A 23-year-old man was convicted last week on charges stemming from the abductions and subsequent robberies of two University of Memphis students in 1999.
Levar Gray, who is scheduled to be sentenced next month, faces 32 to 48 years in prison for two counts of aggravated battery and two counts of aggravated kidnapping.
Gray’s partner, Lawrenzo Menton, 22, was convicted earlier this year and sentenced to 24 years in prison.
In Sept. 1999, Gray and Menton kidnapped a graduate assistant from The U of M campus area and forced him to withdraw $200 from an ATM. The victim escaped after the perpetrators took him to Oak Court Mall in an attempt to get the victim to purchase athletic footwear for them.
A second incident occurred two days later, when a psychology student was abducted from the South Parking Lot. Gray and Menton took the victim to a topless bar on Lamar where they forced him to charge $200 to his credit card in exchange for cash. They took $50 from the victim’s wallet before releasing him on Spottswood Avenue.
The two were arrested on Sept. 26 after attempting to lure a student into their vehicle for a third time. The law student recognized the vehicle from warning fliers around campus and called police.
