April 2, 2025 • 42 mins
When Miranda Corsette loses both parents, she moves in with her grandmother in Gulfport, Florida.
Her grandmother is pleased to see the teen preparing for a Valentine’s Day date. Afterward, Miranda’s mood suggests she had a great time. Unbeknownst to her grandmother, Miranda did not meet another teenager but instead spent the evening with 37-year-old Steven Gress.
At 3:41 a.m. the next day, Miranda quietly leaves home and takes an Uber to Gress’ residence, which he shares with 35-year-old Michelle Brandes. Neighbors and police know the couple for frequent heated arguments that often escalate into violence. St. Petersburg police have responded to their duplex seven times this year.
Miranda spends several days with the couple while ignoring worried texts from family. Nine days later, on February 24, her grandmother reports her missing. Family members turn to social media, saying Miranda was last seen getting into an Uber early on February 15. Loved ones say it is unlike her to go so long without contact.
On February 25, St. Petersburg police respond to another welfare check requested by Gress and Brandes’ upstairs neighbor. When officers arrive, neither Gress nor Brandes is home. Their landlord provides police with Gress’ phone number, and over the phone, Gress grants permission for them to enter. Officers find nothing unusual inside.
Where is Miranda Corsette?
Joining Nancy Grace today:
- Andrea Lewis - Partner at Searcy Law, Former Felony Prosecutor at Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office - where Epstein was prosecuted, President of the Palm Beach County Bar Association
- Dr. Bethany Marshall - Psychoanalyst, Author: "Deal Breaker: When to work on a relationship and when to walk away;” Also featured in hit show: "Paris in Love" on Peacock ; Instagram & TikTok: drbethanymarshall, Twitter: @DrBethanyLive
- Robert Crispin - Private Investigator at Crispin Special Investigations, Former Federal Task Force Officer for the United States Department of Justice, DEA and Miami Field Division. Former Homicide and Crimes Against Children Investigator; Facebook: Crispin Special Investigations Inc.
- Adrienne - Lived next door to suspects Steven Gress and Michele Brandes
- Dr. Kendall Crowns - Chief Medical Examiner, Tarrant County, TX; NEW Podcast: "Mayhem in the Morgue" --- launching on April 7th; Lecturer: Burnett School of Medicine at TCU
- Susan Hendricks - Journalist, Author of “Down the Hill: My Descent into the Double Murder in Delphi;" IG @susan_hendricks X @SusanHendicks
- Sydney Sumner - CrimeOnline Investigative Reporter
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Crime Stories with Nancy Grace.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
According to police, missing Miranda, just sixteen years old, just
turned sixteen, has been dismembered after being lured by a
social media themed breaking Tonight, we have obtained video of
(00:27):
the suspect allegedly transporting this child's body to dispose of it.
I'm Nancy Grace. This is Crime Stories. Thank you for
being with us.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
A young Florida team disappears on Valentine's Day after an
alleged date with a mystery man from a dating app.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
A mystery man on a dating app. The girl just
turned sixteen. I'll get into that later, but right now,
straight out to the scene.
Speaker 1 (00:59):
Joining me.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Robert Crispin, private investigator, founder of Crispin Special Investigations, former
Federal Task Force officer for the US Department of Justice
DEA Miami Field Division, former homicide and former Crimes against
Children investigator. Robert, Thank you for being with us. Tell
me what you have learned.
Speaker 4 (01:20):
So Nancy, I'm actually coming to you from twenty seven eight,
twenty seventh Avenue North in Saint Petersburg. The house behind
me is the house where police believe that Miranda Corset
was kidnapped and brutally murdered back in February. That door
right there was the gray door on the bottom was
the last door that police believed that Miranda walked through
(01:41):
before she died during that timeframe.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Joining me an all star panel to make sense of
what we are learning right now. But straight out to
Robert Crispin. Robert, this is what I need to understand.
Let me see that house behind you again. I mean,
we're looking at a beautiful neighborhood, tree line, gorgeous lawns,
everything kept in order. How did this happen? I want
(02:07):
to hear about the structure, who lived there?
Speaker 1 (02:10):
What more? Do you know? Have you been inside? Robert So?
Speaker 4 (02:14):
Yeah, So I actually had just come outside from the landlorder,
the owner who owns it, who gave me a tour
of the inside.
Speaker 5 (02:21):
And it's a great neighborhood. It's in St. Pete, Florida.
Speaker 4 (02:28):
Everyone's got manicured lawns, great residents. I've talked to a few,
but the people that lived in.
Speaker 5 (02:33):
This house were anything but nice.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
Robert Crispin, I want to go through the photos that
you got from inside to structure. Let's see those New
York Control room now. Even though this is in a
lovely neighborhood. This is what we find inside. Robert Crispin
just getting us inside in the last hours. Now right now,
(02:57):
it looks like everything has been cleaned out. I noticed
bleach and cleaning materials everywhere.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
But look at this.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
Is this the last thing this little teen girl saw
before her death.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
I mean, look at this place.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
You'd have no idea from the outside what's going on
behind closed doors. According to police, this child just turned
sixteen was lured by a much older man in his
late thirties, where she was tortured for days, murdered, and
(03:36):
then dismembered inside this home. Robert, you have also obtained
video allegedly showing this online sicko that, according to police,
lured this teen girl, the sixteen year old girl, possibly beginning.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
Of the Lauren when she was fifteen.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
I want to see the video that Robert Crispin obtained.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
Let's roll it.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
You are seeing an adult male that we believe to
be the defendant going out with this child's body brazenly
front yard, putting the body of a little girl just
turned sixteen into his vehicle. I believe the trunk is
(04:37):
still up there. He is getting everything just right, making sure,
it's all hidden. Looks like the child is in a
blanket now, obviously having no concern someone could see him.
But according to Robert Crispin, this surveillance was obtained through
(05:00):
a neighbor's home surveillance system ring cam, allegedly showing the defendant,
the suspect, and he's not even in a rush.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
Crispin.
Speaker 4 (05:15):
Yeah, So that footage was obtained from that camera right
up there on the second floor, in that middle window,
looking straight down at the driveway. The suspect's door is
down below the second floor is another resident. So it's
a duplex up and down. Our suspect lived on the
bottom floor. But that ring camera right there is the
(05:36):
one that captured all that footage. That's the ring camera
that captured Miranda here on the fourteenth. That's the ring
camera that caught Miranda here on the fifteenth. That's the
ring camera that caught both Michelle and Stephen coming and
going from the house here. That is epic evidence, an
epic video.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
Crispin, explain to me what I'm saying. On the additional video.
It looks like a female walking down the front walk
to the home.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
When was this and what is it?
Speaker 4 (06:10):
Right? So this video was actually obtained that shows on
the seventeenth of February that a neighbor came over and
was conversing with Steve at the front door. And you
can hear the audio and they're clearly having a conversation
and you hear Miranda's name, and then she turns and
walks away. It's later learned after that what the neighbor
(06:34):
saw was Miranda in the corner, curled.
Speaker 5 (06:39):
Up in a ball, crying.
Speaker 4 (06:40):
And it's believed to be in the photos that I
sent you from inside the crime scene, where the mop
is leaning against the wall, is where the neighbor potentially
saw Miranda curled up in a ball crying while standing
at the front door. And that's a shot that's just
filled up to the front door. Police believed, according to
sources out here, that Miranda was killed on a bed
(07:04):
that was inside that main room, just inside that front
door to the left. Hence why you see all that
latent fingerprint dust all over inside that crime scene, all
those black marks that's all laden fingerprint dust.
Speaker 2 (07:18):
Let's take a listen and see if we can hear
on the audio what Robert Crispin is describing. Crispin I
(07:41):
think I hear what you're describing.
Speaker 5 (07:44):
Now.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
The neighbor of the across the street, Caddy corner neighbor
comes over, according to what we're learning, is conversing with
Steve Griss, aged thirty seven, that police believe lure this
teen girl possibly starting at age fifteen online, along with
(08:05):
his live in Michelle Brandis, aged thirty five.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
They're a pair straight out of hell, we learned. The
neighbor walks over and it is talking to them.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
Here's the girl crying, not realizing what's going on, and
turns around and goes back home.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
Is that your understanding, Crispin, Yeah.
Speaker 5 (08:29):
That's my understanding. I think the video speaks for herself.
Speaker 4 (08:32):
You know, it's what we learned after this horrific event
of what she actually saw on that video that day.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
Guys, I want to go through again the photos that
we saw inside the home. You heard Crispin describing the
fingerprint dust. Look carefully at the walls, around the door entry,
around the light switches.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
Let's see the pictures.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
Crispin describe the fingerprint dust all over the walls.
Speaker 1 (09:02):
Explain what that is.
Speaker 4 (09:04):
So that's a latent fingerprint dust that's going to pick
up the oils on your skin.
