ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (Court TV) — A man may face the death penalty after pleading guilty to charges that he kidnapped, murdered and dismembered a missing teenager whose body has never been found.
Steven Gress appears in court. (Dirk Shadd/Tampa Bay Times)
Steven Gress, 37, appeared in court on Wednesday and smiled as he changed his plea to guilty on charges of kidnapping and first-degree murder, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
“I feel it’s the right thing to do,” Gress said. “I would like to plead guilty to felony murder. I did not kill Miranda, but I was involved in certain things that led to her death.”
Gress previously indicated he wanted to plead guilty at a hearing in July, and said he would welcome the death penalty; Judge Philip Federico ordered that the defendant undergo a competency exam before he would accept the guilty plea.
Investigators said that Gress and his co-defendant, Michelle Brandes, met 16-year-old Miranda Cosette online. The encounter turned violent after Brandes accused the victim of stealing a ring that belonged to Gress. In interviews with police, Gress admitted to beating the victim for a week before her death. “She stole my ring; I wanted to get my ring back,” Gress said Wednesday. “I would like to say that I do believe that she killed herself, and I say that because she had the Saran Wrap on her face, but she was free to pull it off her face.”
After the victim’s death, Gress and Brandes dismembered her and placed the body into trash bags before disposing of them in a dumpster, according to a witness who lived with both defendants. Before getting rid of the body, the three went out for mini golf and fried chicken to celebrate Brandes’ birthday.
Gress still faces a potential death sentence; on Wednesday, he waived his right to have a jury hear the penalty phase of his trial. “Life or death is a lose-lose,” he said with a chuckle, according to the Tampa Bay Times. “I would rather do the lesser time incarcerated than the next 53 years of my life incarcerated.”
Brandes has pleaded not guilty to kidnapping and murder charges and also faces a potential death sentence if she’s convicted.
The penalty phase for Gress, expected to last about a week, is scheduled to begin on Nov. 4.
