Bill Sablan implicated in Colorado prison murder By MAR-VIC CAGURANGAN Staff Reporter

The FBI is investigating the possible involvement of convicted hostage-taker William Sablan in the murder of an inmate at the federal prison in Florence, Colorado, Assistant U.S. Atty. David Wood said Friday.

Citing a report from Colorado prison authorities, Wood said the murder was discovered during an attendance check on Oct. 10.

The victim, who was identified by Wood only as Joey, was found sprawled on the floor, lying in a pool of blood. The inmate was apparently stabbed to death, Wood said.

The slain inmate, according to Wood, was in the same cell as William Sablan and another person also surnamed Sablan — who is presumably either from Saipan or Guam.

Wood said prison authorities later found that William Sablan sustained a bruise in the eye and contusions in other parts of his body, which indicated he might have engaged in a fight.

The other Sablan did not have injuries or any marks of physical fight, Wood said.

“There were only three of them sharing the same cell. However, this is not to conclude that Bill Sablan was the one who did it. We cannot say for sure that he got his bruises from a fight,” Wood said.

“The federal authorities are still investigating the case. Let’s remember that he is presumed innocent until proven guilty,” Wood added.

William Sablan, who led the 14-hour hostage drama at the Susupe jail last March, is serving his 21-year sentence in the Colorado prison.

Sablan was convicted on federal charges of hostage-taking, possession of firearm and conspiracy to transport a firearm into the jail in connection with the prison siege that shocked Saipan in the early morning of March 7. Prior to this incident, Sablan led eight other convicts in breaking out of the Susupe jail last February.

Sablan was also facing several charges of assault and battery, a string of robbery, and escape in the local court. These charges, however, were dropped by the Attorney General’s Office to allow him to serve his federal prison term. Sablan was flown to Colorado last August.

Sablan is now 36 years old, and will be 57 by the time he finished serving the 21-year prison term. Parole is not available in the federal system. If charged and convicted of the prison murder, Sablan might not be able to come back to Saipan at all.

“Our office will have nothing to do with the case because the place where it happened is not within the jurisdiction of this district. If any charges are going to be filed in the future, it would be filed by either the federal or the state government,” Wood said.