Speaker 5 (09:08):
It's kind of like any crime scene that you go to.
Speaker 4 (09:11):
The perpetrator either takes something i e. Something he steals,
or he leaves something i e. His fingerprints or the
oil on his fingerprints that stays on the wall. And
this latent print dust allows a technician to go in
and dust it.
Speaker 5 (09:26):
Finally with a.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
With a little cart pull the camp there we're saying,
the mop against the wall.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
What is the significance of that? Robert Crispin.
Speaker 4 (09:34):
So, according to my sources out here, this is where
we believe the neighbor actually, while standing at the front door,
saw Miranda girled in a ball crying in that corner
before she walked back over to her house.
Speaker 2 (09:47):
You know, when I look at it, unless you know
what you're seeing, you don't realize the significance of it.
And it's overwhelming that this little girl just turned sixteen,
just sixteen, spent her last hours, according to police, in
this hell hole, being held against her will by suspect
(10:13):
Stephen Griss, aged thirty seven, and his hinch person his
builds abub.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
Straight out of hell.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
Michelle brandis, of course, they're innocent until proven guilty. These
are just allegations. If you don't mind, Robert, I'd like
to look at the video with you one more time,
not of the neighbor, but of the suspect carrying out
what we believe to be this little girl's body. Miranda
(10:44):
Corsette just turned sixteen years old.
Speaker 4 (10:47):
Yeah, I mean, that's some pretty compelling video right there.
Allegedly that's Miranda, and she's going in the trunk of
that car, and that kind of fits with the story
of where Miranda was then transported over to another location
where she was dismembered and then put into a dumpster
close by in a town called Largo, Florida.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
Robert, what do police believe was her mode of death?
Speaker 5 (11:14):
The cause of death, from what we're learning from law enforcement.
Speaker 6 (11:16):
Is asphyxiation.
Speaker 4 (11:17):
Exphyxiation how by wrapping Miranda's face in cellophane tape and
cellophane wrap, thus not allowing her to breathe life into
her little body anymore.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
Stephen Griss, nearly forty years old, after having allegedly lured
a teen girl online, asphyxiating her in the cruelest way,
taking her lifeless body to his vehicle and putting it
in his trunk. You don't think this is going to
(11:52):
be State's Exhibit number one. Where was his lover, Michelle
brandis what looking out the window cleaning up the scene.
We don't know yet. Both of these are allegations. All
of this allegations. These are just suspects right now. But
I tell you what if NASA can do it, soak
in the Sainte PD blowing this up and lightening it
(12:15):
up to get a look at the face on this guy.
I mean, this is States Exhibit number one.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
Now. Isn't it true, Robert Crispin.
Speaker 2 (12:31):
That this girl allegedly died not just by asphyxiation, but
by having a pool ball, a cue ball, a billiard
ball forced into her mouth, forced into her mouth. Think
about that, a pool ball, an eight ball in her mouth,
(12:52):
all the way in her mouth, then her face wrapped
with cellophane.
Speaker 1 (12:58):
And she gagged and died that way. Isn't that the allegation, Crispin?
Speaker 5 (13:05):
That is the allegation.
Speaker 4 (13:06):
That is what has been purported by law enforcement. And
what a horrible, horrible way to die for a sixteen
year old.
Speaker 5 (13:13):
Beautiful little girl.
Speaker 1 (13:21):
Crime stories with Nancy Grace.
Speaker 2 (13:27):
Breaking tonight in the disappearance and we believe the murder
of a little girl just turned sixteen, Miranda Corset. We
have just obtained as we go to air, stunning video evidence.
Here we believe the defendant, the suspect, Stephen Cress, aged
(13:48):
thirty seven, carrying the body wrapped in material of a
sixteen year old little girl, Miranda Corset, to his vehicle,
placing her in the trunk, slamming the trunk. I guarantee
(14:09):
you that Canine's cadaver dogs are being brought out for
hits on the trunk as we go to air to
determine if in fact what we see in this video
is a human body. In a few moments, we'll show
(14:29):
you video we have obtained of the co defendant Gress's
live in Michelle Brandis h thirty five, hopping in the
car like they're going to McDonald's and off they go
with a body in the trunk, a body of a
teen girl. I've got a teen girl and a teen boy.
(14:52):
When I look at this, I feel sick. I'm going
to reach into this camera bah and grab him by
the neck and his girlfriend too. All of these are
allegations at this juncture. They are innocent until proven guilty.
In a court of law by a jury of their peers.
(15:17):
But if this allegation is true, I don't know where
you're going to find a jury of their peers unless
you go straight to Hell to get them. Joining me
an All Star panel in addition to Robert Crispin joining
us at the scene. Who is canvas in the neighborhood?
Gone inside the home and found where we believe this
little girl spent her last hours curled.
Speaker 1 (15:38):
Up in a ball, crying in the corner.
Speaker 2 (15:42):
Now the inside of that home covered in black, It
looks like soot, Its fingerprint, powder to pick up every
trace of the victim. Overwhelming again, joining me in addition
to Robert Crispin at the scene with Crispin Special Eventstigations
an All Star panel.
Speaker 1 (16:04):
First of all, this is where it all starts. Listen.
Speaker 7 (16:09):
Miranda Corsett is known to her family as a spunky tomboy,
taking karate to keep up with her older brother David.
When Miranda tragically loses both of her parents, she moves
in with her grandmother in Gulfport, Florida.
Speaker 3 (16:20):
Miranda's grandmother is happy to see the team getting ready
for a Valentine's date. Miranda is excited to go out
after the date, drops Miranda off her mood, leaves her
grandmother to believe Miranda had a great time.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
Just imagine what this child has already gone through. Joining
me an all star panel, but for a straight out
to high profile psychoanalyst, doctor Bethany Marshall joining us from La,
author of deal Breakers, and you can see her now
on peacock. She's at doctor Bethanymarshall dot com.
Speaker 1 (16:49):
Bethany.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
This is exactly the kind of child that predators prey upon.
She suddenly, as a girl, loses both her parents at once,
moves in with Grandma.
Speaker 1 (17:05):
Looking for love, looking for.
Speaker 2 (17:06):
Acceptance, and she finds it online, not really understanding at
first that she's communicating with a thirty seven year old
man living with the witch from Hell. She had no
idea when she first started communicating online and.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
Was lured Nancy.
Speaker 8 (17:28):
She is the perfect victim for somebody like this. And
if this alleged crime is true, I think what happened
is there's this lovely grandmother. She's taking care of the grandchild.
That's true of so many grandparents in the United States
when their grandchildren lose the parents, and so she's taking
care of this grandchild, and she's thrilled that the grandchild
(17:49):
is going out on a date. And what that tells
me is that the perpetrator was grooming her. That this
little girl was thrilled to be going out and getting
the height of attention that she was about to get,
which tells me too that he was probably showering her
with attention online and maybe even pretending he was somebody
that he wasn't.
Speaker 2 (18:09):
When I hear doctor Bethany talking about this child seeking
acceptance online and finding it, we believe with thirty seven
year old Stephen, gress is very upsetting.
Speaker 1 (18:23):
And she's right.
Speaker 2 (18:24):
She's right, to Tanya Jordan, chief Parent Officer bart Parental Controls,
author of Parenting in a Tech World, this child probably
had no idea at first who she's communicating with.
Speaker 9 (18:36):
You're absolutely right, and that's why we mean him so
hard to helping parents to get a word when predators
are contacting their children.
Speaker 1 (18:43):
No idea at the get go.
Speaker 2 (18:45):
And we hear to Susan Hendricks, joining US journalist author
of Down the Hill, my descended to the double murder
in Delphi, Susan Hendricks, the reality is that when the
child first starts communicating online and our children on their
phones on social media all the time. We don't know
(19:06):
who they're communicating with. And it breaks my heart for
the grandmama to say that she was happy that Miranda
had a little date for Valentine's unbeknown to her.
Speaker 1 (19:19):
Unbeknownst to her, it was with this freak.
Speaker 10 (19:21):
Absolutely, and they're so good at it, Nancy luring these
girls in. I have a fifteen year old daughter as well.
It's terrifying, the Chief of Police Saint Petersburg said in
a press conference when he said, let's take a pause here. Parents,
try to know what your kids are doing online. This
is a warning. This guy, if it's him, Stephen, was
(19:41):
good at it and look at the results. Absolutely terrifying.
Speaker 2 (19:45):
You know, I'm looking at this and I just can't
help but think of my children and the callous way
this child is being loaded into a trunk.
Speaker 1 (19:56):
Joining me now she is going by.
Speaker 2 (20:00):
Adrian lived next door to the suspects, Stephen Gress and
Michelle brandis Adrian.
Speaker 1 (20:08):
This has got to.
Speaker 2 (20:09):
Send chills down your spine because Adrian, it's my understanding
that on more than one occasion he harassed you as well.
