Prosecutor Paula Llewellyn seeks death penalty for David Smith the killer of Paulwell’s Daughter and Her Mother

The chief prosecutor, Paula Llewellyn, seeks the death penalty for David Smith, the person allegedly responsible for the murder of Member of Parliament Phillip Paulwell’s 10-month-old daughter, Sarayah, and her mother, Toshyna Patterson. Smith was served with a notice in the Home Circuit Court today.

Mr. Smith, who has not acquired legal representation, was officially informed of this intent of pursuing the death penalty during his appearance at the Home Circuit Court on a Wednesday afternoon. Attired in a black dress shirt, matching slacks and slide-on footwear, Smith showed a remorseful demeanor, downcast eyes and restless thumbs after the Chief Prosecutor stated her decree.

The murder-for-hire was the allegedly orchestrated by Phillip Paulwell other woman, US Navy Culinary Specialist Seaman Leoda Bradshaw. Bradshaw had a relationship and a child with Phillip Paulwell, a member of Parliament from Kingston East and Port Royal, and she considered him to be her spouse, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in Kingston said in a news release.

When the court provided Mr. Smith with the pertinent documents detailing the allegations, he expressed confusion upon their receipt, retorting, “I am innocent; I did not perpetrate any homicide; I did not pull any trigger.” He is reckoned as being the triggerman, who allegedly took a firearm from his accomplice, Bjon Black, to execute Ms. Patterson and her young one. The Crown’s assertion includes that the murders were witnessed by Richard Brown and Mr. Black.

According to the Chief Prosecutor, Mr. Smith sent an image of Paulwell’s deceased 10-month-old daughter and her mother, Toshyna Patterson to Leoda Bradshaw via text message at her request, during the time the crime occurred. The bodies were later burned at the scene. Six people, including Leoda Bradshaw, who is suspected of being the mastermind, her cousin Roland Balfour, David Smith, Bjon Black, Richard Brown, and Roshane Miller, have been arrested and charged with various offenses connected to the case.

It is alleged that Smith is the ‘triggerman’ who, after allegedly being given the gun by Bjon Black, used it to shoot and kill Patterson and baby Sarayah on September 9, 2023.

Confessions to their roles in the crime were made by both, Brown and Miller last November. Brown admitted to two counts of abduction and murder, earning him a 30-year sentence. He was the vehicle operator who facilitated the transport of the victims to their demise. Miller confessed to two counts of planning to kidnap and abetting a crime with forethought, reaping a punishment of seven years of imprisonment. The Crown asserts, although he was involved in schematic planning, he was not physically present during the murders.

Gun linked to crime Meanwhile, forensic analysis of ballistics confirmed that a firearm, discovered in possession of Bjon Black during the time of his apprehension, was the lethal weapon perpetrated in the deaths of Toshyna Patterson and her daughter, Sarayah Paulwell. Additional charges related to firearms, including possession of a prohibited weapon, unauthorised possession of ammunition and trade in banned firearms have been laid against Mr. Black.

These revelations were made during a Home Circuit Court hearing on a Wednesday afternoon, managing the cases of Mr. Black and his indicted associates, David Smith included. Smith and Black have not procured personal representation. Their indicted collaborator, Leoda Bradshaw, has enlisted the services of attorneys Deborah Martin and Kelly Hamilton while defender Courtney Rowe represents Richard Balfour.

At the court session on Wednesday March 6, it was recommended by Justice Vinette Graham Allen that the Legal Aid Council deliberate the appointment of two experienced attorneys to represent Smith and Black. The Justice suggested that they consider taking on an attorney with a track record exceeding six years given the intricate and complex nature of the case. Until their forthcoming court date on June 13, the four defendants remain in custody.