Florida prosecutors want the man accused of murdering his girlfriend’s 13-year-old daughter to face the death penalty if convicted.
Stephan Sterns is accused of killing Madeline “Maddie” Soto, earlier this year. The teenager’s body was found several days after her mother, Jenn Soto, and Sterns reported her missing.
They said she failed to come home on February 26. The pair said the child was dropped off near her school that morning but never made it to class.
Sterns is currently facing more than 60 charges in relation to the girl’s death. He’s previously been charged with the girl’s murder, capital sexual battery, lewd or lascivious molestation, and unlawful possession of child sexual abuse materials.
Her mother told police that Maddie wanted to be dropped off a block from the school because she was embarrassed by Stern’s car. Sterns claimed that she looked just as she did on other mornings when she was dropped off.
However, police think the girl was killed a day before school began.
The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office arrested Sterns on February 28 after they discovered “disturbing images” on his phone, which he allegedly tried to delete. Authorities found her body on March 1 near Hickory Tree Road in Osceola County.
Police said the photos were “criminal and sexual in nature”.
Three days later, authorities obtained another arrest warrant for Sterns claiming that he had been sexually abusing the child since 2022.
Prosecutors believe that they can prove the following aggravating circumstances in the case that would allow them to put the death penalty on the table: Sterns had previously been convicted of another capital felony involving the use or threat of violence, the felony was committed while he was engaged in an attempt to commit aggravated child abuse, the felony was heinous, atrocious or cruel and the victim was vulnerable due to her age.
A grand jury indicted Sterns on a charge of first-degree murder in April. A pre-trial hearing in the case has been set for July 10 and the trial is scheduled for July 16.
