LEODA Bradshaw, the US Navy petty officer to be tried for capital murder in the deaths of the 10-month-old daughter of veteran politician Phillip Paulwell and the child’s mother, one day after learning of the existence of the child, hopped on a plane destined for Jamaica “with the sole purpose of killing Toshyna Patterson and the young child” fathered by the man she considers her ‘spouse’, prosecutors stated in court on Friday.

According to prosecutors, who outlined the allegations during a mention hearing at the Supreme Court in downtown Kingston, the fact that the 27-year-old business woman had “blocked” Bradshaw from her social media account did not stop her from travelling here and conspiring with her cousin and co-accused Roland Balford to contract men to kidnap and murder the two.

“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 on Friday afternoon.

“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,” she said further.

Bradshaw, who also has a child fathered by Paulwell, and Balfour, a 30-year-old assistant graphic designer of a Kingston address, appeared in the Home Circuit Court Friday by way of a voluntary bill of indictment.

According to prosecutors, Bradshaw met with men — to include Roshane Miller and Richard Brown (both of whom have been slapped with several charges) — 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.

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.

Friday, a waif-like Bradshaw, clad in a quaint ivory and lilac, button down, caftan-type garment and furry grey bed slippers, drifted into the courtroom with all the awareness of a child, long hair trailing over one shoulder, a pink and white mask over her lower face, and a white mask almost like a blindfold across her upper face, which she removed upon entering the room. Throughout the statement by the prosecution she sat with her head bowed and eyes closed, changing her posture only when it ended to deliver piercing looks.

Her co-accused and cousin Roland Bradford, clad in a white T-shirt and jeans, appeared unbothered, his round face seemingly lit by the semblance of a smile that never quite emerged.

On standing to be addressed by Justice Wolfe-Reece, who outlined that they were both to be fingerprinted and remanded until a further hearing scheduled for December 1, Bradshaw, breathing deeply, looked towards her attorneys, blinking rapidly.

Bradshaw, the police indicated on Friday during a press briefing held moments before the court sat, has been charged with two counts of conspiracy to kidnap, two counts of conspiracy to murder, two counts of kidnapping, and two counts of capital murder. The capital murder counts are based on the allegations of a contract-for-hire arrangement wherein she is alleged to have paid the persons to conduct the kidnappings and murders contrary to Section (2)(1)(e)(i) of the Offences Against the Person Act.

Capital murder includes murder for hire, murder in the course of certain felonies (burglary, robbery, arson, sexual offences), murder of a member of a specified class of persons acting in the course of their duties (security forces, correctional officer, judicial officer, a person carrying out constabulary functions, witness, juror, or justice of the peace), and multiple murders.

Capital punishment remains on the books in Jamaica but may only be applied in certain aggravated murder convictions. However, there have been no executions since 1988.

Balfour has been charged with two counts of accessory before the fact to kidnapping and two counts accessory before the fact to murder.

In the meantime, the other two men are to appear before the court later this month in relation to the counts against them.

Voluntary bills of indictment were proffered before the Home Circuit Court earlier this week in respect of Richard Brown and Roshane Miller. Brown has been charged with two counts of conspiracy to murder, two counts of conspiracy to kidnapping, two counts of kidnapping, and two counts of murder. Miller, a 29-year-old air conditioning technician, has been charged with two counts of accessory before the fact to kidnapping, and two counts of accessory before the fact to murder.

Attorneys Deborah Martin and Kelly Hamilton represent Bradshaw, while Bert Samuels, Matthew Hyatt and Courtney Rowe represent Balfour.