Jamaica: Phillip Paulwell, an opposition parliamentarian, hopes that “all those involved [in the kidnapping and murder of his 10-month-old daughter and her mother are brought to justice and punished to the fullest extent of the law.”
Nothing could have prepared Paulwell for the events that have unfolded since last week Thursday, when police here charged Leoda Bradshaw, a US Navy petty officer with whom Paulwell had a now eight-year-old child, along with three other men in the abduction and murder of his daughter Sarayah and her mother, Toshyna Patterson.
“The past few weeks have been extremely difficult for me as I grappled with the abduction of my daughter and her mother,” said the Member of Parliament for Kingston East and Port Royal in a statement.
“I am heartbroken that the worst has happened,” he added, adding that he “prayed unceasingly” for their safe return.
“That anyone could murder a mother and an innocent baby is unimaginable, and my heart is heavy with sadness,” he told reporters.
“I am praying for Toshyna’s family, who I know are going through unbearable grief and pain as a result of the loss of their beloved daughter and granddaughter.”
“As a human being, father, lawyer, and legislator I am hoping that all who were involved are brought to justice and punished to the fullest extent of the law.”
Paulwell stated that he has been in frequent contact with the authorities and has completely cooperated with the inquiry.
“I am unable to comment on the investigations or the matters before the court, but I would like to thank the police for their tireless efforts.”
He thanked the “many Jamaicans” for their prayers, as well as their “kind and thoughtful expressions of love, support, and solidarity” for him and his family.
Bradshaw appeared in the Supreme Court last Friday after being charged with two counts of abduction conspiracy, two counts of murder conspiracy, two counts of kidnapping, and two counts of capital murder.
According to the Crown, Bradshaw, who lives abroad, contacted Patterson on Facebook on September 5, 2023, after learning about Paulwell’s 10-month-old daughter’s existence and requesting a DNA test on the child.
The next day, September 6, 2023, she traveled to Jamaica “for the sole purpose of killing Toshyna Patterson and the young child she shared with her spouse,” according to the Crown.
The Crown also claimed that Bradshaw hired individuals to kidnap and murder Patterson and Sarayah through her cousin and co-accused Roland Balfour.
Balfour has been charged with two counts of kidnapping accessory before the fact and two counts of murder accessory before the fact.
Another suspect, Richard Brown, has been charged with two counts of murder conspiracy, two counts of kidnapping conspiracy, two counts of kidnapping, and two counts of murder.
Roshane Miller, the third accused in this case, has been charged with two charges of kidnapping accessory before the fact and two counts of murder accessory before the fact.
Brown and Miller are scheduled to appear in court later this month.
Prosecutors claim Bradshaw met with Miller and Brown to plan the kidnappings and murders. The first intention was to take Patterson and the baby away from their house.
Prosecutors testified in court that Bradshaw paid the guys the equivalent of J$100,000 in US dollars as a down payment for the crime’s execution. The remaining money ($400,000) were to be paid after the transaction was completed.
Prosecutors said Bradshaw “placed several calls and conversed with Patterson, with the intent of luring her away from her premises” on Saturday, September 9, arriving at Patterson’s home at 7 a.m. that day.
“Evidence shows Patterson leaving her property and entering an SUV parked at her gate with her baby.” According to the evidence, she was in this vehicle for more than 15 minutes. The vehicle subsequently drove away and left the neighborhood about 7:22 a.m. Patterson and Sarayah never got out of the car before it left,” the prosecutor told presiding Supreme Court Justice Simone Wolfe-Reece on Friday.
According to the Crown, Bradshaw brought Patterson to Stony Hill, near her home, and handed over Patterson and her young child to Brown and other individuals who have yet to be captured. “After this, Patterson and her young child were taken to Warieka Hills where they were shot and killed and their bodies burned,” according to the evidence presented to the court.
