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Ron Mitchell, a sailor in his 30s who was accused of being the
ringleader, received two life sentences late Wednesday in the
killings of Ralph Hendry and Kathy Brandel.
Atiba Stanislaus, a farmer in his late 20s, received 60 years
for manslaughter and nearly 18 years for the rape of Brandel,
among other sentences, for a variety of crimes including
kidnapping.
Trevon Robertson, an unemployed man in his early 20s, received
56 years for manslaughter and other sentences for different
crimes, according to local media reports.
The New Today, a local newspaper, reported that prosecutors said
the men bound and gagged the couple before throwing them
overboard, with Mitchell accused of steering the yacht over
Hendry.
The two bodies were never found.
Police at the time said the men had escaped in late February
2024 from the South Saint George Police Station. They hijacked
the catamaran Simplicity on the following day and then headed to
nearby St. Vincent, where they were arrested, according to
authorities.
The nonprofit Salty Dawg Sailing Association had said that
Hendry and Brandel were “veteran cruisers” and longtime members
of the association, calling them “warm-hearted and capable.”
It said the couple was spending the winter cruising in the
eastern Caribbean.
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