Jamaican who called 911 to say he shot American girlfriend, pleads not guilty

A man who was captured in Jamaica after being on the U.S. Marshal’s ‘15 Most Wanted Fugitives’ list for more than a year, and appeared in a U.S. court on Tuesday to answer murdering his girlfriend, pleaded not guilty.

Jamaican, Leroy Headley, who was returned to South Burlington, Vermont last Saturday, more than a year and a half after fleeing authorities in connection with the murder of his then girlfriend and former nurse, Anako ‘Annette’ Lumumba in May 2018, entered the ‘not guilty’ plea as  he walked into court Tuesday to face Lumumba’s family for the first time since her murder.

The Jamaican had shot her several times at their South Burlington home, before escaping.

Headley will now be held without bail and is expected back in court in a few weeks. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years to life behind bars.

Police say Lumumba was shot and killed by Headley in her South Burlington home in May 2018, leaving behind three children – two of them with Headley Headley then fled Vermont following the shooting, and was last known to be in Albany, New York, where he apparently dropped his car and the gun used in the homicide.

As police responded to the home, a 911 call came in from a man who stated, “I shot her, I shot her”, and gave the address of the South Burlington home, according to a police affidavit. The phone was registered to Headley, police said.

Headley’s brother also walked into the police station in Falmouth, Massachusetts, to report Headley had called him and told him he shot his girlfriend in the head, the affidavit said.

Headley was captured in Negril, Jamaica on February 5, 2020, and subsequently waived his right to an extradition hearing before the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court. 

He also had a second arrest warrant on a sexual assault allegation with a child under age 16.

The U.S. Marshal Service says it “worked tirelessly and leveraged all available resources” to bring Headley back to Vermont.