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Guilty plea in teen's murder
A man who met a Gulfport teen online last year took responsibility Wednesday for her horrific murder. Steven Gress admitted his guilt in court to kidnapping and killing 16-year-old Miranda Corsette. FOX 13's Briona Arradondo reports.
GULFPORT, Fla. - A Pinellas County man pleaded guilty Wednesday to kidnapping and killing a 16-year-old Gulfport girl he met on a dating app, asking a judge to handle his death penalty sentencing without a jury.
Pinellas County murder plea
What we know:
Steven Gress pleaded guilty in a Pinellas County courtroom to first-degree murder and kidnapping charges in the death of 16-year-old Miranda Corsette. Investigators said Gress and co-defendant Michelle Brandes met the Gulfport teen on the dating app Grindr last year before holding her captive, torturing her, killing her, and dismembering her body in March 2025.
Court documents detail Gress beating Miranda over a missing ring before her murder. At least six people knew the teen was in danger at the time, but no one called 911, according to an affidavit.
Tampa area legal strategy
Dig deeper:
Gress choosing to waive his right to a jury trial for the capital punishment phase is a move defense attorney Anthony Rickman called "very unusual."
"Ultimately, in these cases, we see defendants fighting for their life," Rickman said, who is not connected to the case. "Here, we see the defendant asking for death. Really, there's only one other case that I remember that happened. That's in Tampa a few years ago".
While court documents show Gress blamed Brandes for the bulk of the violence against Miranda, officials have not revealed how his plea will impact her pending legal strategy.
Capital punishment appeals process
What's next:
A pre-sentencing investigation is currently underway following Gress' guilty plea and competency exams. Even if the judge hands down a sentence of capital punishment, Rickman noted, the process will not move quickly.
"Just because he says he wants to be executed, just because he is ultimately sentenced to death if he is, it's not going to happen quickly," Rickman said. "We know the process of ultimately executing somebody is going to take years."
Gress' co-defendant is scheduled for her next pretrial hearing on October 22. Meanwhile, the judge is expected to address Gress' sentencing in another court appearance on November 4.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered by FOX 13's Briona Arradondo, who obtained information on court proceedings and documents in Pinellas County, as well as conducted an interview with defense attorney Anthony Rickman.