SAVANNAH, Ga. — A Savannah man has been sentenced to more than 200 months in federal prison after a “nightmarish” kidnapping and assault that left his victim near death, according to the Department of Justice.
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Prosecutors said Robert Stephens, 25, and James Daniel Page, 49, both of Savannah, robbed a man and forced him into the backseat of an SUV in Jacksonville, Fla., before driving him to Savannah. Along the way, Stephens repeatedly assaulted and stabbed the man and then drove away in his car after leaving him seriously injured in a city park in Savannah, prosecutors said.
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Neighbors found the victim near death in the morning and took him to the hospital. Prosecutors said the victim, who hasn’t been identified, will feel the effects of his injuries for the rest of his life.
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Stephens and Page then drove to South Carolina in the victim’s car and use his debit card to withdraw cash from multiple ATMs. When Aiken County Sheriff’s deputies tried to conduct a traffic stop, Stephens and Page led them on a chase and then crashed, according to the DOJ. Both men have long and violent criminal histories with multiple felony convictions.
Stephens, who had previously pled guilty to kidnapping, was sentenced to 213 months in prison and ordered to pay $33,157.46 in restitution.
“This nightmarish, multi-state crime left the victim near death, and it sadly was a continuum of Robert Stephens’ violent, antisocial history,” said U.S. Attorney Estes. “Hard time behind bars will protect the community from this depraved criminal.”
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