Man sentenced to additional years in prison for a felony gun crime in relation to the death of a 17-year-old girl

SUMMERS COUNTY, WV (WVNS) — Additional years were added to the prison sentence of a man who was sentenced to prison for life for the murder of a 17-year-old girl due to a felony gun crime.

30-year-old Steven Marvin Lawson Jr., also referred to as “Bali,” was sentenced to ten years in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Lawson’s sentence will run consecutively to the life sentence with no possibility of parole that he is serving for the murder of a 17-year-old girl.

According to statements made in court, Lawson shot the 17-year-old mother of his child with a handgun on September 28, 2020 at a house in the Jumping Branch area of Summers County. He dismembered the body of the 17-year-old with help from another person, and proceeded to leave the body parts spread across multiple states.

Investigators involved in the case were told by Lawson that the gun, which was stolen, was taken apart and the pieces of which were thrown away in various locations. However, investigators later discovered that the gun was hidden in Georgia in a bag of laundry at the home of the mother of Lawson’s other children.

Testing at the West Virginia State Police Forensic Laboratory revealed that the gun found by investigators was the one that fired the bullet that killed the 17-year-old girl.

People with previous felony convictions are prevented from having guns or ammunition in their possession by federal law. Lawson’s previous felony convictions for two counts of theft by receiving stolen property in Gwinnett County, Georgia, Superior Court on May 13, 2016 prevented him from legally being able to have a gun in his possession.

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. He then helped to dismember and discard her as if she was a disposable object and not a person who mattered. He also showed a complete disregard for how his actions would devastate her family and loved ones, including his own child with her. Today’s sentence reflects the heinous nature of this offense, is appropriate given Mr. Lawson’s repeated criminal conduct, and protects the public from further crimes by him.”

Will Thompson | United States Attorney

Lawson’s criminal history, which includes more than a half-dozen convictions for misdemeanor offenses, dated back to when he was 17-years-old.

On March 15, 2024, Lawson was found guilty of First-Degree Murder, Child Abuse Resulting in Death by a Parent, Guardian, or Custodian, Concealment of a Dead Body, and Conspiracy to Conceal a Dead Body by a Summers County Circuit Court jury in the death of the 17-year-old girl.

This case serves as a grim reminder that convicted felons and domestic abusers should not possess firearms. A 17-year-old mother has been taken from her family, and our community suffered another senseless violent crime.  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.”

Shawn Morrow | ATF Special Agent in Charge; Member of the Louisville Division, which covers all of West Virginia

The announcement was made by United States Attorney Will Thompson, who thanked the West Virginia State Police-Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) for their work on the investigation.

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