Latest news with #StephanSterns
Daily Mail
22-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Madeline Soto's mom's boyfriend sentenced to life in prison after accepting murder charge in plea deal
The Florida man accused of sexually abusing and murdering his girlfriend's 13-year-old daughter will spend the rest of his life behind bars. Stephan Sterns, 39, pleaded no contest to Madeline Soto's murder and guilty to 21 counts of sex charges on Monday afternoon during an Osceola County Court hearing. No contest has the same legal ramifications as a guilty plea, but Sterns never had to explicitly admit or deny killing Madeline in February 2024. Prosecutors originally said they were going to pursue the death penalty against the convicted predator, but execution was taken off the table in a plea deal. The state also dropped about 40 other charges pertaining to explicit images of Madeline investigators discovered on Sterns' phone. In exchange, Sterns was sentenced to 21 concurrent life sentences without the possibility of parole. Emotions ran high during the chilling hearing, with Madeline's relatives and loved ones confronting Sterns and sharing tear-jerking testimonies. But Madeline's mother, Jennifer Soto, was not in attendance. 'I can't grasp the selfishness of you, the deplorability of your actions. You're depraved, weak, you're a coward,' Madeline's father, Tyler Wallace, told Sterns in court. 'I can only hope that [Sterns] lives a long time in prison and has those same horrors visited upon him by his fellow inmates.' He also described his daughter as he took the stand alongside his wife, Tatiana, saying she was 'quirky and intelligent' as well as a 'joy to be around.' 'I just loved her so much and I was not able to be in her life as much as I would've liked to due to circumstances and choices I had made and the way finances worked,' he went on. He said the last time he saw his child was in October 2023, months before her 13th birthday. Once she turned 13, Madeline would have had a say in which parent she would live with. Wallace said his daughter told him she wanted to stay with him. 'I was this close to having my little girl,' Wallace said as he began choking up. The accused murder appeared stoic in court - keeping his gaze low in apparent acceptance of his fate. While never addressing the heinous crimes, Sterns issued a statement about the young victim. 'I agree that it's not fair that Madeline is not hear anymore,' Sterns told the court. 'I still have a hard time contemplating a world where she's not around, a world that feels less vibrant and less colorful than it did before.' He also said he wished he could 'trade places' with Madeline. 'I have nothing but sorrow for her loss. And I miss her all the time. Her passing has torn me and my family apart as well and she truly was a joy,' Sterns told the court. 'And I apologize for all the pain.' Wallace's lawyer, Deborah Barra, told Click Orlando his family is at peace with the plea deal, as it is the first step in putting an end to the horrifying ordeal. 'In a case like this, there's never going to be any joy or happiness, there's not going to be a resolution where everybody is like "that's great,"' Barra told the outlet. 'But it is a matter of, "well what can you live with?"' State Attorney Monique Worrell also spoke out, writing in a statement: 'I want to extend my deepest condolences to the Soto family and everyone who loved Madeline. 'While nothing we do can bring Madeline back, I hope her family finds some measure of peace knowing that justice has been served.' Madeline was reported missing in Orlando on February 26, 2024. Her mother, Jennifer, realized something was wrong when she went to pick her up from school and she was not there. Sterns was allegedly supposed to drop Madeline off at Hunter's Creek Middle School and quickly became a 'prime suspect' in her disappearance. Four days after she was reported missing, her body was found in the woods close to where she disappeared from. Police believe Sterns strangled, molested and dumped Madeline. Her school bag was found dumped behind an apartment complex in Kissimmee. Investigators said they found child porn and evidence of Sterns abusing his longtime girlfriend's daughter as far back as 2022.
