Guilty plea in teen's murder

Well, first tonight at 10, a man who met a gulf port teen online last year took responsibility today for her horrific murder. Stephen grass admitted his guilt in court to kidnapping and killing 16 year old Miranda corset. And he asked the Pinellas County judge to skip the jury in the death penalty phase, leaving his life in the judge's hands. Oxford teens brought our Dondo is live in studio with us tonight. Brianna, this is pretty unusual, right? Yes, certainly is Allie. So a defense attorney I spoke with tonight says it is very unusual for a person to want the death penalty. It's a major development as we wait for the second person accused of being involved in the teen's murder to go to trial facing first degree murder and kidnapping charges. Stephen grass pleaded guilty during a hearing in a Pinellas County courtroom Wednesday. He and his co defendant Michelle Brandies are accused of meeting 16 year old Miranda corset on the dating app grinder last year, then holding the gulf port teen captive, torturing and killing her before dismembering her in March of 2025. It's a case where prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. Yeah, so traditionally you have a jury trial at which point in time the jury will return a verdict. Assuming that verdict is guilty, it will then go into the penalty phase. But now that won't happen. According to the Tampa Bay Times, grass specifically asked for the death penalty during a regular pretrial hearing in july and court officials confirmed to Fox 13. The judge agreed Wednesday to grant grasses request to put the death penalty phase directly in the judge's hands. We spoke to a defense attorney not connected to the case about how often this happens. Look, it's very unusual. Ultimately, in these cases we see defendants fighting for their life. Here we see the defendant asking for death really. So one other case that I remember that happening that's in Tampa a few years ago, a sworn affidavit details grass beating Miranda over a missing ring before her murder. At least six people knew the girl was in danger at the time, but no one ever called 911. She had called me my tenant and she says there's something going on down there. There was arguing and fighting. Yeah, they would do that. Since the teen's murder court documents show grass went through competency exams for trial. Now a pre sentencing investigation begins just because he says he wants to be executed just because he is ultimately sentenced to death. If he is, it's not gonna happen quickly. We know the process of ultimately executing somebody is going to take years. The court documents also show Stephen Grass blaming his co defendant Michelle Brandy's for the bulk of the violence done to Miranda. Grass is scheduled to be back in court on November 4th, where the judge is expected to address the sentencing. As for his co defendant Michelle Brandy's, her next pretrial hearing is set for october 22nd