Speaker 11 (20:20):
Yeah, yep, so I wasn't there for very long.
Speaker 12 (20:24):
I was warned about him when I moved in by
my lovely neighbor who lived upstairs from him, not the
current one, but the previous one. So I was warned,
and you know, I kind of minded my own business,
kept my wits about me.
Speaker 2 (20:40):
What was the warning, I'm curious, Adrian, what was the
warning about him?
Speaker 1 (20:44):
What were you told?
Speaker 4 (20:45):
So?
Speaker 12 (20:45):
I was told that he had a very in depth
criminal past, he had been in jail, and he was
just not not a good person. So yeah, that kind of,
you know, set off some alarms with me, and you know,
he was respectful towards me.
Speaker 11 (21:03):
Until he wasn't. What happened, So I had accidentally backed
into a car when I first moved in, and so
I left my name and my number on the car, saying, hey,
I live right here, give me a call. We can
figure it out. I hit your car.
Speaker 12 (21:16):
So instead of the driver of the vehicle reaching out
to me, Steve took my number off of the vehicle
and proceeded to text me with very explicit, unsolicited sexual advances.
Speaker 11 (21:31):
And that was, you know, the beginning of everything.
Speaker 12 (21:34):
And when I declined those advances and told him to
leave me alone and never contact me again.
Speaker 11 (21:42):
He did not listen, and he continued to come to.
Speaker 12 (21:47):
My house at midnight to deliver mail to me that
was in his box, and instead of just putting it
into my box, he would knock on my door and
kind of you know, look around and wanted to talk
to me. So he did that a couple of times
before I even you know, had the issue with the car.
So he continued to harass me and come to my
(22:08):
property when I had asked him not to, and I
told him if you know, if he did it again,
if he didn't stay away from me, that I'd be
getting the police involved. And he didn't like that very much,
responded with a pretty nasty text message back to me,
and I decided it was time to call the police,
and they had responded very well to my call.
Speaker 2 (22:29):
Do you understand, Adrian, I don't know if you let
yourself think about this, that could be you wrapped in
that blank I know, in that.
Speaker 12 (22:37):
Trunk absolutely, And we had gotten in multiple altercations after
I had called the police as well, so that was
not an isolated event.
Speaker 11 (22:47):
He had actually you know, after the police came.
Speaker 12 (22:51):
And they went over and kind of put the fear
of God in him and told him to leave me alone.
And you know, so we had some beef after that,
and he actually I was helping his neighbor move out
one day while he was not home, and they shared
a driveway, so I was helping her move out because
of him.
Speaker 11 (23:11):
She also had to move out because of him.
Speaker 12 (23:13):
I was helping her move and he pulled back into
the driveway and started screaming at me, screaming obscenities, you know,
kind of getting in my face, and I had to
remove myself from that.
Speaker 11 (23:25):
So, yeah, I think about that all the time. It
could have absolutely been me, for sure.
Speaker 2 (23:30):
Adrian, you actually asked the question, quote, do I have
to either be physically assaulted or die in order for
this guy to have a single consequence for his actions?
Speaker 1 (23:42):
That's correct? Is that how you felt at the time.
Speaker 12 (23:44):
Yes, yes, because when I had called the police, they
were wonderful by the way they really listened to me,
and they urged me to get down to the police
station to file an emergency restraining order against him because
they knew how dangerous he was.
Speaker 11 (24:01):
So I did that.
Speaker 12 (24:02):
I filed all the appropriate paperwork, and shortly after that
I was denied the restraining order and That is when
I was getting very fearful for my life because of
that denial.
Speaker 2 (24:16):
Why were you denied a restraining order on this guy?
Speaker 12 (24:20):
The reason was that the courts decided that they could
not get neighbors to get along with each other.
Speaker 11 (24:27):
It was not the responsibility to make us get along.
Speaker 1 (24:31):
Do you remember the judge that did that?
Speaker 6 (24:33):
I do?
Speaker 1 (24:34):
Whoo what judge?
Speaker 11 (24:35):
I won't be sharing any names.
Speaker 1 (24:37):
You're gonna make me go look it up in the
court records. I'm happy to the public record.
Speaker 11 (24:42):
You can find it.
Speaker 1 (24:43):
Don't worry, I'll find it.
Speaker 2 (24:44):
Adrian, when you learned about the current allegations against your
former neighbor, Stephen Griss, what went through your mind?
Speaker 12 (24:53):
I was sick to my stomach because I knew how
dangerous this man was, and I tried my to.
Speaker 11 (25:02):
Get him out of that house.
Speaker 12 (25:04):
You know, And I'm not the first woman who has
broken their lease to get away from that man, but
apparently I am the first woman who called and reported
him for it. So you know, I really wanted to
come on the show today to just My purpose is
to encourage women who are going through something like this,
(25:26):
if they're being harassed, if they're being assaulted, anything like that.
I know that we just want to get out of
a situation as quickly as possible and not worry about it.
But it's so important to look after one another, and
it's so important to report it, because not only are
you looking after yourself, but you're looking after the women
who will be victims after you, because there will be
victims after you.
Speaker 2 (25:46):
In addition to the video of who we believe is
the defendant, Stephen gris h thirty seven, carrying the lifeless
body of this team girl too is tront we now
have video of the little girl just before her death,
walking around. That's Miranda on the right, walking around in
(26:10):
the front yard of the home.
Speaker 1 (26:12):
Unbeknownst to her what is going to come.
Speaker 2 (26:19):
Robert Crispin, let's stay on the video because at some
juncture we see her really well. By blowing it up,
here we go and I guarantee you prosecutors will have
this blown up and refined.
Speaker 1 (26:37):
Little does she know what will befall her.
Speaker 2 (26:41):
Robert Crispin, explain what we're seeing and where did it
come from?
Speaker 4 (26:45):
So again comes from that same ring camera right up
there on the second floor, from the resident who was upstairs.
These are images of Miranda walking around days before she's
brutally kidnapped.
Speaker 5 (26:57):
And murdered by her captors.
Speaker 4 (27:00):
These are some of the last images that anyone will
ever see of her alive.
Speaker 5 (27:05):
Ever again.
Speaker 2 (27:06):
You know what's disturbing to me to Sidney Sumner join
us Crime Stories investigative reporter, is that somehow this child
who we believe was dismembered, and we have reason to
say that and either thrown in a dump or possibly
(27:27):
even incinerated somehow, Sidney Sumner, much is being made of
this child, just turned sixteen, going to meet with a
Valentine date. She had no idea what was about to
befall her. Have you noticed that, Sidney.
Speaker 8 (27:47):
Nancy, absolutely this teenage girl never thought that she would
end up dead and dismembered just by going on a date.
Speaker 2 (27:56):
Robert Crispin, why do we believe that this child wants dismembered?
Speaker 4 (28:00):
So it's beam purported by police that this is a
confession from the defendant that this happened, who then implemented
his girlfriend Michelle. So this allegedly is coming from the
horse's mouth.
Speaker 2 (28:16):
Video of Miranda in her last hours before her death.
Speaker 1 (28:21):
Take a listen to this.
Speaker 7 (28:22):
March sixth less than twenty four hours after Stephen Gress's arrest,
an acquaintance gets the courage to call Saint Petersburg PD.
The tipster says, February twentieth, Michelle Brandis could not locate
her ring and accused Miranda of stealing it. Miranda denied
the accusation and told Branda's pew would help her look
for it. The couple tied Miranda to a chair and
beat her senseless. After several days of beatings, the couple
(28:45):
forces a billiard's ball into Miranda's mouth and then secures
it with plastic wrap around her face.
Speaker 5 (28:51):
On the twenty at.
Speaker 11 (28:52):
The house, there was some time of the spewed over
from this jewelry.
Speaker 4 (28:56):
So fromentia to twenty four she port not fives in secured.
Speaker 2 (29:04):
You are hearing from the police chief at Saint Petersburg BD.
There now let me understand to Susan Hendricks, joining us investigative,
a journalist and author, the suspect actually pointed a harpoon
gun at the live in. Police were called for that.
(29:25):
He was arrested on a domestic violence. Once he is
arrested on domestic violence and the neighbors realize he's not
there a tip comes in about Miranda. How did that happen, Susan, Yes.
Speaker 10 (29:39):
That's an excellent point to bring up the timeline he
was arrested. They realized that and say, wait a minute,
he's already in jail right now because of pointing a
harpoon at Michelle. The tip came in on the eighth,
two days later, was that there, of course, not saying
who it was. Was it Michelle's mother? Whose home it
was where the body was allegedly dismembered to the mother's home.
(30:00):
Did the tip come in from the mother? Did it
come from Michelle? And then when he was in court,
he was in court and he said, where all, why
isn't she arrested? I could see him pinning this on her.
But yes, that tip came in two days after he
was arrested.
