Trial in Killing of Jamaican MP Paulwell’s Baby Daughter Moved to 2027
Key Facts
The 2023 killing of a politician’s baby daughter and her mother has drawn national attention in Jamaica for three years. Its trial, due to open on 28 September, has now been pushed back by five months.
Jamaica’s Home Circuit Court set 22 February 2027 as the new trial date for Leoda Bradshaw and her co-accused, The Gleaner reported. The date was fixed on 18 September at a trial-readiness hearing before Justice Vinnette Graham-Allen.
Why This Matters
Phillip Paulwell has represented East Kingston and Port Royal for the People’s National Party since 1997. He is a former energy minister, and the victims include his 10-month-old daughter, Sarayah.
Prosecutors allege Sarayah and her mother, Toshyna Patterson, 27, were abducted from their St Andrew home on 9 September 2023. They allege both were taken to east Kingston, where they were shot and their bodies burned.
A lawyer by training, Paulwell served as commerce and technology minister from 1997 to 2002. He was energy, mining, science and technology minister from 2012 to 2016.
He is also president of the Caribbean Telecommunications Union, a regional policy body. He has chaired the PNP’s Region 3 organisation since 2006, according to his profile.
Two men have already been sentenced in the case, and a third has pleaded guilty. That leaves three defendants, including the alleged mastermind, still facing a jury trial.
Why the Trial Was Delayed
The 28 September date was vacated after prosecutors said co-accused Smith had not been sentenced in July as planned. Smith pleaded guilty in June to two counts each of capital murder, conspiracy to murder, kidnapping and conspiracy to kidnap.
Chief Justice Bryan Sykes postponed his sentencing to consider a legal authority filed by the Crown, The Gleaner reported. Prosecutors told the court the Crown would make the relevant disclosure after Smith is sentenced.
Smith’s sentencing had first been set for 25 July, The Gleaner reported. Sykes adjourned it that day to consider the Crown’s filing, moving it to 2 October.
Smith, a 35-year-old painter described in earlier reports as the alleged triggerman, is represented by Franklin Grenyion and Shamar Hanson. “Sentencing has become far more meticulous,” Sykes said in July, adding that there had been a change in the law.
Bradshaw, a former US Navy petty officer, faces two counts each of capital murder, conspiracy to murder, kidnapping and conspiracy to kidnap. The Gleaner has reported that she was in a relationship with Paulwell at the time and shares a child with him.
Her cousin Roland Balfour is charged with two counts each of accessory before the fact to murder and kidnapping. Co-accused Black faces two counts each of murder, kidnapping and conspiracy charges, plus firearms offences.
None of the three has been convicted, and all are presumed innocent until proven guilty. In June, an attempt to resolve Bradshaw’s case through a guilty plea failed over disputed facts, The Gleaner reported.
A Case Three Years in the Making
All four remaining defendants appeared in court on 13 June 2024, when the media was excluded from the hearing. At a remote hearing on 5 June 2025, the prosecution said it was not ready for a trial date to be set.
Material on its final witness list still had to be shared with the defence. And the indictment was unfinished.
They appeared remotely on 8 October 2025, when the prosecution said the indictment had been finalised. At that hearing, the court reserved 28 September to 23 November 2026 for a possible trial.
A further case management hearing followed on 26 January 2026, Nationwide News Network reported. Smith pleaded guilty in June 2026 and accepted a plea deal, according to Nationwide.
In June 2026, Director of Public Prosecutions Claudette Thompson said Bradshaw would plead guilty only on her own version of the facts. That gap blocked a Newton hearing, a procedure a judge uses to settle factual disputes after a guilty plea.
“We were unable to reach the threshold necessary to proceed with the Newton hearing,” said defence lawyer Deborah Martin. Martin and Kelly Hamilton have represented Bradshaw, who has remained in custody, at earlier hearings.
The Legal Stakes
Under Jamaican law, only the most serious category of murder can carry the death penalty. Jamaica has not carried out an execution since 1988, although the death penalty remains legal.
Hanging, a holdover from colonial law, remains the legal method, and death row was empty by 2018. Brown and Miller have been sentenced for related offences, though recent reports did not detail their terms.
Smith’s sentence will be the first for a defendant who admitted the capital charges in this case. Sykes has said sentencing now follows a set methodology, which is why the Crown’s legal authority needs review.
What It Means If You Follow Jamaica’s Courts
For Jamaicans, the delay extends a case that began with the killings in September 2023 into a fourth year. It also means families of the victims face at least five more months before a jury hears the evidence.
For observers of the justice system, the case shows how plea deals with co-accused can shape a trial’s timing. The prosecution has tied its next disclosure to Smith’s sentence, so the October hearing now sets the pace.
For readers abroad, Bradshaw’s past service in the US Navy gives the case an American dimension. Reports have not said whether US authorities play any role in the proceedings.
For lawyers, the failed Newton hearing shows the limits of plea bargains when the facts are contested. Because the defence and prosecution could not agree on what happened, Bradshaw’s case now goes to a jury.
What Is Not Yet Known
The legal authority that delayed Smith’s sentencing has not been made public. It is not known what the disclosure promised after his sentencing will contain.
Two other men, Richard Brown and Roshane Miller, earlier pleaded guilty to related offences and were sentenced. Bradshaw, Balfour and Black are due back in court for a trial-readiness hearing on 8 February 2027.
It is not known whether Smith will give evidence at the trial of his co-accused. Nor is it clear whether the February date will hold or how long the trial will last.
The sentence the Crown will seek for Smith has not been reported. It is unclear whether the court will again reserve a trial window of about two months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does this case matter?
It concerns the killing of a senior Jamaican politician’s baby daughter and her mother in 2023. The trial of the alleged mastermind has now been delayed to 2027.
Who is accused in the killing of Phillip Paulwell’s daughter?
Leoda Bradshaw, a former US Navy petty officer, is the alleged mastermind, charged with cousin Roland Balfour and a man named Black. All three are presumed innocent, while co-accused Smith has pleaded guilty and awaits sentence.
When will the trial start?
The Home Circuit Court in Kingston set it for 22 February 2027, replacing the original 28 September 2026 date. A trial-readiness hearing for the three remaining defendants is scheduled for 8 February 2027.
Why was the trial delayed?
A co-accused who pleaded guilty has not yet been sentenced. Prosecutors said they would make a disclosure only after his sentencing on 2 October 2026.
Sources: Nationwide News, Bradshaw and co-accused return to court on October 8, Nationwide News, Bradshaw back to court June 24, The Gleaner, February trial date for Bradshaw and co-accused, The Gleaner, Bradshaw set for September trial after plea talks fail, The Gleaner, sentencing put off for co-accused who pleaded guilty, Wikipedia, Phillip Paulwell, Nationwide News Network, Bradshaw trial to continue in February 2027, Nationwide News Network, Bradshaw and co-accused return to court on 26 January, Nationwide News Network, Bradshaw and co-accused remanded until 18 July, Wikipedia, Capital punishment in Jamaica
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