American woman reportedly brutally beaten by growling, 'pure evil,' fake taxi driver on Caribbean island: 'I fought for my life'



An American woman vacationing on a Caribbean island was brutally beaten by a man claiming to be a taxi driver, according to authorities.

The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force said 29-year-old Davidson Martin was charged with one count of inflicting grievous bodily harm.

Suyapa Ramos, from New Jersey, went on a vacation on the Caribbean island of Turks and Caicos this month.

Ramos was enjoying her vacation — visiting pristine beaches and dancing.

On the evening of March 10, Ramos attempted to take a taxi cab back to her hotel from a bar.

Ramos noted, "I believe after 10 they don't run, and that was something I found out the hard way. I trusted someone who said they were a taxi."

Apparently, the man who offered to drive Ramos back to the hotel was not a legitimate taxi driver.

Ramos said that people at the bar seemed to know the alleged taxi cab driver.

Suddenly, the alleged taxi driver began attacking her during the drive.

"That was the scariest thing I had to encounter to come face to face with evil. Pure evil," Ramos told WABC-TV.

"While he was beating me, he was growling at me, he was trying to poke my eye out," Ramos said.

Thankfully, Ramos was able to break free from the brutal attack.

However, Ramos suffered a major injury and lost vision in her left eye.

The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force noted, "Based on the information received and interviews conducted, Mr. Martin is alleged to have attacked the female victim."

Ramos said, "I fought for my life. It was so scary to feel yourself so close to death."

"It wasn't just a woman, it was a mom, a daughter, a grandmother, a sister, a friend and an American tourist," Ramos added.

The suspect reportedly stole the victim's cell phone.

Martin's bail was set at $10,000. He is scheduled to appear in court in May.

The U.S. State Department issued a travel advisory about Turks and Caicos in July.

The Department of State warned: "Exercise increased caution in the Turks and Caicos Islands due to crime."

The warning advises Americans not to walk alone at night and "do not physically resist any robbery attempt."

Ramos warned other Americans, "Be careful where you travel to because paradise can turn into a nightmare for anyone but especially a woman and tourists."

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Police say American woman, 71, raped on yacht by escaped convict in Caribbean before she and husband tossed overboard, killed



An American woman was raped by an escaped convict while she was sailing on her yacht in the Caribbean, according to police. The woman from Virginia and her husband are believed to have been killed after they were tossed overboard by the escaped fugitives last month.

A spokesperson for the Royal Grenada Police Force told the Daily Mail, "Atiba Stanisclaus was charged by the Grenadian police with one count of rape on Kathy Brandel."

The 25-year-old Stanisclaus, along with 30-year-old Ron Mitchell and 23-year-old Trevon Robertson, were charged with two counts of capital murder for the deaths of Brandel and Ralph Hendry. The three murder suspects were also charged with escaping lawful custody, housebreaking, robbery, and two counts of kidnapping.

As Blaze News previously reported, Brandel and Hendry were sailing their yacht on a "dream" boating voyage in the Caribbean.

The married couple of 27 years had anchored their yacht in Grenada's capital of St. George's.

The American couple's yacht, named the Simplicity, was located on Feb. 21 by authorities on the neighboring island of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

There were no signs of Brandel or Hendry. However, law enforcement said the crime scene on the yacht was "consistent with signs of violence."

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

The couple's possessions were strewn everywhere on the vessel and blood was found throughout the boat, according to police.

Investigators believe the three murder suspects commandeered the yacht a day after they broke out of a prison in Grenada on Feb. 18.

Grenada police commissioner Don McKenzie said in a news conference that the escaped convicts "disposed of the occupants" while sailing the hijacked yacht between Grenada and St. Vincent.

The bodies of Brandel and Hendry have yet to be found.

The couple were experienced boaters and had been sailing for more than a decade.

Brandel's son — Nick Buro — told WRC-TV, "They were super careful to be safe all the time. 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."

"This is something that is completely unexpected," Buro added. "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."

The suspects were originally arrested on robbery charges. Mitchell had also been 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 are scheduled to appear in court on March 27.

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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.

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American couple on 'dream' Caribbean trip feared dead after escaped prisoners suspected of hijacking yacht, boat covered in blood



An American couple on a "dream" boating trip to the Caribbean are feared to be dead after their yacht was suspected of being stolen by escaped prisoners.

In 2013, Kathleen Brandel and Ralph Hendry sold their home in Alexandria, Virginia, to spend the rest of their days sailing around the world aboard their yacht named Simplicity.

The retired couple were last seen last week on the Caribbean island of Grenada. However, their yacht was later discovered "anchored and abandoned" on the nearby island of St. Vincent – roughly 50 miles away.

The married couple of 27 years were nowhere to be found.

The couple are experienced boaters and have been sailing for more than a decade. The couple were members of the Salty Dawg Sailing Association.

Authorities suspect that three escaped convicts hijacked the yacht.

The prisoners – Ron Mitchell, 30; Trevon Robertson, 19; and Abita Stanislaus, 25; – were charged a couple of months ago with one count of robbery with violence. Mitchell was also charged with one count of rape, three counts of attempted rape, and two counts of indecent assault and causing harm, Grenada police said.

Three prisoners escaped their cells in Grenada on Feb. 18. Law enforcement believes that the escaped prisoners stole the boat that was anchored in Grenada's capital of St. George's the day after the prison break.

The escaped convicts were located in St. Vincent and were recaptured on Feb. 21, according to the Royal Grenada Police Force.

Police believe that the American couple may have been murdered by the fugitives.

Investigators said there were signs of a violent struggle aboard the yacht with possessions strewn everywhere and blood throughout the boat.

Nick Buro and Bryan Hendry are revealing how they are dealing with the mysterious case of their missing parents.

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 have them attacked in where they live, it's just, it's unimaginable."

While holding onto hope that their parents are still alive, the sons are gravely concerned that the worst may have happened.

"Shock, despair, fear, sadness, hope, love – all of those emotions are going through our head at the same time," Buro explained.

Hendry told WJLA, "There is no script to go off of for a situation like this."

Buro said, "I can’t even describe it. It's been a nightmare."

"This trip to the Caribbean was their dream," Buro remarked. "This was what they had been working towards for years and years and years, to get simplicity up to the point where it could make a passage like this."

Hendry added, "They loved immersing themselves in different cultures and meeting people and spreading their love wherever they could."

"If I see them again, it would probably be the most exasperating, exhilarating, jubilating feeling I could ever imagine," Buro said.

"If I do see my parents again, it would be the happiest moment of my life," Hendry added.

Bib Osborn, president of the Salty Dawg Sailing Association, stated: "This is a very upsetting event and details are still unconfirmed by the authorities, but this does appear to be a tragic event. In all my years of cruising the Caribbean, I have never heard of anything like this."

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