Speaker 2 (30:13):
So the neighbors get the courage with him behind mars
on a domrail domestic relations to actually call about Miranda.
I'd like to see those photos again. According to police,
this is the last thing that a teen girl just
turned sixteen sees before her death, him and hiss hnch
(30:35):
person from hell. According to police, her Michelle brandis the
psychopathy to doctor Bethony Marshall, renowned psychoanalyst. A woman going
along with the man and torturing, raping, murdering a little
(30:56):
girl in a few moments.
Speaker 1 (30:58):
I'm going to show you the.
Speaker 2 (30:59):
Video of her just running along like a little lap
dog and jumping in the car like they're going to
burger king and driving off with the little girl's body
and the trout for Pete's sake.
Speaker 1 (31:09):
Well, I don't get it.
Speaker 2 (31:11):
How can you stand by and let that happen and
become part of it?
Speaker 8 (31:15):
You know, Nancy, because she was interested in the crime.
They did not beat and torture her allegedly to death
because of a ring. Psychopaths do this because they get
sexual pleasure from causing suffering, humiliation, and pain. This is
the emo for the crime. So I see that, I
(31:36):
see him care allegedly carrying the body out right now,
you know, Nancy, how he's carrying it is like somebody
would carry dirty laundry that they're about to take to
the laundromat. And this is very typical for these kinds
of crimes that the victim is incredibly sexually interesting to
the perpetrators until the victim is dead, and unless they're
(31:56):
going to commit necrophilia or use the corpse in some way.
All the energy has gone out. There's no interest there anymore.
So all they want to do is just dismember and
get rid of this corps so they can go on
to their next victim.
Speaker 2 (32:09):
Doctor Kendall Crown's joining me, renowned chief medical examiner Terran County.
That's fort Worth. He is an esteemed lecturer at the
Vernet School of Medicine at TCU and just launching a
brand new podcast April seven, Mayhem in the Morgue. Here's
my concern, doctor Kendall Crowns. It's not your duty to
(32:29):
know the law. Is your duty to perform autopsies as
you do thousands of them. But doctor Kendall Crowns, a
confession alone, under our jurisprudence is not enough for the
state to move forward. A case cannot be made on
only a confession. If this body has been dismembered and
(32:51):
possibly even incinerated.
Speaker 1 (32:55):
How can we prove the case.
Speaker 2 (32:57):
And doesn't it require a great deal a physical effort
to execute a dismemberment.
Speaker 6 (33:06):
Well, that's correct, Nancy. If they have actually succeeded in
dismembering and incinerating the body, there may be no evidence
left to collect or to be able to determine and
cause and manner of death. And without a body, you
could just have someone that's mentally unstable confessing to a
crime they didn't commit. And it does take a great
(33:28):
deal of physical effort to dismember a body, unless you're
using like an electric saw, like a saws all or
something of that nature to help you. If you're just
using hand saws, it can take quite a bit of
effort and quite a bit of time. So usually with
dismemberments we see electric tools used to help expediate the process.
Speaker 1 (33:53):
Crime stores with Nancy Grace, welcome back.
Speaker 2 (34:01):
We are now showing you video we have just obtained
of this duo from Hell going out to the car
with the child's body and the trunk, apparently Robert Crispin.
They're loading up the car like they're going on a picnic.
I can only imagine what that is that the co defendant,
(34:22):
thirty five year old Michelle Brandis is taking into the car.
Speaker 1 (34:26):
What am I seeing on the video? Robert?
Speaker 4 (34:29):
So what you're seeing this particular part of the video
is several minutes after that.
Speaker 5 (34:34):
We believe that Miranda.
Speaker 4 (34:35):
Was put in the trunk by Steven and they both
went back in the house. But then they both come
back out and they're loading other things.
Speaker 5 (34:44):
I don't know what they are, Nancy.
Speaker 4 (34:45):
Are they fruits of the crime, are they more evidence
to conceal?
Speaker 5 (34:49):
I don't know.
Speaker 4 (34:50):
But that's Crystal Clare video of both Steve and Michelle
getting in that car, backing up and driving away.
Speaker 2 (34:57):
Straight out to veteran trial lawyer now joining us, Andrea
Lewis partner Sircey Law Firm in the Florida jurisdiction, former
felony prosecutor in Palm Beach. Andrea, thank you for joining us.
I wanted you to see all the video and hear
the discussion. I mean, this is a treasure trove of evidence.
(35:18):
Where will the state go first? My main concern right
now is finding any bit of DNA, any bit of
tissue to prove that this child was dismembered. Of course,
a case can't go forward with just a confession.
Speaker 13 (35:34):
That's an excellent point, Nancy. And so fortunately here it
sounds like from what investigators are saying, they may in
fact have that. So this is truly a house of
horrors where this young innocent child spent her last days.
But what we know is that after they transported her
(35:54):
body to Michelle's mother's home, that is where they allegedly
dismembered this poor young child. And what investigators have reported
is that there was quote unquote body matter that was
found in that home along with DNA, and that one
(36:16):
of Michelle's relatives was actually present during the dismemberment, although
they do note that she has disabled herself, so she
may not have witnessed what occurred, but nevertheless, she may
have some information to provide investigators.
Speaker 2 (36:32):
Andrea Lewis, are you ever shocked in all the cases
you've seen, because it.
Speaker 1 (36:37):
Never fails to throw me for a loop?
Speaker 2 (36:41):
I mean here, I mean, do you see them, Andrea,
You've prosecuted many, many major felonies before you went with Circe.
The way they're getting into this car, it's like they're
running out to a picnic. Maybe they're gonna stop at
KFC on the way for Pete's sake. They're casual, it'says
if they are not worried about getting caught at all.
(37:04):
Chrispan agrees with that. They're loading up the car with
all sorts of paraphernalia. I don't know what it is yet,
but I will find out.
Speaker 1 (37:13):
It's very commonplace. They're not worried at all.
Speaker 2 (37:16):
They're not trying to conceal their faces. The right at
the front walkway, for Pete's sake, there's a body in
the trunk.
Speaker 9 (37:22):
Nancy, you know just as well as I do for
many years as a prosecutor, that the defendant's demeanor while
they're committing a crime speaks volumes about the person who's
committing the crime and how comfortable they are in this
criminal arena. With violent acts, you can often tell by
(37:45):
analyzing a perpetrator while they're carrying out these horrific acts,
whether they've done this before, whether they're comfortable with violence.
In this man's case, what his overall feelings are just
about women in general. He appears to, as we heard
from Adrian, and then we see from this case, he
(38:05):
appears to really look at them almost as a possession,
something that's there for him, not another human, and that
really speaks volumes about the type of person that he is,
about what type of a potential psychopath here that he
may in fact be it certainly seems like he is,
and what he's capable of.
Speaker 2 (38:24):
To see these two minions from hell again.
Speaker 1 (38:29):
They look like they're going on a picnic.
Speaker 2 (38:32):
Robert Crispin, You see her, the co defendant who went
on the run by the way, had to get her
in loading up as if they're going on a picnic.
Speaker 1 (38:44):
Like I said, I mean, they have things slung over
their shoulders. They're not in a hurry.
Speaker 2 (38:50):
There is a child dead in the trunk and they
know they are headed to a location to dismember her.
Speaker 4 (39:00):
You know, I think we've all talked about this. The
mind of a criminal is not a mind. It's like
we don't even understand what they're thinking and what they're
going through. They're so far john, they're so far out
in left field.
Speaker 5 (39:14):
I don't even think.
Speaker 4 (39:15):
They know what they're thinking at that point. And to
try to reason with a murderer, try to reason with
someone who's a criminal, it's so hard.
Speaker 5 (39:22):
And that's why we have our psychologists.
Speaker 2 (39:24):
Speaking of a psychoanalyst joining us from LA doctor Bethany Marshall.
Doctor Bethany, it just you and I have covered so
many cases for after a murder, the defense go for
drive through, they go to waffle house, they go to
ihop like nothing has happened, and that's how these two
are acting. I mean, Bethany, my children have just turned seventeen.
(39:49):
That's the age of this little girl. She just turned sixteen.
She is dead heading to dismemberment in the back of
their car. I don't get their las a fear, their
casual attitude.
Speaker 8 (40:03):
Well, Nancy, I do, because if you think of this
type of alleged rape homicide as a compulsion, what we
see with compulsions is that there's a buildup of anxiety, agitation,
urgency to complete the compulsion, and then after that all
the urgency dissipates until it builds back up again. So
(40:24):
we see this with binging and purging or compulsive masturbating.
We'll think about compulsive homicide. This guy, allegedly, if he
committed the crime, has this urgency to torture.
Speaker 1 (40:37):
Okay, so he's hitting.
Speaker 8 (40:38):
Up all the women in the neighborhood. He's harassing, he's stalking,
he's being misogynistic, he's compulsive.
