According to police, one of the escaped Prisoner who hijacked the couple’s yacht in the Caribbean and murdered them both also raped the Virginia woman.
According to the Royal Grenada Police Force, one of the three men charged with the couple’s murder allegedly raped Kathy Brandel, 71, before the trio murdered her and her 66-year-old husband, Ralph Hendry, aboard their sailboat last month.
Ron Mitchell, Atiba Stanisclaus, and Trevon Robertson were charged with two charges of capital murder, escaping lawful custody, housebreaking, robbery, and two acts of kidnapping on Thursday, according to police.
In addition to the murder, Stanisclaus, 25, was charged with one count of rape. According to a statement released to the Daily Mail by Royal Grenada Police, the rape charge is related to an incident involving Brandel.
Given that Brandel’s body has not been recovered, Royal Grenada Police did not respond promptly to an inquiry regarding what evidence led to the new charge.
The couple’s bodies have not been located since they were last seen near their docked catamaran named “Simplicity” in St. George’s, Grenada, on February 18, the same day the three men allegedly broke out of a police holding cell on the island.
According to the police, the escapees hijacked the sailboat while the couple was aboard. Several days later, it was discovered, anchored, and abandoned.
The plundered boat contained a large amount of blood, but Hendry and Brandel were missing. The police assumed their bodies were thrown overboard while traveling to St. Vincent.
The three men were detained in St. Vincent on Feb. 21 and returned to Grenada on Monday, when they were arraigned and returned to prison.
Before their escape, the men had been charged with robbery.
They are set to appear in court again on March 27.
Brandel and Hendry, experienced cruisers, were living on their sailboat when they were brutally murdered.
The couple’s children sent a heartwarming message about their parents.
“We live in a world that at times can be cruel, but it’s also a world of profound beauty, wonder, adventure, love, compassion, caring, and faith,” they said in a press release.
“Our parents exemplified all of these principles and more. If we’ve learned anything from this awful occurrence, it’s that they left the world in a better place than when they were born.
