Fugitives Charged With Murder of American Couple Missing in Caribbean
Three men who broke out of a prison in Grenada have been charged over the presumed deaths of an American couple whose yacht they allegedly hijacked following their escape from custody last month, police said Thursday.
U.S. nationals Ralph Hendry and Kathleen Brandel have been presumed dead since their catamaran, Simplicity, was found abandoned in St. Vincent and the Grenadines on Feb. 21. The Royal Grenada Police Force says Ron Mitchell, Atiba Stanisclaus, and Trevon Robertson have now all been charged with two counts of capital murder.
Missing U.S. Couple Presumed Dead After Caribbean Catamaran Hijacking, Police Say
All three were further charged with escaping lawful custody, housebreaking, robbery, and two counts of kidnapping, authorities said, while Stanisclaus faces an additional charge of rape. The police media release announcing the charges did not provide details of the rape allegation, nor did it specify if the bodies of Hendry and Brandel have yet been found.
The American couple were sailing in the Caribbean at the time of their disappearance, according to their Salty Dawg Sailing Association. The three escapees were caught on the same day that the couple’s vessel was found abandoned, with the sailing association saying they had been contacted by someone who had boarded the boat and “found evidence of apparent violence.”
Royal Grenada Police Force Commissioner Don McKenzie later said authorities had reason to believe the suspects “disposed of the occupants” as they sailed the hijacked boat between Grenada and St. Vincent. A spokesperson for the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force also said “a red substance that resembles blood” was found on board.
A Feb. 27 statement released by the family of Hendry and Brandel said they were “incredibly saddened” to learn that their loved ones were presumed dead.
“If we have learned anything from this tragic event, it’s that we know they left this world in a better place than it was before they were born,” the statement read. “Ralph and Kathy lived a life that most of us can only dream of, sailing the eastern coast of the United States, living on their home Simplicity, making friends with everyone they encountered, singing, dancing and laughing with friends and family—that’s who Ralph and Kathy were and that’s how they will be remembered in our hearts.”
Police in Grenada are also investigating how the three men had escaped from custody in the first place, though no update was given about the probe Thursday. The trio are expected to make their next court appearance on March 27.
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