Not for the crime, but for being this stupid. No amount of prison could ever make this pair worthy of being released back into society...



Birmingham businessman Elton B. Stephens Jr. kidnapped, released after paying hefty ransom
Updated 2:36 PM; Today 12:17 PM

Two people are behind bars after prominent Birmingham businessman Elton B. Stephens Jr. was kidnapped during a home invasion.

Matthew Amos Burke, 34, and Tabatha Nicole Hodges, 33, are charged with burglary, kidnapping an adult for ransom, extortion and theft of property. The Remlap pair remains behind bars on no bond.

The kidnapping happened early Friday at a home Stephens was renting on Crest Road in Birmingham. When the 75-year-old Stephens awoke about 7 a.m., the pair was inside his house. Burke was standing over him. It appears, authorities said, the intruders had been inside the house since before 2 a.m.

They took three of his guns – two pistols and a shotgun - and told him they would kill them if he called anyone. They took him to a trailer in St. Clair County where they had him wire $250,000 into their account. They returned him to his home about 4:30 p.m. Police were called.
https://www.al.com/news/birmingham/2...ty-ransom.html