
Investigators found Yesenia’s fingerprints on the Mexican seashore rental.
However Yesenia had disappeared. Throughout a world manhunt that included a $6,000 reward and a section on America’s Most Wished, a tipster informed investigators {that a} lady who appeared like Yesenia was working at a bar in Mazatlan, Mexico.
After arresting Yesenia, police discovered Trish’s rings in her possession.
Devious and lethal. Yesenia cracked and informed police the whole lot — or not less than her model of the whole lot. She mentioned that Dan recruited her to take part within the homicide, promising her that afterward they’d get pleasure from their lives and don’t have any worries.
Dan’s plan at one time included pushing Trish off a cliff within the Grand Canyon or slicing her air hose whereas scuba diving or throwing her overboard throughout a cruise.
As an alternative, Yesenia and Dan discovered the remoted seashore rental to make use of on the Willoughby household trip.
Insurance coverage fraud. In accordance with their plan, as soon as Dan had the children within the automotive for the museum outing, he made an excuse about having to sprint again inside to get his passport.
He locked the door behind him, stabbed Trish within the abdomen, and beat her with a mace. Yesenia’s job was to stage a theft whereas Dan and the children have been on the museum. However she discovered that Trish was nonetheless respiratory, and gasping. Yesenia then stabbed her with a butter knife, took the rings off Trish’s physique and the $400 in money and created disarray to make it appear like a theft.
Throughout a civil trial, Thera Huish mentioned that her daughter had qualms about occurring the Mexican trip. Trish requested Thera to not give Dan any cash if she died as a result of she didn’t need him transferring any bimbos into her home. Dan did handle to get his fingers on a low six-figure payout from one in all Trish’s smaller insurance coverage insurance policies. Thera Huish fought Dan for the remainder of the cash.
Police held Dan in a Maricopa County jail with out bond.
Brother a suspect. Dan’s youngsters began speaking to investigators. Marsha, 17, mentioned that earlier than they left for the museum, after Dan had gone again inside, she tried to get in the home to seize a sweet bar, however the door was locked. (One other account says that Marsha left the automotive as a result of she determined to stick with her mom however that Dan provided to let Marsha drive if she got here to the museum as an alternative.) When Dan emerged from the rental, the children seen he was sporting a unique shirt.
Yesenia mentioned that when the household received residence from the museum, Dan let the children enter the home first so they’d discover the physique, full with a knife protruding of their mom’s temple.
It was alleged however not proved that Yesenia’s brother Antonio Patino, a drywaller by commerce, drove Yesenia from Arizona to Mexico the weekend of the homicide. Antonio was held on fees of conspiracy, however he denied involvement and cooperated with authorities.
Rogue gag order. A Mexican jury discovered Yesenia responsible of homicide, and she or he obtained a 35-year sentence to be served in Mexico.
Dan’s trial befell in Arizona, with Yesenia because the star witness for the prosecution. The story of the church-going dad dallying with the attractive transgendered Latina fascinated the general public; the courtroom was packed. Yesenia was each demur and flamboyant in her testimony.
Former co-workers of Dan additionally supplied proof. It got here out that Dan had requested his former secretary to inform police that he was a beautiful household man. He additionally requested that she threaten one other co-worker to not point out Yesenia to authorities.
Dan additionally tried to drift a narrative that three unidentified Native American males in a black pickup truck had been noticed close to the homicide scene.
Cue the violins. A juror would later say that the blood splatter and circumstantial proof from the rental property have been so robust that the panel overcame any doubts about Yesenia’s credibility.
Dan was discovered responsible of homicide and conspiracy. Upon listening to the decision, he cried, declared his innocence, and mentioned he liked his spouse greater than his personal life.
The theatrics didn’t cease Choose Joseph Howe from sentencing Dan to demise.
Female as will be. Forensic Information performed some audio with Dan’s facet of the postconviction story. He mentioned the justice system had failed him. He referred to Yesenia as a succubus and blamed her for main him into smash.
Dan mentioned he had no concept that his 5-foot-5-inch 120-pound woman pal was a person.
I consider him.
Round 1997, Yesenia appeared in a videotaped deposition. Though the two-hour interview was tedious, drawn out, and infrequently interrupted by a landline ringer and building noises, Yesenia’s quiet flamboyance comes by. Her solutions have been usually only a phrase or two enunciated in a tender, virtually inaudible voice so a listener would transfer nearer to her. Different occasions, she leaned in towards the questioners and brushed again her hair coquettishly.
At no time did she look or sound like a drag performer.
The deposition befell as a result of Yesenia had modified her story, saying that she needed to be at peace with herself by telling the reality: She alone had killed Trish, beating her to demise with a mace as a result of she needed Dan all to herself, she mentioned.
Eluding the demise chamber. Her confession didn’t imply that she was telling the reality concerning the homicide. Greater than probably, she needed the chance to get some much-desired media consideration.
However Yesenia’s claims helped win Dan a brand new trial. He additionally received the assist of Rubin “Hurricane” Carter and his Canadian-based innocence group.
On the second trial, Yesenia reverted to her authentic story, that each she and Dan plotted the homicide.
Dan was discovered responsible once more however received a life sentence as an alternative of the demise penalty.
He died of pure causes on the age of 79 on the Arizona State Jail in Florence in 2018.
Former mother-in-law Thera Huish died at age 91 in 2022.
Yesenia gave an interview to Snapped in 2005, however the episode isn’t obtainable to stream, and it seems to be her final look within the media. If anybody has details about her whereabouts at this time, please depart a reader remark or e-mail me.
That’s all for this publish. Till subsequent time, cheers. — RR
Watch the Forensic Information episode on YouTube.
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