A couple has been indicted in connection with the alleged kidnapping of a St. Louis woman at gunpoint in August.
Jervonz L. Williams, 48, and Emma M. Cunningham, 32, were each indicted on Wednesday in U.S. District Court on one count of attempted kidnapping. In addition, Williams faces one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, while Cunningham is charged with one count of making a false statement related to a firearm purchase and one count of transferring a firearm to a convicted felon.
Both defendants appeared in court on Friday and entered pleas of not guilty to all charges.
According to the indictment, Williams and Cunningham are accused of holding a woman against her will on August 5 for financial gain. Williams, a convicted felon, is alleged to have been in possession of a firearm, while Cunningham is accused of providing him with the weapon despite knowing his felon status and falsifying paperwork to purchase the gun.
A motion filed by the prosecution seeking to keep both defendants in jail until trial states that the victim was a property manager who met Cunningham for a final walkthrough of her apartment. The motion alleges that Williams, armed, threatened the victim’s life to gain access to her financial accounts via her cell phone. The victim was reportedly bound with duct tape but managed to free herself and escape.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, along with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Bluestone is handling the prosecution.