Speaker 11 (40:45):
When he finally finds.
Speaker 8 (40:46):
The victim, who, by the way, is the youngest one
who cannot advocate for herself, who's being raised by a
grandmother who bless her little heart is wearing a mid
drift to what she believes is a date when you
finally find that and he can unleash his fury and
his sexual desire on her for days, then that the
(41:07):
compulsion diminishes again until it builds back up again. So
of course they're going to go through a drive through.
Speaker 1 (41:13):
They're going to go get a meal there.
Speaker 8 (41:15):
That's why there's sauntering, Nancy. It's after the act and
all that intensity of wanting to commit the crime has
dissipated for a while.
Speaker 2 (41:26):
If you know or think you know anything. As the
state continues to build this case about the luring, the murder,
and the dismemberment of this little girl, please dial seven
two seven eight nine three seven seven eight zero repeat
seven two seven eight nine three seven seven eight zero.
Speaker 1 (41:52):
We remember an American.
Speaker 2 (41:54):
Hero police Officer, Gregory Maloney, Plymouth PD, passed away in
the line of duty seven teen years of service. Survived
by wife turned widow, Susan sons Gregory and Michael. American
hero police officer Gregory Maloney. Nancy Gray signing off goodbye friend,
Crime Stories with Nancy Grace.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
According to police, missing Miranda, just sixteen years old, just
turned sixteen, has been dismembered after being lured by a
social media themed breaking Tonight, we have obtained video of
(00:27):
the suspect allegedly transporting this child's body to dispose of it.
I'm Nancy Grace. This is Crime Stories. Thank you for
being with us.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
A young Florida team disappears on Valentine's Day after an
alleged date with a mystery man from a dating app.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
A mystery man on a dating app. The girl just
turned sixteen. I'll get into that later, but right now,
straight out to the scene.
Speaker 1 (00:59):
Joining me.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Robert Crispin, private investigator, founder of Crispin Special Investigations, former
Federal Task Force officer for the US Department of Justice
DEA Miami Field Division, former homicide and former Crimes against
Children investigator. Robert, Thank you for being with us. Tell
me what you have learned.
Speaker 4 (01:20):
So Nancy, I'm actually coming to you from twenty seven eight,
twenty seventh Avenue North in Saint Petersburg. The house behind
me is the house where police believe that Miranda Corset
was kidnapped and brutally murdered back in February. That door
right there was the gray door on the bottom was
the last door that police believed that Miranda walked through
(01:41):
before she died during that timeframe.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Joining me an all star panel to make sense of
what we are learning right now. But straight out to
Robert Crispin. Robert, this is what I need to understand.
Let me see that house behind you again. I mean,
we're looking at a beautiful neighborhood, tree line, gorgeous lawns,
everything kept in order. How did this happen? I want
(02:07):
to hear about the structure, who lived there?
Speaker 1 (02:10):
What more? Do you know? Have you been inside? Robert So?
Speaker 4 (02:14):
Yeah, So I actually had just come outside from the landlorder,
the owner who owns it, who gave me a tour
of the inside.
Speaker 5 (02:21):
And it's a great neighborhood. It's in St. Pete, Florida.
Speaker 4 (02:28):
Everyone's got manicured lawns, great residents. I've talked to a few,
but the people that lived in.
Speaker 5 (02:33):
This house were anything but nice.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
Robert Crispin, I want to go through the photos that
you got from inside to structure. Let's see those New
York Control room now. Even though this is in a
lovely neighborhood. This is what we find inside. Robert Crispin
just getting us inside in the last hours. Now right now,
(02:57):
it looks like everything has been cleaned out. I noticed
bleach and cleaning materials everywhere.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
But look at this.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
Is this the last thing this little teen girl saw
before her death.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
I mean, look at this place.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
You'd have no idea from the outside what's going on
behind closed doors. According to police, this child just turned
sixteen was lured by a much older man in his
late thirties, where she was tortured for days, murdered, and
(03:36):
then dismembered inside this home. Robert, you have also obtained
video allegedly showing this online sicko that, according to police,
lured this teen girl, the sixteen year old girl, possibly beginning.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
Of the Lauren when she was fifteen.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
I want to see the video that Robert Crispin obtained.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
Let's roll it.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
You are seeing an adult male that we believe to
be the defendant going out with this child's body brazenly
front yard, putting the body of a little girl just
turned sixteen into his vehicle. I believe the trunk is
(04:37):
still up there. He is getting everything just right, making sure,
it's all hidden. Looks like the child is in a
blanket now, obviously having no concern someone could see him.
But according to Robert Crispin, this surveillance was obtained through
(05:00):
a neighbor's home surveillance system ring cam, allegedly showing the defendant,
the suspect, and he's not even in a rush.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
Crispin.
Speaker 4 (05:15):
Yeah, So that footage was obtained from that camera right
up there on the second floor, in that middle window,
looking straight down at the driveway. The suspect's door is
down below the second floor is another resident. So it's
a duplex up and down. Our suspect lived on the
bottom floor. But that ring camera right there is the
(05:36):
one that captured all that footage. That's the ring camera
that captured Miranda here on the fourteenth. That's the ring
camera that caught Miranda here on the fifteenth. That's the
ring camera that caught both Michelle and Stephen coming and
going from the house here. That is epic evidence, an
epic video.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
Crispin, explain to me what I'm saying. On the additional video.
It looks like a female walking down the front walk
to the home.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
When was this and what is it?
Speaker 4 (06:10):
Right? So this video was actually obtained that shows on
the seventeenth of February that a neighbor came over and
was conversing with Steve at the front door. And you
can hear the audio and they're clearly having a conversation
and you hear Miranda's name, and then she turns and
walks away. It's later learned after that what the neighbor
(06:34):
saw was Miranda in the corner, curled.
Speaker 5 (06:39):
Up in a ball, crying.
Speaker 4 (06:40):
And it's believed to be in the photos that I
sent you from inside the crime scene, where the mop
is leaning against the wall, is where the neighbor potentially
saw Miranda curled up in a ball crying while standing
at the front door. And that's a shot that's just
filled up to the front door. Police believed, according to
sources out here, that Miranda was killed on a bed
(07:04):
that was inside that main room, just inside that front
door to the left. Hence why you see all that
latent fingerprint dust all over inside that crime scene, all
those black marks that's all laden fingerprint dust.
Speaker 2 (07:18):
Let's take a listen and see if we can hear
on the audio what Robert Crispin is describing. Crispin I
(07:41):
think I hear what you're describing.
Speaker 5 (07:44):
Now.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
The neighbor of the across the street, Caddy corner neighbor
comes over, according to what we're learning, is conversing with
Steve Griss, aged thirty seven, that police believe lure this
teen girl possibly starting at age fifteen online, along with
(08:05):
his live in Michelle Brandis, aged thirty five.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
They're a pair straight out of hell, we learned. The
neighbor walks over and it is talking to them.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
Here's the girl crying, not realizing what's going on, and
turns around and goes back home.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
Is that your understanding, Crispin, Yeah.
Speaker 5 (08:29):
That's my understanding. I think the video speaks for herself.
Speaker 4 (08:32):
You know, it's what we learned after this horrific event
of what she actually saw on that video that day.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
Guys, I want to go through again the photos that
we saw inside the home. You heard Crispin describing the
fingerprint dust. Look carefully at the walls, around the door entry,
around the light switches.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
Let's see the pictures.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
Crispin describe the fingerprint dust all over the walls.
Speaker 1 (09:02):
Explain what that is.
Speaker 4 (09:04):
So that's a latent fingerprint dust that's going to pick
up the oils on your skin.
Speaker 5 (09:08):
It's kind of like any crime scene that you go to.
Speaker 4 (09:11):
The perpetrator either takes something i e. Something he steals,
or he leaves something i e. His fingerprints or the
oil on his fingerprints that stays on the wall. And
this latent print dust allows a technician to go in
and dust it.
Speaker 5 (09:26):
Finally with a.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
With a little cart pull the camp there we're saying,
the mop against the wall.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
What is the significance of that? Robert Crispin.
Speaker 4 (09:34):
So, according to my sources out here, this is where
we believe the neighbor actually, while standing at the front door,
saw Miranda girled in a ball crying in that corner
before she walked back over to her house.
Speaker 2 (09:47):
You know, when I look at it, unless you know
what you're seeing, you don't realize the significance of it.
And it's overwhelming that this little girl just turned sixteen,
just sixteen, spent her last hours, according to police, in
this hell hole, being held against her will by suspect
(10:13):
Stephen Griss, aged thirty seven, and his hinch person his
builds abub.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
Straight out of hell.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
Michelle brandis, of course, they're innocent until proven guilty. These
are just allegations. If you don't mind, Robert, I'd like
to look at the video with you one more time,
not of the neighbor, but of the suspect carrying out
what we believe to be this little girl's body. Miranda
(10:44):
Corsette just turned sixteen years old.
