Leoda Bradshaw to stand trial in September

A dramatic twist unfolded in the chilling case surrounding the murder of politician Phillip Paulwell's 10-month-old daughter, Sarayah, and her mother, Toshyna Patterson, after the woman accused of orchestrating the deadly plot failed in her bid to plead guilty and will now face trial.

Leoda Bradshaw, the American Navy officer who prosecutors allege masterminded the abduction and murder of the infant and her 27-year-old mother, was expected to enter a guilty plea. However, efforts to resolve the matter without a trial collapsed when the prosecution and defence could not agree on the facts of the case.

Director of Public Prosecutions Claudette Thompson explained that Bradshaw was willing to plead guilty, but only to her version of what happened.

As a result, a Newton hearing, a special court proceeding used to determine the factual basis of a guilty plea when the prosecution and defence disagree, was scheduled in the Home Circuit Court on Thursday. However, the hearing never got off the ground.

Bradshaw's attorney, Deborah Martin, told the court that while her client remained willing to plead guilty, there were significant differences between the defence's position and that of the Crown.

"As such, we were unable to reach the threshold necessary to proceed with the Newton hearing," Martin said.

Bradshaw was subsequently remanded and is now scheduled to stand trial on September 28 alongside her co-accused, cousin Roland Balfour, alleged triggerman David Smith, and Bjorn Black.

The case has gripped the nation since September 2023, when baby Sarayah and her mother were reported abducted from their home on Gilmour Drive in St Andrew.

Prosecutors allege that the mother and child were taken to east Kingston, where they were shot and killed before their bodies were set ablaze.

According to investigators, Bradshaw, who shares a child with Paulwell, travelled to Jamaica with the sole purpose of arranging the murders. She is accused of recruiting hitmen, enlisting her cousin, and orchestrating a plot to kidnap and kill Patterson and the infant.

The prosecution further alleges that the deadly scheme was put in motion just one day after Bradshaw confronted Patterson on Facebook about the child.

Bradshaw faces two counts each of capital murder, conspiracy to murder, kidnapping, and conspiracy to kidnap.

Her co-accused also face a raft of serious charges linked to the alleged plot.

Two other men, Richard Brown and Roshane Miller, previously pleaded guilty to offences arising from the case and have already been sentenced.

With plea discussions now in ruins, one of Jamaica's most disturbing murder cases appears headed for a full trial later this year.

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