CBS News
21-07-2025
- CBS News
Florida man sentenced to life for rape, murder of Madeline Soto, his girlfriend's 13-year-old daughter
The longtime boyfriend of a Central Florida mother was sentenced Monday to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of her 13-year-old daughter, who was reported missing in February 2024 and found dead months later. Stephan Sterns was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the first-degree murder of 13-year-old Madeline Soto, and an additional life sentence for 20 sex offenses, including sexual battery of a child, Osceola County Circuit Judge Keith Carsten ordered, according to Orlando CBS affiliate WKMG. Sterns pleaded no contest to the first-degree murder charge and guilty to all 20 counts of sex crimes during a plea hearing Monday afternoon. This abrupt change came just as he was expected to go on trial this week for the sexual battery charges. Sterns had previously pleaded not guilty to sexually abusing and murdering Madeline Soto, the daughter of his former girlfriend. The plea agreement allowed Sterns to avoid a potential death sentence. Prosecutors had announced plans to seek the death penalty during his murder trial, scheduled for later this year. Family and friends, including Madeline Soto's father Tyler Wallace, addressed the court through tears prior to sentencing. Wallace delivered a scathing rebuke: "I can't grasp the selfishness of you, the deplorability of your actions. You're depraved, you're weak, you're a coward." He added, "It doesn't heal with time." Authorities believe Sterns sexually molested, strangled Madeline Soto, and dumped her body in a wooded area. Madeline Soto was reported missing Feb. 26, 2024, after her mother, Jennifer Soto, said she didn't find the teenager when she went to pick her up from Hunter's Creek Middle School. Law enforcement found her body on March 1, 2024, in a wooded area near St. Cloud, about 30 miles south of Orlando. While searching for Madeline Soto, investigators uncovered images on Sterns' phone and Google Drive showing him abusing the teenager. Despite Sterns factory-resetting his phone on the day the teen went missing, claiming he was trying to update it, detectives recovered child pornography and evidence indicating Sterns had been sexually abusing the girl as far back as 2022. Surveillance footage captured Sterns throwing items into a dumpster at a Kissimmee apartment complex the morning Madeline Soto disappeared. The teen's backpack and school-issued laptop were later found in that same dumpster. This report includes information from The Associated Press.
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Yahoo
Madeline Soto update: Stephan Sterns files new motion to drop death penalty in murder case
The Brief Accused killer Stephan Sterns and his attorneys have filed DOZENS of motions as the state and defense prepare for trial. Sterns has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of 13-year-old Madeline Soto. The state is seeking the death penalty against him. A tentative trial date has been scheduled for September 2025. Among the motions, Sterns wants the death penalty removed as an option; wants to be unshackled during hearings and trials, and wants to use a real pen during trial. ORLANDO, Fla. - Stephan Sterns, the man facing a first-degree murder charge and the death penalty, if convicted, in the disappearance and death of 13-year-old Madeline Soto has filed nearly 50 motions in recent days ahead of a pre-trial conference. Madeline Soto was reported missing in February 2024 after not showing up to school. Her body was found five days later dumped in a grassy area in a remote part of Osceola County, officials said. She had been strangled, according to court records. Among the dozens of motions, which seek to establish rules on jury instructions, depositions, and other trial procedures, two of the most notable have to do with Stephan Sterns himself. According to one of the motions, Stephan Sterns wants the death penalty to be removed as a possible penalty if convicted. In another motion, Sterns wants to ensure that he is not restrained during trial and that he is allowed to use a real writing utensil to presumably take notes. Florida prosecutors have already filed a notice of intent to seek the death penalty against Sterns in the death of Soto, whom he lived with along with the girl's mom, Jennifer. What they're saying Sterns' defense attorney argued in the motion that the death penalty would violate his "fundamental right to life," citing the Fifth, Sixth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments. In the motion, Sterns' attorneys also cited that the death penalty is considered a "cruel and unusual" punishment according to international human rights law, and Pope Francis' stance on the death penalty. Click to open this PDF in a new window. A hearing will have to be held on the motion and a judge will have to make a decision. In another motion, Stephan Sterns wants to make sure that he is unrestrained – not shackled – during his trial, if the case reaches trial. His defense attorneys argue that putting the defendant in restraints