Bail denied for Leoda Bradshaw and co-accused

KINGSTON, Jamaica – US Navy Petty Officer Leoda Bradshaw and her co-accused had their bail applications denied when they appeared before the Supreme Court on Friday. Bradshaw, along with three others, is facing charges related to the abduction and killing of 10-month-old Sarayah Paulwell, the daughter of Member of Parliament Phillip Paulwell, and her mother, Toshyna Patterson.

Leoda Bradshaw, who shares a child with Member of Parliament Phillip Paulwell, has been charged with two counts of conspiracy to murder, two counts of conspiracy to kidnap, two counts of kidnapping, and two counts of murder. Along with Bradshaw, two of her co-accused, Roland Balfour and David Smith, were also denied bail. The third co-accused, Bjorn Black, appeared remotely at the hearing, and no bail application was made for him.

As a result of the court’s decision, Bradshaw and her cousin Balfour will spend a second consecutive Christmas behind bars while they await trial. The charges relate to the abduction and murder of 10-month-old Sarayah Paulwell and her mother, Toshyna Patterson. On September 9, 2023, 10-month-old Sarayah Paulwell and her mother, Toshyna Patterson, were abducted from their home on Gilmore Drive in St. Andrew. They were transported to east Kingston, where they were fatally shot and their bodies burned.