Escaped convicts charged with murdering Americans on dream Caribbean yacht voyage; couple reportedly thrown overboard

Three escaped convicts have been charged with killing two American citizens after reportedly hijacking the couple's yacht in the Caribbean last month. The bodies of Kathy Brandel and Ralph Hendry have yet to be found, and authorities believe the fugitives threw them overboard.

Ron Mitchell, 30; Trevon Robertson, 19; and Abita Stanislaus, 25; each were charged with two counts of capital murder in connection with the presumed deaths of the couple. According to a statement from the Royal Grenada Police Force, the suspects also face charges of escaping lawful custody, housebreaking, robbery, and two counts of kidnapping.

The prisoners a couple of months ago had been charged with one count of robbery with violence. Mitchell also was charged with one count of rape, three counts of attempted rape, and two counts of indecent assault and causing harm, according to Grenada police.

The three suspects escaped their prison cells in Grenada on Feb. 18. The fugitives were recaptured in St. Vincent on Feb. 21.

Hendry and Brandel had anchored their yacht in Grenada's capital of St. George's, and when authorities located the yacht in neighboring St. Vincent and the Grenadines, there were no signs of Brandel and Hendry. Family members said they had not heard from the couple since Feb. 18, according to People magazine.

As Blaze News previously reported, investigators said there were signs of a violent struggle aboard the yacht with possessions strewn everywhere and blood throughout the boat.

"The entire interior of the vessel and its decks were ransacked," the Coast Guard’s commanding officer reportedly wrote in an internal memo.

Authorities said the crime scene on the yacht was "consistent with signs of violence."

Law enforcement believes the fugitives commandeered the yacht a day after their prison break.

Their vessel was found abandoned Feb. 21, with the husband and wife nowhere to be found, the yacht club said.

CNN reported, "Last, week, Grenada police commissioner Don McKenzie said in a news conference the couple was likely thrown overboard during the hijacking, and information suggests the escapees 'disposed of the occupants' while traveling between Grenada and St. Vincent, about 80 miles away."

The Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force said last week that the suspected killers committed "several criminal acts including bodily harm to the couple" while sailing.

Hendry and Brandel — who are from Virginia — were on a dream sailing voyage on their yacht named Simplicity. The couple sold their home and bought Simplicity several years ago.

Ralph was a 66-year-old financial advisor and Kathy was a retired real estate agent who would have turned 71 on Feb. 21.

Brandel's son — Nick Buro — told WRC-TV, "This is something that is completely unexpected. And wrapping our brains around it and trying to understand a senseless act of violence against two people while they were just living their lives in their home, essentially, because Simplicity was their home. They didn't have another home.... And having that safety and security taken away from them abruptly and [having] them attacked ... where they live, it's just, it's unimaginable."

"They were super careful to be safe all the time," Buro noted. "Everywhere they went everything they did, safety was their top, top concern. So this unfortunate accident, I think, it came out of nowhere for them."

The suspects made their first court appearance in St. George's Magistrate’s Court in Grenada on Thursday. They are scheduled to return to court on March 27.

American Couple Kidnapped On Yacht and Allegedly Thrown Overboard by Hijackers in Caribbeanwww.youtube.com

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