BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - DONLEY SAUNDERS, Melvina Kelly and Jahdell Browne will next Thursday (May 17) appear before Justice Errol Thomas at the Basseterre High Court for sentencing.
Kelly and Browne both pleaded guilty to manslaughter while Saunders was found guilty by a nine-woman-three-man jury on April 5 of fraudulent conversion.
Saunders is said to have ‘ripped off’ American couple Thorton and Suzan Perry of an extremely large sum of money during June 2007 to May 2008 when he used monies entrusted to him by the couple to be applied to the construction of two dwelling houses at Turtle Beach for other purposes.
The St. Peter’s resident is said to have fraudulently converted EC$273 512.50 of the EC$403 230 of the Perrys’ money that was entrusted to him.
Kelly was charged with the July 11, 2010 killing of her eight-year-old granddaughter, Belisha Edwards.
The 53-year-old grandmother, who had originally pleaded not guilty to the murder charge, underwent psychiatric evaluation and was declared fit to stand trial but she later pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
She is said to have stabbed her granddaughter to death early that morning while the child was vacationing at her Saddlers Village home. Edwards was the daughter of Kelly’s son, Leroy Elliott.
Similarly, Browne had originally pleaded not guilty to the murder of John Napier (75) and Sylvester Harris (37) and also to the wounding of Wilfred Simmonds (52), offences he committed on October 25, 2009.
He too underwent psychiatric evaluation and was declared fit to stand trial, but later pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
Information reaching this media house stated that Napier was attacked on the premises of his Cedar Grove home, Harris was assaulted while in his garden at Parray’s Housing, Upper Monkey Hill and Simmonds was wounded a short distance from there.
The then Police Press and Public Relations Officer, Inspector Cromwell Henry, confirmed that Napier died at his home and Harris succumbed to his injuries at the Joseph N. France Hospital.
Sherwin Sammy Williams will also be appearing next Thursday for sentencing. He was found guilty by a 12-member jury of indecently assaulting a certain female in Sandy Point.
Kelly and Browne are being represented by Senior Counsels Dr. Henry Browne and Hesketh Benjamin, while Saunders is being represented by Attorneys-at-Law Vincent Byron and Terry Byron.
