Sentencing put off for painter who pleaded guilty in murder of Paulwell’s daughter, child’s mother

The sentencing of David Smith, one of the men who pleaded guilty to being involved in the abduction and killing of politician Phillip Paulwell’s 10-month-old daughter, Sarayah, and her mother, Toshyna Patterson, has been postponed until October 2.

Smith, a 35-year-old painter who entered guilty pleas last month under a plea agreement, was yesterday remanded after Chief Justice Bryan Sykes indicated that he required more time to consider a legal authority recently filed by the Crown.

The chief justice explained that prosecutors had submitted a new authority yesterday to replace one on which they were no longer relying.

Apologising to the victims’ family members who had attended court for the sentencing, Sykes said the delay was necessary given the evolving approach to sentencing.

“Sentencing has become far more meticulous. Twenty years ago, judges would simply arrive at a sentence, but now there is a methodology that has to be employed, and there has also been a change in the law,” he said.

Smith, a father of two, pleaded guilty to two counts each of capital murder, conspiracy to murder, kidnapping and conspiracy to kidnap.

He was jointly charged with the alleged mastermind, Leoda Bradshaw, a former United States Navy petty officer who was reportedly involved in a relationship with Phillip Paulwell at the time of the killings and is also the mother of one of his children.

Bradshaw is facing two counts each of capital murder, conspiracy to murder, kidnapping and conspiracy to kidnap.

She is jointly charged with Roland Balfour and Bjorn Black in connection with the killings.

Balfour, Bradshaw’s cousin, is charged with two counts each of accessory before the fact to murder and kidnapping. Black faces two counts each of murder, kidnapping, conspiracy to murder and conspiracy to kidnap, along with firearms-related offences.

Prosecutors allege that Sarayah and her 27-year-old mother were abducted from their St Andrew home on September 9, 2023.

Investigators say they were taken to east Kingston, where they were later shot and their bodies burned.

Two other men implicated in the case, Richard Brown and Roshane Miller, have already pleaded guilty to related offences and have been sentenced.

The remaining accused, all of whom are in custody, are scheduled to return to court on September 17 for a trial-readiness hearing ahead of their trial, which is set to begin on September 28.

Attorneys Franklin Grenyion and Shamar Hanson are representing Smith.

tanesha.mundle@gleanerjm.com