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Virginia woman killed alongside her husband was raped by escaped prisoner who stole their yacht: police
By Allie Griffin,
2024-03-11
The Virginia woman believed to have been killed alongside her husband by escaped prisoners who commandeered the couple’s yacht in the Caribbean was allegedly raped by one of their murderers, according to police.
One of the three men charged with the couple’s murder allegedly raped Kathy Brandel, 71, before the trio killed her and her 66-year-old husband, Ralph Hendry, on their sailboat last month, according to the Royal Grenada Police Force.
Ron Mitchell, Atiba Stanisclaus and Trevon Robertson were all charged Thursday with two counts of capital murder as well as escaping lawful custody, housebreaking, robbery and two counts of kidnapping, police said .
Kathy Brandel and Ralph Hendry were last seen near their docked catamaran in St. George’s, Grenada, on Feb. 18. Sissons Handout
Stanisclaus, 25, was also charged with one count of rape in the deadly case. The Royal Grenada Police confirmed that the rape charge is related to an assault on Brandel in a statement to the Daily Mail .
The Royal Grenada Police did not immediately reply to a question about what evidence led to the additional charge, given that cops have not recovered Brandel’s body.
The bodies of the couple have not been found since they were last seen near their docked catamaran, the Simplicity, in St. George’s, Grenada, on Feb. 18 — the same day the three men allegedly broke out of a police holding cell on the island.
Police believe the escapees hijacked the sailboat while the couple were on board. It was found anchored and deserted days later.
Large amounts of blood were found on the ransacked boat, but Hendry and Brandel were nowhere to be found. Police believe their killers threw their bodies overboard while sailing to St. Vincent.
Atiba Stanisclaus was charged with rape in connection to the US couple’s alleged murder. RSVG Police Force
The three men were arrested in St. Vincent on Feb. 21 and were sent back to Grenada on Monday, where they were arraigned in court and sent back to prison.
The men were originally being held on robbery charges before their escape.
Brandel and Hendry, experienced cruisers, were living on their sailboat at the time of their brutal deaths.
The couple’s sailboat, the Simplicity, was found anchored and abandoned days later with blood in the cabin. Family handout
The couple’s children remembered their parents in a touching statement.
“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 wrote in a statement.
“Our parents encompassed all those values and so much more. If we have learned anything from this tragic event, it’s that we know they left this world in a better place than it was before they were born.”
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