would create an "inherent bias" to a potential jury. In the motion, attorneys argued that Sterns is considered innocent until proven guilty, that restraints would interfere with his ability to communicate with his attorneys and inhibit Sterns' ability to participate in his own trial. That motion also asks the court to allow Sterns to use "normal writing instruments" during court hearings. What we know Stephan Sterns was the boyfriend of Jennifer Soto, Madeline's mother. According to court documents and law enforcement, Sterns lived with Jennifer, Madeline, and another roommate on and off. He would sometimes take Madeline Soto to school and would also sometimes sleep in the same bed as Madeline and Jennifer, court records said. In Feb. 2024, he reportedly took Madeline Soto to school while the girl's mother stayed back at the house. Hours later when Madeline's mom went to pick her up from school, she was told Madeline never made it to school that day. Sterns is charged with first-degree murder in the death of the girl. He is also charged in a separate case with some 60 counts of sexual abuse and possession of child sexual abuse material after thousands of graphic photos, some including Maddie, were found on his cell phone and saved to a Google Drive account, court records said. He has pleaded not guilty to those charges. His trial on the first-degree murder charge is currently scheduled to begin on Sept. 22, 2025. Last October, new details into the investigation were released, including a recorded phone call between Sterns, who was in jail, and his parents. During the nearly 15-minute call, Sterns laments that he received the "world's sh**iest birthday present," wishes his mom a belated birthday and Mother's Day, and attempts to answer his parents' questions about the ongoing investigation. It appears that the phone call happened after first-degree premeditated murder charges were filed against him in April. Stern's dad: "We're you expecting these charges?" Sterns: "No." Dad: "A murder charge? So you got blindsided by that?" Sterns: "Yeah. Obviously, it's not true. Ya know, I never would have wanted her gone for any reason. Pre-meditated first-degree is kind of a (expletive)-punch" His parents later ask for some understanding of what happened – and why. "I wish there was a way that, ya know, you and I can have a conversation, all of us could have a conversation, to understand what's taken place, how this came about, how you're life here, because it would help us better understand the situation because we're at a loss for understanding how all this came about. We're just totally baffled," Sterns' dad said. "I didn't start it," Sterns responds, almost defensively. "OK. You didn't start it, but you participated in it, which is just as bad as not starting it, but that's for another day." What we know Madeline "Maddie" Soto was a 13-year-old girl who was reported missing on Feb. 26, 2024. Maddie had just celebrated her 13th birthday on February 22, days before she was reported missing. Madeline was a student at Hunter's Creek Middle School in Orlando. Though, she lived with her mom, Sterns, and an adult roommate in Kissimmee. Her body was found in a grassy area in Osceola County on March 1. Sunday, Feb. 25: Madeline Soto's 13th birthday celebration Monday, Feb. 26: Madeline Soto was last seen at 8:30 a.m., didn't make it to school Tuesday, Feb. 27: Madeline Soto's missing poster was released, officials begin search Tuesday night, Feb. 27: Madeline Soto's mom, Jenn Soto, speaks with FOX 35; would-be suspect appears in background Wednesday afternoon, Feb. 28: Orange County Sheriff John Mina hosts press conference about ongoing search Wednesday night, Feb. 28: Mom's boyfriend Stephan Sterns arrested on unrelated charges, named 'prime suspect' in Madeline Soto case Thursday, Feb. 29: Kissimmee Police Department releases Stephan Sterns' arrest affidavit Thursday, Feb. 29: Body language expert assesses Stephan Sterns' body language in Zoom interview with Jenn Soto Friday morning, March 1: Stephan Sterns dodges questions from FOX 35 while being transferred from Orange County to Osceola County Friday afternoon, March 1: Officials say they're 'confident' that Madeline Soto is dead Friday afternoon, March 1: Multi-agency search for Madeline Soto near area where Stephen Sterns was last seen Friday afternoon, March 1: Body found amid search for Madeline Soto Saturday morning, March 2: Stephan Sterns waives first appearance in court Wednesday, March 6: New court documents allege Stephan Sterns may have abused Madeline Soto years before her disappearance, death Tuesday, March 12: State Attorney's Office files 60 additional charges against Stephan Sterns Thursday, March 21: Kissimmee Police Chief holds press conference with updates about investigation Wednesday, April 4: State Attorney Andrew Bain explains why more information has not been released into the Madeline Soto death investigation Wednesday, April 4: FOX 35 obtained the 911 calls from the morning 13-year-old Madeline Soto went missing from Orange County Saturday, April 15: Maddie Soto's family and community members gathered at a vigil