A magistrate in St. Vincent and the Grenadines today (Monday) ordered that the three Grenadian fugitives who are suspected of murdering two US sailors after escaping from a police station in St. George’s be repatriated.
Ron Mitchell, 30 years, Trevon Robertson, 25 years and Atiba Stanislaus, 23 years, all of Paradise, St. Andrew, Grenada, are suspected of killing Ralph Hendry and Kathy Brandel after hijacking their yacht and sailing it to St. Vincent after breaking out of a police station on Feb. 18.
The men were charged jointly with one count of robbery with violence. Additionally, Mitchell was charged separately with one count of rape, three counts of attempted rape, two counts of indecent assault, and causing harm.
Police in St. Vincent arrested the men in Petit Bordel, a village on the island’s northwest coast on Feb. 21, shooting Mitchell in the leg allegedly after began wrestling with officers, an allegation he denied in court on Monday.
The men reappeared in court on Monday, one week after pleading guilty to four immigration charges.
Senior Magistrate Colin John, who had remanded them in custody pending the sentencing, ruled that repatriating them would best serve the course of justice.
The facts, as presented by the prosecutor, acting Corporal of Police Corlene Williams, are that on Feb. 21, Corporal of Police 615 Williams of the Rapid Response Unit (RRU), acting on information, headed a party of RRU and Narcotic Unit officers to north-western St. Vincent.
On reaching Petit Bordel, the officers found a dinghy on the shoreline with a Yamaha engine about 20 feet from it.
The Coast Guard arrived sometime after with officers from the Major Crime Unit and the Coast Guard on board.
As the officers photographed the scene, Williams left with her team to search for the men, who the police were aware were wanted in Grenada.
When Williams’ team reached Spring Village, a community south of Petit Bordel, she received additional information and went to a green two-storey concrete dwelling house on the beach in Petit Bordel.
The officers met Mitchell at the back of the house, dressed in short black pants and lying face down on the ground, the prosecutor said.
The officers approached and informed him of their duties and while attempting to handcuff Mitchell, he started to wrestle with the officers.
“The police had to use force in order to subdue him. He received injuries,” the prosecutor told the court but gave no further details about the injuries.
Samuel said that a further search was conducted in the area and the officers found the two other defendants hiding in the bushes near the house.
They told the police officers that they arrived in St. Vincent on board a yacht captained by Mitchell, which they left at Cumberland and used the dinghy to travel to Petit Bordel.
The prosecutor further said the men told police that they did not clear with authorities.
The prosecutor told the court that the men were taken to the Central Police Station and were handed over to immigration authorities.
Two immigration officers cautioned and interviewed them and the men gave their names.
Mitchell and Stanislaus also gave statements but Robertson declined to do so. They were later charged.
The prosecutor told the court that Robertson has no criminal record in Grenada.
Stanislaus, however, has 10 convictions, namely four counts of house breaking, four counts of stealing from a house and one count of assault and damage to property.
Mitchell has nine convictions, made up of three counts of house breaking, three counts of stealing from dwelling a house, one count of stealing from a warehouse, one count of throwing stones and one count of assault and damage to property.
Stanislaus told the court that he had heard the facts but had nothing to say about them.
Robertson also declined to comment beyond saying, “I good. I good.”
Mitchell, however, rebutted the prosecutor’s account of how he was shot.
“I never wrestle with no officer. He just … shoot me in my foot. I never wrestle with no police. My ribs hurting me where I am here now. I’m in pain her right now. I tasting blood in my mouth right through,” he told the court.
The magistrate told him that he has a right to medical attention.
The magistrate further said that based on the facts he thinks that justice would be best served by repatriating the men.
John ordered that the men be removed from the state and sent back to Grenada as soon as practicable.
He told them that they will have to be detained until the logistics are worked out.
Stanislaus asked the court how long that process will take.
The magistrate said he could not say as that has to be decided by the authorities.
“But as soon as is practicable,” he said.
These guys are ruthless criminals/murderers! Hope they are watched 24/7 if possible, because their attitude suggest that if they are given the slightest chance, they will escape again! Look at their faces in the picture showing them outside the Court – not even the slightest indication of remorse! They really are not sorry for anything they did- including the possible killing of the white couple. The Grenadian police MUST keep these three criminals under heavy guard! They’re certainly demonic!
You should be first and foremost thanking God and those law enforcers who recaptured y’all for you still being around today rather than to be complaining about your condition and who did what to you. In the first place, what the hell are you doing here? You should first consider all that you did in order to get here. Such a clown of a man!