Three men from Grenada in the eastern Caribbean have been sentenced to decades in prison for killing an elderly American couple during a catamaran hijacking last year. The suspects initially escaped after their arrest but were quickly recaptured.
Ron Mitchell, a sailor in his 30s identified as the ringleader, received two life sentences on Wednesday for the murders of 66-year-old Ralph Hendry and 71-year-old Kathy Brandel.
Atiba Stanislaus, a farmer in his late 20s, was sentenced to 60 years for manslaughter plus nearly 18 years for raping Brandel, along with additional sentences for kidnapping and other crimes.
Trevon Robertson, an unemployed man in his early 20s, received 56 years for manslaughter and other offenses, according to local media.
Prosecutors stated the attackers tied up and gagged the couple before throwing them overboard, with Mitchell allegedly steering the yacht over Hendry. The victims’ bodies were never recovered.
The men had escaped from police custody in late February 2024 before hijacking the catamaran Simplicity the next day. They were arrested after sailing to nearby St. Vincent.
The Salty Dawg Sailing Association, where Hendry and Brandel were longtime members, described the couple as experienced sailors who were spending winter cruising the eastern Caribbean. The organization remembered them as kind and skilled mariners.