Saturday to remember the 13-year-old who was found dead days after she was reported missing in February. Wednesday, April 24: An Osceola County judge granted a motion to continue the pretrial for Stephan Sterns. Wednesday, April 24: A new trial date has been set for Stephan Sterns after an Osceola County judge granted the defense's motion for more time during a pretrial hearing. Thursday, April 25: Stephan Sterns has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of 13-year-old Florida girl Madeline Soto. Monday, June 10: The State Attorney's Office intends to seek the death penalty against Stephan Sterns, the man accused of killing his girlfriend's daughter, 13-year-old Madeline "Maddie" Soto, according to court records – should he be convicted. Wednesday, July 10: Attorneys for Stephan Sterns, who was charged for the murder of 13-year-old Madeline Soto, have filed motions to continue both trials. Thursday, August 22: New police interviews with Stephan Sterns, Jennifer Soto from hours after teen went 'missing' Friday, August 23: New documents obtained by FOX 35 this week show that the teen's mother may have known about that alleged abuse. Monday, August 26: Madeline Soto's mom admits to knowing Stephan Sterns was 'grooming and abusing' her daughter, documents show. Monday, August 26: New documents shed light on how Madeline Soto's body got to the rural location it was eventually found at, and, ultimately, how she died. Monday, October 14: Trial date set for Stephan Sterns Wednesday, October 23: Kissimmee police revealed new information in the ongoing investigation. Alleged killer Stephan Sterns secretly filmed naked roommate, officials say. Friday, October 25: "I didn't start it" Those are the words Stephen Sterns told his parents in a recorded call from jail, audio which was released to FOX 35 Orlando. Thursday, February 6: Stephan Sterns and his attorney file dozens of motions ahead of his murder trial set to begin in September. Asking to strike the death penalty and to have all physical restraint devices removed from Sterns during trial proceedings. The Source Information in this article comes from new court motions, released records and investigation reports, press conferences, law enforcement, and previous FOX 35 reporting.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Yahoo
Sterns' attorneys bombard judge with asks in week-long filing spree
Take the death penalty off the table. Limit how the word 'murder' can be used in court. Prevent prosecutors from challenging certain prospective jurors. Those were three of 52 different requests attorneys for Stephan Sterns filed since last Thursday, amounting to 345 pages the judge, his staff and prosecutors will have to sit through as they prepare for the death penalty case. Sterns is accused of killing the 13-year-old daughter of his girlfriend, Madeline Soto, at the family's home last winter. WATCH: WFTV's exclusive interview with Stephan Sterns before his arrest Prosecutors say he strangled Soto to death sometime after celebrating the girl's birthday before she went to school that Monday morning. They say the killing was intended to cover up his years-long sexual abuse of the girl. While many of the requests filed in court appeared to be routine and a sign the public defenders were doing a thorough job, some of the motions stood out. Read: Clermont Police release names, bodycam footage of fatal apartment standoff One request was to shut the public out of any trial proceedings until it was time to seat a jury. 'At every court proceeding, however minor or inconsequential, there has been extensive coverage by the press as well as social media users on YouTube, TikTok, Twitter (now called X) and Facebook,' the filing said. 'These motions will require testimony and discussion of the evidence in this case prior to trial. In some instances, this could involve evidence which may later be found to be inadmissible… Public dissemination of these items of evidence will prevent Mr. Sterns from receiving a fair trial.' Attorney Thomas Feiter said it was not unusual to have upwards of 100 motions filed ahead of a death penalty case, but he was astounded at the number filed just days apart. Read: 'Fulfilling her dream': 7-year-old girl dies after junior drag racing accident, family says 'It could mean that they want to move for a speedy trial, or it's just that, hey, they've knocked them out, so just file them,' Feiter mused. 'It could be that [the public defender] knows that [the prosecutor's] office is understaffed at the moment… so they're using this as a tactic to try to overwhelm the office into giving them a better plea deal.' Feiter described the public defender assigned to the case, 25-year veteran Beth Bourdon, as one of the best in the Ninth Circuit, and noted she had a team working under her. 'It's going to be a case that generates a lot of media coverage, and that's why I think they want to make sure they're doing an extra good job on this one,' he said. 'I just hope that they're putting as much effort into all their cases and not just the ones that get media attention.' Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
