(Jamaica Gleaner) Leoda Bradshaw, the American companion of opposition lawmaker Phillip Paulwell, reportedly travelled to Jamaica with the sole purpose of murdering Paulwell’s infant daughter and her mother.
This happened one day after she had confronted the woman about the infant on Facebook.
The 34-year-old US Navy officer reportedly arrived in the island four days before Toshyna Patterson, 27, and 10-month-old Sarayah Paulwell were abducted outside their St Andrew home on September 9. They were allegedly taken to east Kingston and shot and killed and their bodies burnt.
Bradshaw is alleged to have paid J$100,000 in the US currency equivalent to the hitmen as part of a down payment for the J$500,000 hit.
The allegations were disclosed on Friday in the Home Circuit Court in Kingston after Bradshaw and her cousin, Roland Balfour, were brought before Justice Simone Wolfe Reece on a voluntary bill of indictment to bypass proceedings in the parish court.
Dressed in an oversized lavender print dress, the mother of one looked crushed and utterly dejected as she was painted as the mastermind behind the shocking kidnapping and murder.
Balfour, who is among four people arrested in the deadly plot, had a similarly downcast appearance.
Bradshaw, who also shares a child with Paulwell, was charged with two counts each of capital murder, conspiracy to murder, kidnapping, and conspiracy to kidnapping.
Balfour was charged with two counts each of accessory before the fact to kidnapping and accessory before the fact to murder.
On Friday, as Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Andrea Martin-Swaby outlined the damning allegations, Bradshaw bowed her head as the court heard how she contacted the men and hatched a plan to murder and kidnap the woman and child before she landed in Jamaica.
According to the allegations, on September 5, Bradshaw learnt of the child’s existence and contacted Patterson via Facebook while introducing herself as the parliamentarian’s wife.
During that exchange, she reportedly advised Patterson to conduct a paternity test, but following the conversation, the woman blocked her on the social media platform.
The prosecution said that the following day, Bradshaw, who resides in the United States, arrived in the island on a mission to murder the woman and child.
With the help of her cousin and co-defendant, Balfour, Bradshaw reportedly contracted men, including Rushane Miller and Richard Brown, to kidnap and murder the mother and daughter.
Later that night, the men reportedly went to check out the area where Patterson lived.
It is further alleged that on September 7, they went to a home in Stony Hill, St Andrew, where Bradshaw was staying, to discuss the execution of the kidnapping and murder plot.
Two days later, before 7 a.m., Bradshaw reportedly made several calls to Patterson with a view of luring her out of her home, but was unsuccessful.
Based on evidential material, Bradshaw showed up at Patterson’s Gilmore Drive, Kingston 20 home at 7 a.m. in a tinted SUV motor vehicle.
Patterson and her baby entered the vehicle, where they remained for more than 15 minutes.
The vehicle left the area at 7:22 a.m.
Martin-Swaby added that the Crown is alleging that Bradshaw then took them to Stony Hill, where she handed them over to the men.
The woman and her daughter were forcibly taken to Wareika Hill in St Andrew, where they were shot dead and their bodies burnt.
Police officers later visited the crime scene and found dried bones and blood near the area where the two are believed to have been killed.
The prosecutor, in the meantime, indicated that disclosure will be made by October 23.
Attorney-at-law Debra Martin, who is representing Bradshaw, further advised the court that both parties have agreed to a December 1 mention date, consequently.
Both defendants were remanded.
According to a press release from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, voluntary bills of indictment were proffered before the Home Circuit Court earlier this week in respect of the two other defendants, Brown and Miller, and they are scheduled to return to court later this month when their matters will be mentioned.
Miller is charged with two counts each of accessory before the fact of murder and accessory before the fact of kidnapping, while Brown is facing two counts each of conspiracy to murder and conspiracy to kidnapping.