Speaker 4 (10:47):
Yeah, I mean, that's some pretty compelling video right there.
Allegedly that's Miranda, and she's going in the trunk of
that car, and that kind of fits with the story
of where Miranda was then transported over to another location
where she was dismembered and then put into a dumpster
close by in a town called Largo, Florida.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
Robert, what do police believe was her mode of death?
Speaker 5 (11:14):
The cause of death, from what we're learning from law enforcement.
Speaker 6 (11:16):
Is asphyxiation.
Speaker 4 (11:17):
Exphyxiation how by wrapping Miranda's face in cellophane tape and
cellophane wrap, thus not allowing her to breathe life into
her little body anymore.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
Stephen Griss, nearly forty years old, after having allegedly lured
a teen girl online, asphyxiating her in the cruelest way,
taking her lifeless body to his vehicle and putting it
in his trunk. You don't think this is going to
(11:52):
be State's Exhibit number one. Where was his lover, Michelle
brandis what looking out the window cleaning up the scene.
We don't know yet. Both of these are allegations. All
of this allegations. These are just suspects right now. But
I tell you what if NASA can do it, soak
in the Sainte PD blowing this up and lightening it
(12:15):
up to get a look at the face on this guy.
I mean, this is States Exhibit number one.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
Now. Isn't it true, Robert Crispin.
Speaker 2 (12:31):
That this girl allegedly died not just by asphyxiation, but
by having a pool ball, a cue ball, a billiard
ball forced into her mouth, forced into her mouth. Think
about that, a pool ball, an eight ball in her mouth,
(12:52):
all the way in her mouth, then her face wrapped
with cellophane.
Speaker 1 (12:58):
And she gagged and died that way. Isn't that the allegation, Crispin?
Speaker 5 (13:05):
That is the allegation.
Speaker 4 (13:06):
That is what has been purported by law enforcement. And
what a horrible, horrible way to die for a sixteen
year old.
Speaker 5 (13:13):
Beautiful little girl.
Speaker 1 (13:21):
Crime stories with Nancy Grace.
Speaker 2 (13:27):
Breaking tonight in the disappearance and we believe the murder
of a little girl just turned sixteen, Miranda Corset. We
have just obtained as we go to air, stunning video evidence.
Here we believe the defendant, the suspect, Stephen Cress, aged
(13:48):
thirty seven, carrying the body wrapped in material of a
sixteen year old little girl, Miranda Corset, to his vehicle,
placing her in the trunk, slamming the trunk. I guarantee
(14:09):
you that Canine's cadaver dogs are being brought out for
hits on the trunk as we go to air to
determine if in fact what we see in this video
is a human body. In a few moments, we'll show
(14:29):
you video we have obtained of the co defendant Gress's
live in Michelle Brandis h thirty five, hopping in the
car like they're going to McDonald's and off they go
with a body in the trunk, a body of a
teen girl. I've got a teen girl and a teen boy.
(14:52):
When I look at this, I feel sick. I'm going
to reach into this camera bah and grab him by
the neck and his girlfriend too. All of these are
allegations at this juncture. They are innocent until proven guilty.
In a court of law by a jury of their peers.
(15:17):
But if this allegation is true, I don't know where
you're going to find a jury of their peers unless
you go straight to Hell to get them. Joining me
an All Star panel in addition to Robert Crispin joining
us at the scene. Who is canvas in the neighborhood?
Gone inside the home and found where we believe this
little girl spent her last hours curled.
Speaker 1 (15:38):
Up in a ball, crying in the corner.
Speaker 2 (15:42):
Now the inside of that home covered in black, It
looks like soot, Its fingerprint, powder to pick up every
trace of the victim. Overwhelming again, joining me in addition
to Robert Crispin at the scene with Crispin Special Eventstigations
an All Star panel.
Speaker 1 (16:04):
First of all, this is where it all starts. Listen.
Speaker 7 (16:09):
Miranda Corsett is known to her family as a spunky tomboy,
taking karate to keep up with her older brother David.
When Miranda tragically loses both of her parents, she moves
in with her grandmother in Gulfport, Florida.
Speaker 3 (16:20):
Miranda's grandmother is happy to see the team getting ready
for a Valentine's date. Miranda is excited to go out
after the date, drops Miranda off her mood, leaves her
grandmother to believe Miranda had a great time.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
Just imagine what this child has already gone through. Joining
me an all star panel, but for a straight out
to high profile psychoanalyst, doctor Bethany Marshall joining us from La,
author of deal Breakers, and you can see her now
on peacock. She's at doctor Bethanymarshall dot com.
Speaker 1 (16:49):
Bethany.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
This is exactly the kind of child that predators prey upon.
She suddenly, as a girl, loses both her parents at once,
moves in with Grandma.
Speaker 1 (17:05):
Looking for love, looking for.
Speaker 2 (17:06):
Acceptance, and she finds it online, not really understanding at
first that she's communicating with a thirty seven year old
man living with the witch from Hell. She had no
idea when she first started communicating online and.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
Was lured Nancy.
Speaker 8 (17:28):
She is the perfect victim for somebody like this. And
if this alleged crime is true, I think what happened
is there's this lovely grandmother. She's taking care of the grandchild.
That's true of so many grandparents in the United States
when their grandchildren lose the parents, and so she's taking
care of this grandchild, and she's thrilled that the grandchild
(17:49):
is going out on a date. And what that tells
me is that the perpetrator was grooming her. That this
little girl was thrilled to be going out and getting
the height of attention that she was about to get,
which tells me too that he was probably showering her
with attention online and maybe even pretending he was somebody
that he wasn't.
Speaker 2 (18:09):
When I hear doctor Bethany talking about this child seeking
acceptance online and finding it, we believe with thirty seven
year old Stephen, gress is very upsetting.
Speaker 1 (18:23):
And she's right.
Speaker 2 (18:24):
She's right, to Tanya Jordan, chief Parent Officer bart Parental Controls,
author of Parenting in a Tech World, this child probably
had no idea at first who she's communicating with.
Speaker 9 (18:36):
You're absolutely right, and that's why we mean him so
hard to helping parents to get a word when predators
are contacting their children.
Speaker 1 (18:43):
No idea at the get go.
Speaker 2 (18:45):
And we hear to Susan Hendricks, joining US journalist author
of Down the Hill, my descended to the double murder
in Delphi, Susan Hendricks, the reality is that when the
child first starts communicating online and our children on their
phones on social media all the time. We don't know
(19:06):
who they're communicating with. And it breaks my heart for
the grandmama to say that she was happy that Miranda
had a little date for Valentine's unbeknown to her.
Speaker 1 (19:19):
Unbeknownst to her, it was with this freak.
Speaker 10 (19:21):
Absolutely, and they're so good at it, Nancy luring these
girls in. I have a fifteen year old daughter as well.
It's terrifying, the Chief of Police Saint Petersburg said in
a press conference when he said, let's take a pause here. Parents,
try to know what your kids are doing online. This
is a warning. This guy, if it's him, Stephen, was
(19:41):
good at it and look at the results. Absolutely terrifying.
Speaker 2 (19:45):
You know, I'm looking at this and I just can't
help but think of my children and the callous way
this child is being loaded into a trunk.
Speaker 1 (19:56):
Joining me now she is going by.
Speaker 2 (20:00):
Adrian lived next door to the suspects, Stephen Gress and
Michelle brandis Adrian.
Speaker 1 (20:08):
This has got to.
Speaker 2 (20:09):
Send chills down your spine because Adrian, it's my understanding
that on more than one occasion he harassed you as well.
Speaker 11 (20:20):
Yeah, yep, so I wasn't there for very long.
Speaker 12 (20:24):
I was warned about him when I moved in by
my lovely neighbor who lived upstairs from him, not the
current one, but the previous one. So I was warned,
and you know, I kind of minded my own business,
kept my wits about me.
Speaker 2 (20:40):
What was the warning, I'm curious, Adrian, what was the
warning about him?
Speaker 1 (20:44):
What were you told?
Speaker 4 (20:45):
So?
Speaker 12 (20:45):
I was told that he had a very in depth
criminal past, he had been in jail, and he was
just not not a good person. So yeah, that kind of,
you know, set off some alarms with me, and you know,
he was respectful towards me.
Speaker 11 (21:03):
Until he wasn't. What happened, So I had accidentally backed
into a car when I first moved in, and so
I left my name and my number on the car, saying, hey,
I live right here, give me a call. We can
figure it out. I hit your car.
Speaker 12 (21:16):
So instead of the driver of the vehicle reaching out
to me, Steve took my number off of the vehicle
and proceeded to text me with very explicit, unsolicited sexual advances.
Speaker 11 (21:31):
And that was, you know, the beginning of everything.
Speaker 12 (21:34):
And when I declined those advances and told him to
leave me alone and never contact me again.
