[Miranda Corsette.]
Steven Gress and his partner, Michelle Brandes, are potentially facing the death penalty for their alleged involvement in the kidnapping and murder of 16-year-old Miranda Corsette.
The couple from Florida is accused of killing and dismembering Corsette earlier this year, according to law enforcement officials.
Gress, 35, reportedly enticed Miranda Corsette through a social media platform in February, and he, along with Brandes, is said to have murdered her about a week later. They were apprehended last month and charged with first-degree murder, with Gress also facing kidnapping charges, to which he has pleaded not guilty.
According to St. Petersburg police, Corsette was staying with Gress and Brandes after being lured to their residence on February 14. She was reported missing to the Gulfport Police Department on February 24.
Investigators believe a conflict arose on February 20, during which Gress and Brandes allegedly assaulted Corsette. Arrest affidavits indicate that the couple "repeatedly beat" and tortured her while she was held captive for a week, ultimately suffocating her by forcing a billiard ball into her mouth and wrapping her face in plastic.
While officials did not clarify the exact nature of the dispute, they mentioned that the couple "believed the victim had stolen a ring," as stated in the affidavits.
"Following the murder, the defendants dismembered the victim's body and disposed of it in a dumpster.ster in Ruskin, Florida," the court documents say.