Virginia woman killed alongside husband on their yacht in Grenada was raped, police say

Kathy Brandel, who was murdered alongside her husband Ralph Hendry on their sailboat last month, was allegedly raped by one of the killers. The woman, 71, and her 66-year-old husband, were both from Virginia. Three escaped prisoners were accused of hijacking the American couple’s yacht in Grenada.

Virginia woman Kathy Brandel, killed alongside her husband Ralph Hendry on their yacht in Grenada, was raped (GoFundMe)

The couple was last seen on February 18. It is presumed that the attackers killed them before tossing their bodies overboard in the Caribbean. Their boat was found anchored and deserted.

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What are the charges against the suspects?

Last week, suspects Ron Mitchell, Atiba Stanisclaus and Trevon Robertson were all charged with two counts of capital murder, and escaping lawful custody, housebreaking, robbery and two counts of kidnapping, according to police. 25-year-old Stanisclaus was also charged with one count of rape. Royal Grenada Police told the Daily Mail that the rape charge is related to an assault on Brandel.

The couple’s bodies have not been found. However, blood was found on the boat. The three prisoners were being held on robbery charges before they escaped and carried out the attack on the yacht.

Royal St. Vincent and Grenadines Police Force official Junior Simmons said during a press conference that officers who responded to the boat came across a scene that was “consistent with signs of violence.” “Several items were strewn on the deck and in the cabin and a red substance that resembled blood was seen on board,” Simmons said. “There was no discovery of bodies on board the yacht.”

‘We live in a world that at times can be cruel’

In a heartbreaking statement, the couple’s children remembered them after their death. “We live in a world that at times can be cruel, but it’s also a world of profound beauty, wonder, adventure, love, compassion, caring, and faith,” they wrote in a statement, according to New York Post.

“Our parents encompassed all those values and so much more. If we have learned anything from this tragic event, it’s that we know they left this world in a better place than it was before they were born,” they added.