In a case described as “one of the most heinous” ever, High Court Judge Justice Paula Gilford on Wednesday ordered three men to spend the majority, if not all of the rest of their lives behind bars for a chilling series of violent crimes, including the brutal killing of an American couple during a daring escape from police custody last year.
The sentences were handed down late Wednesday, bringing a close to a case that captured national, regional and international attention.
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Ron Mitchell, 30, was handed two life sentences for non-capital murder in connection with the deaths of Ralph Henry, 67, and Kathleen Brandel, 71, a couple from the United States.
Mitchell, described by the prosecution as the “ringleader,” must serve at least 50 years before becoming eligible for parole.
He was also sentenced to nine years and one month for housebreaking, five years and four months each on two counts of kidnapping, and 18 years and four months for robbery with violence.
His co-accused, Atiba Stanisclaus, 27, and Trevon Robertson, 21, were convicted of manslaughter for their roles in the same incidents.
Stanisclaus received 30 years on each count of manslaughter, nine years and one month for housebreaking, 17 years and four months for the rape of Brandel, five years and four months and four years and 10 months for kidnapping, and 17 years and nine months for robbery with violence.
Robertson received 28 years on each count of manslaughter, seven years and seven months for housebreaking, and sentences of five years and four months and five years for kidnapping.
According to evidence presented by the Crown, the men stole the couple’s 45-foot catamaran, bound and gagged them, and then threw them into the sea as they fled Grenadian waters.
The court was told that as Ralph Henry attempted to swim toward a dinghy attached to the vessel, Mitchell steered the yacht over him, and the men continued on their escape journey into St Vincent, leaving the victims to perish at sea.
The bodies of the US citizens never recovered.
The harrowing ordeal began in mid-February 2024, when the trio escaped from the South St George Police Station, where they were held in custody in connection with a string of other violent offences, including rape, attempted rape, robbery with violence.
The men from the village of Paradise were later captured in St Vincent, where Mitchell was shot in both legs after allegedly attempting to disarm a Vincentian police officer.
Mitchell, who has nine prior convictions dating from 2012-17, was given a combined sentence of 31 years and eight months for rape, attempted rape, and indecent assault in a separate case involving a minor.
Stanisclaus, with 10 prior convictions, received 14 years, nine months, and 17 days for related offences.
Robertson, who had no previous convictions, was sentenced to 11 years, four months, and two days.
The court credited all three with 513 days already spent on remand in relation to the charge of escaping lawful custody.
In handing down her ruling, Gilford rejected arguments from the defense that poverty and social background should be considered mitigating factors in the case against the murder convicts.
She cited the gravity of the crimes, including its premeditated nature, and the defendants’ repeated criminal history as aggravating circumstances.
Gilford also took into account the international spotlight on the case and the potential damage to Grenada’s image as a peaceful, tourist-friendly destination.
The convicts, faces partially covered with bandanas, were escorted from the courtroom to a waiting police vehicle and transported back to Richmond Hill Prison, which might be their final home before their departure from earth. CMC
