LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. — Stevenson Charles, a 23-year-old man from Florida, has been sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to a series of violent crimes, including kidnapping, sexual assault, and armed robbery of a Lawrenceville couple in November 2022.
Charles, who connected with one of the victims through the dating app Scruff, met the victim in person on November 10, 2022, and immediately forced him into a sexual act at gunpoint. After robbing the victim, Charles forced the man to bring him to his home, where he kidnapped both the victim and his husband.
Charles then took the couple’s wedding rings and forced them to drive to several retail locations, where he made them buy gift cards, which he took before fleeing the scene.
Charles faced multiple charges, including false imprisonment, aggravated sodomy, two counts of kidnapping, armed robbery, and aggravated assault. He entered a guilty plea, resulting in a life sentence with the possibility of parole.
This case is part of a larger string of offenses linked to Charles. In 2023, he was convicted in federal court for similar crimes in Florida, where he kidnapped and robbed five victims in Miami, many of whom he met through the dating app Grindr. Additionally, he faces charges for murder and armed robbery in DeKalb County, committed in the same time frame.
The Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office was instrumental in the conviction, with Assistant District Attorney Scott Estes of the Special Victims Unit negotiating the plea agreement. DA Austin-Gatson also issued a public warning: “Be careful not to allow yourself to become a victim by hooking up with strangers on dating apps.”