Speaker 11 (21:42):
He did not listen, and he continued to come to.
Speaker 12 (21:47):
My house at midnight to deliver mail to me that
was in his box, and instead of just putting it
into my box, he would knock on my door and
kind of you know, look around and wanted to talk
to me. So he did that a couple of times
before I even you know, had the issue with the car.
So he continued to harass me and come to my
(22:08):
property when I had asked him not to, and I
told him if you know, if he did it again,
if he didn't stay away from me, that I'd be
getting the police involved. And he didn't like that very much,
responded with a pretty nasty text message back to me,
and I decided it was time to call the police,
and they had responded very well to my call.
Speaker 2 (22:29):
Do you understand, Adrian, I don't know if you let
yourself think about this, that could be you wrapped in
that blank I know, in that.
Speaker 12 (22:37):
Trunk absolutely, And we had gotten in multiple altercations after
I had called the police as well, so that was
not an isolated event.
Speaker 11 (22:47):
He had actually you know, after the police came.
Speaker 12 (22:51):
And they went over and kind of put the fear
of God in him and told him to leave me alone.
And you know, so we had some beef after that,
and he actually I was helping his neighbor move out
one day while he was not home, and they shared
a driveway, so I was helping her move out because
of him.
Speaker 11 (23:11):
She also had to move out because of him.
Speaker 12 (23:13):
I was helping her move and he pulled back into
the driveway and started screaming at me, screaming obscenities, you know,
kind of getting in my face, and I had to
remove myself from that.
Speaker 11 (23:25):
So, yeah, I think about that all the time. It
could have absolutely been me, for sure.
Speaker 2 (23:30):
Adrian, you actually asked the question, quote, do I have
to either be physically assaulted or die in order for
this guy to have a single consequence for his actions?
Speaker 1 (23:42):
That's correct? Is that how you felt at the time.
Speaker 12 (23:44):
Yes, yes, because when I had called the police, they
were wonderful by the way they really listened to me,
and they urged me to get down to the police
station to file an emergency restraining order against him because
they knew how dangerous he was.
Speaker 11 (24:01):
So I did that.
Speaker 12 (24:02):
I filed all the appropriate paperwork, and shortly after that
I was denied the restraining order and That is when
I was getting very fearful for my life because of
that denial.
Speaker 2 (24:16):
Why were you denied a restraining order on this guy?
Speaker 12 (24:20):
The reason was that the courts decided that they could
not get neighbors to get along with each other.
Speaker 11 (24:27):
It was not the responsibility to make us get along.
Speaker 1 (24:31):
Do you remember the judge that did that?
Speaker 6 (24:33):
I do?
Speaker 1 (24:34):
Whoo what judge?
Speaker 11 (24:35):
I won't be sharing any names.
Speaker 1 (24:37):
You're gonna make me go look it up in the
court records. I'm happy to the public record.
Speaker 11 (24:42):
You can find it.
Speaker 1 (24:43):
Don't worry, I'll find it.
Speaker 2 (24:44):
Adrian, when you learned about the current allegations against your
former neighbor, Stephen Griss, what went through your mind?
Speaker 12 (24:53):
I was sick to my stomach because I knew how
dangerous this man was, and I tried my to.
Speaker 11 (25:02):
Get him out of that house.
Speaker 12 (25:04):
You know, And I'm not the first woman who has
broken their lease to get away from that man, but
apparently I am the first woman who called and reported
him for it. So you know, I really wanted to
come on the show today to just My purpose is
to encourage women who are going through something like this,
(25:26):
if they're being harassed, if they're being assaulted, anything like that.
I know that we just want to get out of
a situation as quickly as possible and not worry about it.
But it's so important to look after one another, and
it's so important to report it, because not only are
you looking after yourself, but you're looking after the women
who will be victims after you, because there will be
victims after you.
Speaker 2 (25:46):
In addition to the video of who we believe is
the defendant, Stephen gris h thirty seven, carrying the lifeless
body of this team girl too is tront we now
have video of the little girl just before her death,
walking around. That's Miranda on the right, walking around in
(26:10):
the front yard of the home.
Speaker 1 (26:12):
Unbeknownst to her what is going to come.
Speaker 2 (26:19):
Robert Crispin, let's stay on the video because at some
juncture we see her really well. By blowing it up,
here we go and I guarantee you prosecutors will have
this blown up and refined.
Speaker 1 (26:37):
Little does she know what will befall her.
Speaker 2 (26:41):
Robert Crispin, explain what we're seeing and where did it
come from?
Speaker 4 (26:45):
So again comes from that same ring camera right up
there on the second floor, from the resident who was upstairs.
These are images of Miranda walking around days before she's
brutally kidnapped.
Speaker 5 (26:57):
And murdered by her captors.
Speaker 4 (27:00):
These are some of the last images that anyone will
ever see of her alive.
Speaker 5 (27:05):
Ever again.
Speaker 2 (27:06):
You know what's disturbing to me to Sidney Sumner join
us Crime Stories investigative reporter, is that somehow this child
who we believe was dismembered, and we have reason to
say that and either thrown in a dump or possibly
(27:27):
even incinerated somehow, Sidney Sumner, much is being made of
this child, just turned sixteen, going to meet with a
Valentine date. She had no idea what was about to
befall her. Have you noticed that, Sidney.
Speaker 8 (27:47):
Nancy, absolutely this teenage girl never thought that she would
end up dead and dismembered just by going on a date.
Speaker 2 (27:56):
Robert Crispin, why do we believe that this child wants dismembered?
Speaker 4 (28:00):
So it's beam purported by police that this is a
confession from the defendant that this happened, who then implemented
his girlfriend Michelle. So this allegedly is coming from the
horse's mouth.
Speaker 2 (28:16):
Video of Miranda in her last hours before her death.
Speaker 1 (28:21):
Take a listen to this.
Speaker 7 (28:22):
March sixth less than twenty four hours after Stephen Gress's arrest,
an acquaintance gets the courage to call Saint Petersburg PD.
The tipster says, February twentieth, Michelle Brandis could not locate
her ring and accused Miranda of stealing it. Miranda denied
the accusation and told Branda's pew would help her look
for it. The couple tied Miranda to a chair and
beat her senseless. After several days of beatings, the couple
(28:45):
forces a billiard's ball into Miranda's mouth and then secures
it with plastic wrap around her face.
Speaker 5 (28:51):
On the twenty at.
Speaker 11 (28:52):
The house, there was some time of the spewed over
from this jewelry.
Speaker 4 (28:56):
So fromentia to twenty four she port not fives in secured.
Speaker 2 (29:04):
You are hearing from the police chief at Saint Petersburg BD.
There now let me understand to Susan Hendricks, joining us investigative,
a journalist and author, the suspect actually pointed a harpoon
gun at the live in. Police were called for that.
(29:25):
He was arrested on a domestic violence. Once he is
arrested on domestic violence and the neighbors realize he's not
there a tip comes in about Miranda. How did that happen, Susan, Yes.
Speaker 10 (29:39):
That's an excellent point to bring up the timeline he
was arrested. They realized that and say, wait a minute,
he's already in jail right now because of pointing a
harpoon at Michelle. The tip came in on the eighth,
two days later, was that there, of course, not saying
who it was. Was it Michelle's mother? Whose home it
was where the body was allegedly dismembered to the mother's home.
(30:00):
Did the tip come in from the mother? Did it
come from Michelle? And then when he was in court,
he was in court and he said, where all, why
isn't she arrested? I could see him pinning this on her.
But yes, that tip came in two days after he
was arrested.
Speaker 2 (30:13):
So the neighbors get the courage with him behind mars
on a domrail domestic relations to actually call about Miranda.
I'd like to see those photos again. According to police,
this is the last thing that a teen girl just
turned sixteen sees before her death, him and hiss hnch
(30:35):
person from hell. According to police, her Michelle brandis the
psychopathy to doctor Bethony Marshall, renowned psychoanalyst. A woman going
along with the man and torturing, raping, murdering a little
(30:56):
girl in a few moments.
Speaker 1 (30:58):
I'm going to show you the.
Speaker 2 (30:59):
Video of her just running along like a little lap
dog and jumping in the car like they're going to
burger king and driving off with the little girl's body
and the trout for Pete's sake.
Speaker 1 (31:09):
Well, I don't get it.
Speaker 2 (31:11):
How can you stand by and let that happen and
become part of it?
Speaker 8 (31:15):
You know, Nancy, because she was interested in the crime.
They did not beat and torture her allegedly to death
because of a ring. Psychopaths do this because they get
sexual pleasure from causing suffering, humiliation, and pain. This is
the emo for the crime. So I see that, I
(31:36):
see him care allegedly carrying the body out right now,
you know, Nancy, how he's carrying it is like somebody
would carry dirty laundry that they're about to take to
the laundromat. And this is very typical for these kinds
of crimes that the victim is incredibly sexually interesting to
the perpetrators until the victim is dead, and unless they're
(31:56):
going to commit necrophilia or use the corpse in some way.
