Florida is dealing with one of its most sensational cases in years:
A couple is accused of luring, holding, torturing, murdering, and dismembering a 16-year-old girl, Miranda Corset, after approaching her through the dating app Grindr.

Prosecutors say the brutality of the crime warranted the death penalty for both defendants. However, the defense argued that a key piece of evidence from the dating app had not yet been turned over, and asked the court to intervene.

Case developments
Victim missing and murdered

February 14 (Valentine’s Day): Miranda went to the home of Steven Gres, 35, and his girlfriend, Michelle Brandis.

Miranda went home for the day, but returned on February 15 – and never returned.

Police believe Miranda was:

Held captive for nearly a week

Abused, tortured

Murdered between February 20–24

The body was taken to Brandis’ mother’s home in Largo, where the couple allegedly dismembered her, then took the body parts to a dumpster in Ruskin.

Police believe the body was burned in an incinerator, so no remains have been found.

Witnesses knew about it but didn’t report it

Many people saw or suspected something unusual happened to Miranda but didn’t report it to police.

Under Florida law, no one is required to report a crime, but attorney Alexis Rosenberg called it “morally shocking.”

Procedural Status
1. Defendant’s Competency Assessment

Steven Gres’s attorney requested a competency test.
→ Conclusion: Gres is competent to stand trial.

2. Requesting evidence from the Grindr app

Gres’s lawyer asserts:

Grindr has obtained a search warrant and turned over the messages.

But the prosecution or police have not provided those messages to the defense attorney.

They filed a motion to compel discovery.

Legal implications:

The prosecution is required to hand over all evidence as required.

If violated, it can:

be reprimanded by the court,

have the trial postponed,

or in severe cases, the sentence can be overturned.

Attorney analysis:

Text messages are unlikely to help the defendant escape murder, but could affect:

kidnapping charges,

or serve as a basis for mitigation during the death penalty review phase.

Debate on death penalty

Prosecutors want death penalty for both defendants.

New Florida law (2023)

Previously: death penalty requires 12/12 jurors to agree.

Now: only 8/12 is enough.

The new law was enacted after the Parkland shooting, where the killer of 17 people escaped the death penalty by a few votes.

Death penalty eligibility

Attorney Alexis Rosenberg commented:

This is one of the most brutal cases Florida has ever seen.

The level of brutality, the length of confinement, the victim being a minor… are all very strong aggravating factors.

The jury is very likely to agree to the death penalty unless:

there is exceptional evidence of severe mental illness,

or extremely compelling mitigating factors.