HEARTLESS!
DPP wants death penalty for killer accused of sending pictures of bodies of Paulwell’s murdered daughter and her mom to his other child’s mother
DIRECTOR of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Paula Llewellyn has alleged that the man who pulled the trigger to kill the daughter of veteran Member of Parliament Phillip Paulwell and her mother, on September 9, 2023, sent pictures of their dead bodies to the politician’s other babymother, Leoda Bradshaw, before burning the bodies.
In a release on Wednesday, following a mention of the case in the Home Circuit Court in downtown Kingston, Llewellyn said the alleged trigger man, David Smith, who was reportedly given a gun by one of his co-accuseds, Bjon Black, fatally shot 10-month-old Sarayah Paulwelll, and her mother Toshyna Patterson, while he was in the company of another co-accused Richard Brown.
“The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), after reviewing the material on file, today served a Notice of Intention to seek the death penalty on Mr David Smith,” said Llewellyn in the release.
This is second time in less than a year that the ODPP has indicated that it will be seeking the death penalty for someone who allegedly committed a murder which left the nation outraged.
The last time around, Llewellyn had sought the death penalty for Omar Green, the construction worker who was charged with the murder and rape of his nineyear-old stepdaughter Nikita Noel, in Hanover in February 2023.
Green pleaded guilty on his first appearance in court and the death sentence was taken off the table. He was instead sentenced to two separate terms of life imprisonment, one for the murder and the other for the rape. The sentences will run together. He is to serve 50 years and seven months for the murder, and 43 years and seven months on the rape charge before he is eligible for parole.
On Wednesday, in outlining the allegations against the accused, Llewellyn said Bradshaw, the mother of one of Paulwell’s children, passed money to her co-accused for the kidnapping and murder of Patterson and her daughter.
According to the release, Bradshaw conspired with Roland Balfour, Richard Brown, Roshane Miller, Black, and Smith to execute her plan.
It is alleged that Balfour was the person who scouted and linked Miller, Brown, Black and Smith to execute Bradshaw’s plan.
“Mr Bjon Black provided the firearm that was used to kill Toshyna Patterson and Sarayah Paulwell and also accompanied the men to the scene of the murder. Mr Richard Brown was the driver that transported Toshyna Patterson and Sarayah Paulwell to be murdered. Mr Roshane Miller conspired to kidnap and murder Toshyna Patterson and Sarayah Paulwell, but did not present himself in person on the day that the plan was to be executed, said Llewellyn.
On November 15, 2023 Brown pleaded guilty to two counts of kidnapping and murder and was sentenced to 30 years’ imprisonment under the Plea Negotiations and Agreements Act.
Miller also pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to kidnap and two counts of accessory before the fact to murder and was sentenced to seven years and 10 months under a plea deal.
The other four accused were served with one indictment on Wednesday with 14 charges. They are to return to court on June 13 for a case management session in the Home Circuit Court.