NASSAU, BAHAMAS — A 19-year-old man has been charged in Magistrate’s Court today with the murder and rape of a mother and daughter in Long Island.
Nathan Harding was shackled at the hands and feet when he was hauled before Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt and accused of sexually assaulting and killing Jane Harding, 62, and her daughter, Melissa Hui, 34.
Prosecutors alleged the incident took place between February 25 and February 28.
Relatives of the victims wept in the courtroom as the judge read the charges to a stoic Harding.
The bodies of the women were found in a shallow grave days after relatives reported them missing.
The women were last seen at their Salt Pond home on February 25.
Their bodies were found in the Bamboo Bay area.
Attorney Bjorn Ferguson represents the accused.
During the arraignment, he asked the court to consider remanding Harding to Sandilands Rehabilitation Center.
He claimed his client attempted to harm himself while in custody.
But Ferguson Pratt remanded Harding to the Bahamas Department of Corrections.
However, the judge said she will send a note to have Harding evaluated by a psychiatrist.
Harding was not required to enter a plea.
He will return to court on May 21, 2020, for the service of a voluntary bill of indictment.
