A second man of three charged with the murder of Phillip Paulwell’s 10-month-old daughter Sarayah and her 27-year-old mother Toshyna Patterson is expected to plead guilty to murder and kidnapping today in the Supreme Court.

His plea will follow that of another man who, on Thursday, accepted a deal and pleaded guilty to murder and kidnapping in the double murder that shocked the country and triggered a parallel investigation by the United States Naval Criminal Investigative Service due to the fact that US Navy Culinary Specialist Seaman Leoda Bradshaw has been charged in the matter.

Bradshaw, who lives in the United States and shares a child with Paulwell, the Member of Parliament for Kingston East and Port Royal, was charged on October 13 with two counts of conspiracy to kidnap, two counts of conspiracy to murder, two counts of kidnapping, and two counts of capital murder.

Her co-accused, 30-year-old graphic designer Roland Balfour was charged with conspiracy to murder, conspiracy to kidnapping and misprison of felon, while Roshane Miller, a 29-year-old air conditioning technician, was slapped with charges of conspiracy to murder, kidnapping, murder and misprison of felon, and Richard Brown, otherwise called Richie, was charged with conspiracy to murder, conspiracy to kidnapping and kidnapping.

Due to security concerns the man who took advantage of a plea deal on Thursday was not named. He was represented by attorneys Valerie Neita Robertson, King’s Counsel, and Rita Allen Brown.

On October 14 the Jamaica Observer reported that Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of crime Fitz Bailey had disclosed at a news conference the previous day that the mother and baby girl were “brutally murdered and their bodies disposed of”. He described the case as one of “the most painful investigations for the team in recent times”.

The Observer report said that when Bradshaw appeared in court at a mention hearing on October 13, prosecutors said the fact that 27-year-old Patterson had “blocked” Bradshaw from her social media account did not stop her from travelling here and conspiring with her cousin and co-accused Roland Balfour to contract men to kidnap and murder the mother and daughter.

“She learnt of the existence of young Paulwell on Wednesday the 5th of September, 2023. Having learnt of the existence of this child she contacted Patterson on Facebook and informed her that she was the wife of Mr Paulwell, and further that she learnt of the existence of the young offspring of Mr Paulwell. Miss Bradshaw advised Miss Patterson that a DNA [test] should be done to determine the paternity of the child. After this brief exchange the [now-]deceased blocked the accused from her account that very day,” a senior prosecutor told the court.

“The accused, who is domiciled overseas, travelled to Jamaica the very next day, September 6, 2023. The allegations are that she travelled to Jamaica for the sole purpose of killing Toshyna Patterson and the young child she shared with her spouse. The Crown’s allegations are that the accused, through her cousin and co-accused Roland Balfour, contracted men to kidnap and murder Patterson and Sarayah,” the prosecutor said further.

According to prosecutors, Bradshaw met with men to arrange for the kidnappings and murders. The original plan was to kidnap Patterson and the baby from their home. Bradshaw paid the men the equivalent of J$100,000 in United States currency as down payment for the execution of the crime. The remainder of the funds ($400,000) was to be paid after the completion of the deal, the prosecutors said.

In preparation to execute their ‘contract’ the men, the court was told, went to the Gilmore Drive address in St Andrew where Patterson lived, during the night of Wednesday, September 6, 2023, to “scope out the area”.

They also went to the home where Bradshaw was staying in Stony Hill, St Andrew. A further meeting was held on Thursday, September 7, 2023 to discuss the execution of the plan, the court heard.

Prosecutors said that on Saturday, September 9, Bradshaw “placed several calls and conversed with Patterson, with a view to lure her away from her premises”.

She afterwards arrived at Patterson’s home at approximately 7:00 am that fateful day.

“Evidentiary material shows Patterson exiting her premises and entering an SUV parked at her gate, along with her baby. Evidentiary material shows that she remained in this vehicle for over 15 minutes. The vehicle then drove off and left the area approximately 7:22 am. Patterson and Sarayah never exited the vehicle prior to its leaving,” the prosecutor told presiding Supreme Court judge Justice Simone Wolfe-Reece.

“The Crown’s case is that Bradshaw took Patterson to Stony Hill in the vicinity of the home where she, Bradshaw, was staying. At this location the accused handed over Patterson and her young child to Richard Brown and other persons who are yet to be apprehended. After this, Patterson and her young child were taken to Warieka Hills where they were shot and killed and their bodies burned,” the court was told.

Bradshaw has been remanded until a further hearing scheduled for December 1. She is represented by attorneys Deborah Martin and Kelly Hamilton.