Beckley man serving life sentence for murder of 17-year-old sentenced for federal gun crime

BECKLEY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A Beckley man currently serving a life sentence has been sentenced for a federal gun crime in connection to the murder of a 17-year-old.

Steven Marvin Lawson Jr., also known as “Bali,” 30, of Beckley, was sentenced Friday to 10 years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

This sentence will run consecutively to his current state sentence, which includes a life term with no chance for parole.

According to court documents, on September 28, 2020, Lawson fatally shot the 17-year-old mother of his child with a Springfield Armory model XD .45-caliber pistol at a residence in Jumping Branch.

Lawson and another individual then dismembered her body and disposed of the parts across several states.

Lawson misled investigators by claiming he dismantled the stolen firearm and disposed of its parts separately.

However, the intact firearm was recovered from the residence of the mother of Lawson’s other children in Georgia, where it was hidden in a bag of laundry. Forensic analysis confirmed the firearm fired the bullet that killed the victim.

Federal law prohibits felons from possessing firearms or ammunition.

Lawson’s prior convictions include two counts of theft by receiving stolen property in Gwinnett County, Georgia, in 2016.

He has a lengthy criminal history, including multiple misdemeanor convictions.

A Summers County Circuit Court jury found Lawson guilty of first-degree murder, child abuse resulting in death, concealment of a dead body, and conspiracy to conceal a dead body on March 15, 2024.

“If Mr. Lawson had not possessed a loaded firearm that he knew he was not allowed to possess, the 17-year-old minor might still be alive,” said United States Attorney Will Thompson.

“He then helped to dismember and discard her as if she was a disposable object and not a person who mattered.”

Thompson praised the investigative efforts of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the West Virginia State Police-Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI).

“A 17-year-old mother has been taken from her family, and our community suffered another senseless violent crime,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Shawn Morrow.

“We hope this sentence brings some sense of justice and sends a very clear message that ATF and our partners will use every tool available to protect our communities.”

United States District Judge Frank W. Volk imposed the sentence.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Monica D. Coleman, Kathleen Robeson, and Kristin F. Scott.