Two individuals have confessed to attempting to kidnap and rob a St. Louis apartment property manager at gunpoint in 2024, alongside other firearm-related offenses.
Emma M. Cunningham, aged 32, entered a guilty plea on Monday in the U.S. District Court for attempted kidnapping, transferring a firearm to a convicted felon, and making a false statement related to the purchase of a firearm.
Jervonz L. Williams, aged 49, pleaded guilty on June 23 to charges of attempted kidnapping, robbery, and possession of a firearm by a felon.
Both defendants admitted that on February 20, 2024, Cunningham purchased a handgun for Williams, her boyfriend and a convicted felon prohibited from possessing firearms. Cunningham falsely claimed on Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Form 4473 that she was purchasing the gun for herself and denied being an unlawful user of controlled substances.
Williams acknowledged using the gun to threaten others, including one of Cunningham’s neighbors. He also confessed to using it in late June 2024 to rob a drug dealer of $17, another gun, and cocaine base. During this robbery, Williams repeatedly struck the dealer with the revolver.
On August 5, 2024, Williams and Cunningham used the same weapon in an unsuccessful attempt to kidnap an apartment property manager in St. Louis. The manager was meeting Cunningham for a final walkthrough when she locked the door upon entry. Williams threatened her life when she tried calling emergency services and demanded cash along with her phone password to access financial accounts. They restrained her with duct tape but she managed to escape despite their efforts to prevent her departure by tearing off her shirt and pulling out clumps of her hair. Police arrested both suspects two days later; Williams was found with the .38-caliber revolver while Cunningham had ammunition.
Sentencing is scheduled for September 24 for Williams and September 30 for Cunningham. Each charge of kidnapping and robbery carries up to 20 years in prison. The charges relating to firearms possession by a felon and transfer carry up to 15 years each. Making false statements could result in up to 10 years imprisonment.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives alongside the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Bluestone is prosecuting.
This case forms part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), aiming at reducing violent crime through collaboration between law enforcement levels and community engagement strategies initiated on May 26, 2021.
