Richard Brown, who confessed to kidnapping and killing Phillip Paulwell’s 10-month-old daughter Sarayah and her 27-year-old mother Toshyna Patterson, spent time in custody penning a note to the family of the victims and the public begging forgiveness for his heinous act.

In the note, which he gave to one of his attorneys, Brown — who was handed a 30-year sentence on Wednesday in the Home Circuit Court for the crimes — expressed remorse for his actions which, he said, disappointed his mentor. The mentor was not identified.

“I want my lawyer to tell the family of the baby and her mother and the Jamaican public that I am very sorry for the loss of their lives. I want my lawyer to also tell my mentor that I [am] very sorry for the disappointment. I hope one day everyone will find it possible to forgive me,” the lawyer, Rita Allen-Brown, read, adding that her client’s instructions to his legal team, which includes King’s Counsel Valerie Neita-Robertson, was that the note should be made available to all.

“He didn’t mention who the mentor was. He just handed me a note today that he wants me to read to the media, but as it relates to the proceedings this morning, I am not able to discuss that,” Allen-Brown said.

In addition to the 30 years for murder, Brown was also sentenced to one year and 10 months imprisonment at hard labour for the kidnapping of the mother and baby.

Also on Wednesday, Brown’s accomplice, Roshane Miller, was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in prison for two counts of accessory before the fact of murder for his role in the crimes. Additionally, he was sentenced to two years and 10 months imprisonment at hard labour for conspiracy to kidnap and one year and 10 months at hard labour for misprision of a felony. The sentences are to run concurrently.

The kidnapping and double murder 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, who also has an eight-year-old daughter with Paulwell, has been charged in the matter.

Her 30-year-old cousin, Roland Balfour, was also charged for his role in the murders.

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 had been “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 Balfour to contract men to kidnap and murder the mother and daughter.

“She learnt of the existence of young Paulwell on Wednesday the fifth 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 the prosecutors, Bradshaw met up 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 $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.