All the energy has gone out. There's no interest there anymore.
So all they want to do is just dismember and
get rid of this corps so they can go on
to their next victim.
Speaker 2 (32:09):
Doctor Kendall Crown's joining me, renowned chief medical examiner Terran County.
That's fort Worth. He is an esteemed lecturer at the
Vernet School of Medicine at TCU and just launching a
brand new podcast April seven, Mayhem in the Morgue. Here's
my concern, doctor Kendall Crowns. It's not your duty to
(32:29):
know the law. Is your duty to perform autopsies as
you do thousands of them. But doctor Kendall Crowns, a
confession alone, under our jurisprudence is not enough for the
state to move forward. A case cannot be made on
only a confession. If this body has been dismembered and
(32:51):
possibly even incinerated.
Speaker 1 (32:55):
How can we prove the case.
Speaker 2 (32:57):
And doesn't it require a great deal a physical effort
to execute a dismemberment.
Speaker 6 (33:06):
Well, that's correct, Nancy. If they have actually succeeded in
dismembering and incinerating the body, there may be no evidence
left to collect or to be able to determine and
cause and manner of death. And without a body, you
could just have someone that's mentally unstable confessing to a
crime they didn't commit. And it does take a great
(33:28):
deal of physical effort to dismember a body, unless you're
using like an electric saw, like a saws all or
something of that nature to help you. If you're just
using hand saws, it can take quite a bit of
effort and quite a bit of time. So usually with
dismemberments we see electric tools used to help expediate the process.
Speaker 1 (33:53):
Crime stores with Nancy Grace, welcome back.
Speaker 2 (34:01):
We are now showing you video we have just obtained
of this duo from Hell going out to the car
with the child's body and the trunk, apparently Robert Crispin.
They're loading up the car like they're going on a picnic.
I can only imagine what that is that the co defendant,
(34:22):
thirty five year old Michelle Brandis is taking into the car.
Speaker 1 (34:26):
What am I seeing on the video? Robert?
Speaker 4 (34:29):
So what you're seeing this particular part of the video
is several minutes after that.
Speaker 5 (34:34):
We believe that Miranda.
Speaker 4 (34:35):
Was put in the trunk by Steven and they both
went back in the house. But then they both come
back out and they're loading other things.
Speaker 5 (34:44):
I don't know what they are, Nancy.
Speaker 4 (34:45):
Are they fruits of the crime, are they more evidence
to conceal?
Speaker 5 (34:49):
I don't know.
Speaker 4 (34:50):
But that's Crystal Clare video of both Steve and Michelle
getting in that car, backing up and driving away.
Speaker 2 (34:57):
Straight out to veteran trial lawyer now joining us, Andrea
Lewis partner Sircey Law Firm in the Florida jurisdiction, former
felony prosecutor in Palm Beach. Andrea, thank you for joining us.
I wanted you to see all the video and hear
the discussion. I mean, this is a treasure trove of evidence.
(35:18):
Where will the state go first? My main concern right
now is finding any bit of DNA, any bit of
tissue to prove that this child was dismembered. Of course,
a case can't go forward with just a confession.
Speaker 13 (35:34):
That's an excellent point, Nancy. And so fortunately here it
sounds like from what investigators are saying, they may in
fact have that. So this is truly a house of
horrors where this young innocent child spent her last days.
But what we know is that after they transported her
(35:54):
body to Michelle's mother's home, that is where they allegedly
dismembered this poor young child. And what investigators have reported
is that there was quote unquote body matter that was
found in that home along with DNA, and that one
(36:16):
of Michelle's relatives was actually present during the dismemberment, although
they do note that she has disabled herself, so she
may not have witnessed what occurred, but nevertheless, she may
have some information to provide investigators.
Speaker 2 (36:32):
Andrea Lewis, are you ever shocked in all the cases
you've seen, because it.
Speaker 1 (36:37):
Never fails to throw me for a loop?
Speaker 2 (36:41):
I mean here, I mean, do you see them, Andrea,
You've prosecuted many, many major felonies before you went with Circe.
The way they're getting into this car, it's like they're
running out to a picnic. Maybe they're gonna stop at
KFC on the way for Pete's sake. They're casual, it'says
if they are not worried about getting caught at all.
(37:04):
Chrispan agrees with that. They're loading up the car with
all sorts of paraphernalia. I don't know what it is yet,
but I will find out.
Speaker 1 (37:13):
It's very commonplace. They're not worried at all.
Speaker 2 (37:16):
They're not trying to conceal their faces. The right at
the front walkway, for Pete's sake, there's a body in
the trunk.
Speaker 9 (37:22):
Nancy, you know just as well as I do for
many years as a prosecutor, that the defendant's demeanor while
they're committing a crime speaks volumes about the person who's
committing the crime and how comfortable they are in this
criminal arena. With violent acts, you can often tell by
(37:45):
analyzing a perpetrator while they're carrying out these horrific acts,
whether they've done this before, whether they're comfortable with violence.
In this man's case, what his overall feelings are just
about women in general. He appears to, as we heard
from Adrian, and then we see from this case, he
(38:05):
appears to really look at them almost as a possession,
something that's there for him, not another human, and that
really speaks volumes about the type of person that he is,
about what type of a potential psychopath here that he
may in fact be it certainly seems like he is,
and what he's capable of.
Speaker 2 (38:24):
To see these two minions from hell again.
Speaker 1 (38:29):
They look like they're going on a picnic.
Speaker 2 (38:32):
Robert Crispin, You see her, the co defendant who went
on the run by the way, had to get her
in loading up as if they're going on a picnic.
Speaker 1 (38:44):
Like I said, I mean, they have things slung over
their shoulders. They're not in a hurry.
Speaker 2 (38:50):
There is a child dead in the trunk and they
know they are headed to a location to dismember her.
Speaker 4 (39:00):
You know, I think we've all talked about this. The
mind of a criminal is not a mind. It's like
we don't even understand what they're thinking and what they're
going through. They're so far john, they're so far out
in left field.
Speaker 5 (39:14):
I don't even think.
Speaker 4 (39:15):
They know what they're thinking at that point. And to
try to reason with a murderer, try to reason with
someone who's a criminal, it's so hard.
Speaker 5 (39:22):
And that's why we have our psychologists.
Speaker 2 (39:24):
Speaking of a psychoanalyst joining us from LA doctor Bethany Marshall.
Doctor Bethany, it just you and I have covered so
many cases for after a murder, the defense go for
drive through, they go to waffle house, they go to
ihop like nothing has happened, and that's how these two
are acting. I mean, Bethany, my children have just turned seventeen.
(39:49):
That's the age of this little girl. She just turned sixteen.
She is dead heading to dismemberment in the back of
their car. I don't get their las a fear, their
casual attitude.
Speaker 8 (40:03):
Well, Nancy, I do, because if you think of this
type of alleged rape homicide as a compulsion, what we
see with compulsions is that there's a buildup of anxiety, agitation,
urgency to complete the compulsion, and then after that all
the urgency dissipates until it builds back up again. So
(40:24):
we see this with binging and purging or compulsive masturbating.
We'll think about compulsive homicide. This guy, allegedly, if he
committed the crime, has this urgency to torture.
Speaker 1 (40:37):
Okay, so he's hitting.
Speaker 8 (40:38):
Up all the women in the neighborhood. He's harassing, he's stalking,
he's being misogynistic, he's compulsive.
Speaker 11 (40:45):
When he finally finds.
Speaker 8 (40:46):
The victim, who, by the way, is the youngest one
who cannot advocate for herself, who's being raised by a
grandmother who bless her little heart is wearing a mid
drift to what she believes is a date when you
finally find that and he can unleash his fury and
his sexual desire on her for days, then that the
(41:07):
compulsion diminishes again until it builds back up again. So
of course they're going to go through a drive through.
Speaker 1 (41:13):
They're going to go get a meal there.
Speaker 8 (41:15):
That's why there's sauntering, Nancy. It's after the act and
all that intensity of wanting to commit the crime has
dissipated for a while.
Speaker 2 (41:26):
If you know or think you know anything. As the
state continues to build this case about the luring, the murder,
and the dismemberment of this little girl, please dial seven
two seven eight nine three seven seven eight zero repeat
seven two seven eight nine three seven seven eight zero.
Speaker 1 (41:52):
We remember an American.
Speaker 2 (41:54):
Hero police Officer, Gregory Maloney, Plymouth PD, passed away in
the line of duty seven teen years of service. Survived
by wife turned widow, Susan sons Gregory and Michael. American
hero police officer Gregory Maloney. Nancy Gray signing off goodbye friend,
Host
Nancy Grace
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