A Florida man and his girlfriend who allegedly lured a 16-year-old girl through a social media application before killing and dismembering her may both be facing the death penalty, officials said.
Steven Gress, 35, is accused of kidnapping and killing Miranda Corsette in February. He was arrested last month and charged with kidnapping and first-degree murder, which he pled not guilty to.
According to the St. Petersburg Police Department, Corsette was staying with Gress and his girlfriend, 37-year-old Michelle Brandes, after she was lured to their home via a social media app. The teenager was reported missing to the Gulfport Police Department on Feb. 24.
Investigators believe a dispute happened on Feb. 20 where Gress and Brandes beat Corsette. According to arrest affidavits filed for the couple, they “repeatedly beat” and tortured the teen while holding her captive for a week, and eventually suffocated her by stuffing a billiard ball into her mouth and wrapping her face with plastic wrap.
Officials did not specifically stipulate what the reason for the dispute between Gress, Brandes and Corsette was, but said the couple “felt the victim had stolen a ring,” according to affidavits.
“The defendant and co-defendant then dismembered the body of the victim and discarded the victim in a dumpster in Ruskin, Florida,” the court documents state.
Brandes was also arrested last month and charged with first-degree murder in connection with Corsette’s killing.
Attorneys for Gress and Brandes did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
State Attorney Bruce Bartlett of the 6th Judicial Circuit of Florida filed a notice of intent to seek the death penalty last month for both Gress and Brandes, citing the “especially heinous, atrocious” nature of the crimes they are accused of committing.
“The capital felony was a homicide and was committed in a cold, calculated, and premeditated manner without any pretense of moral or legal justification,” the notice read.
The state attorney’s office would not comment further on the matter.
Gress and Brandes will be arraigned Thursday, according to court records.
