American's 'Murder in Paradise' Mystery in Court

April 2, 2001 -- Almost a year before her bloodied, battered body was found on a Caribbean beach, Lois Livingstone McMillen completed a large painting, which she titled "The World Is Killing Women."

More than a year after her killing, the disturbing acrylic painting hangs on the walls of her wealthy parents' holiday villa in Tortola, one of the main islands that comprise the British Virgin Islands, a mute testimony to the violence she endured before her death.

But nobody knows who killed McMillen. Not yet.

The death of the 34-year-old Connecticut artist-activist on Jan. 14, 2000, in Tortola has all the elements of bestseller fiction.

The victim: a beautiful, rich, blonde artist all but obsessed with violence against women. The suspects: four clean-cut, all-American men who came to Tortola for the sun and surf and the venue, a picture-perfect tropical romping ground for the sun-tanned and wealthy.

The plot goes back to the morning of Jan. 15, 2000, when McMillen's bloodied, beaten but fully clothed body was found on a boulder-strewn beach in Tortola. Four American men vacationing on the island have since been jailed on charges of murdering McMillen.

Finally, a Trial

Numerous delays have kept the defendants in jail awaiting a trial for more than a year. But the "murder in paradise" mystery is finally heading toward an end as the trial began today at the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court.

While announcing a trial date last month, British Virgin Islands' High Court Justice Kenneth Benjamin all but acknowledged an inordinately lengthy judicial process.

"I am not going to tolerate any excuses likely as to why [the trial] should not begin," Benjamin said.

Much is at stake for William Labrador, 37, Michael Spicer, 37, Evan George, 23 and Alexander Benedetto, 35 — or the "four Americans" as they are called on the island — at the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court now that their trial is under way.

Murder in the British Virgin Islands carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.

Back in the United States, the families of the defendants have welcomed the trial. "We are relieved not only because the date of the trial has been fixed, but also because this judge seems to be intolerant to the prosecution's plea for postponement," said Labrador's sister, Honey Labrador.

Prosecutors had earlier asked for more time to link what appeared to be a bloodstained shirt that Spicer admitted to wearing, to the crime. The shirt, prosecutors said, had gone to a laboratory in Britain for tests.

Spicer's family has said the stain was barbecue sauce.

For their part, the McMillens said they were satisfied with the judicial process. "You must understand there will never be a closure for us," Josephine McMillen, the victim's mother, told ABCNEWS.com in a phone interview from Tortola. "We're certainly glad there's a definitive date for the trial, but I really don't have a problem with how long it has taken."

The Night Before the Killing

The McMillens have owned their Tortola villa for the past 20 years, during which time their daughter was a frequent visitor. During one of her trips, she met Spicer, a Virginia law student whose mother owned a neighboring villa.

Labrador, Benedetto and George were Spicer's houseguests at the time of the crime. Benedetto, a New York City-based publisher, had a three-month relationship with McMillen in 1997. According to his affidavit, the relationship ended amicably.

Court and police documents have revealed few signs of any motive for McMillen's killing. Although there were signs of a struggle, investigators said there was no evidence of robbery or rape.

According to Labrador, Spicer and George, the last time they saw McMillen was on Jan. 13, 2000, after she picked them up from Spicer's mother's home and the four of them headed for Pusser's Soper's Hole, a local bar, where they stayed until shortly before midnight.

Benedetto stayed at home that night and Labrador opted out before they got to Pusser's.

But what happened after that is something lawyers at the trial will try to ascertain for the judge.

For the McMillens, it's been a devastating wait and the gruesome painting on their wall — replete with fire, brimstone and body parts going up in smoke — is a tragic reminder that the horror of that fateful January night will always be with them.