By The newspaper
Apr 25, 2024, 08:41 AM EDT
An Osceola County grand jury in Florida presented an indictment of first-degree murder against Stephan Sterns, stepfather of Madeline Soto, a missing 13-year-old minor found dead.
The Prosecutor’s Office has not yet decided whether to seek the death penalty against Sterns, who is already accused of sexually abusing the victim since she was 11 years old.
Prosecutor Andrew Bain announced the charge this Wednesday with Kissimmee Police Chief Betty Holland at a conference in the county courthouse.
Holland considered the indictment a crucial step toward the pursuit of justice and a testament to the entity’s commitment to honoring Madeline’s memory.
Although Sterns was identified as a suspect in the crime before the teenager’s body was found, the authorities had not filed a murder accusation against the man since they did not have evidence to support it.
So far, the cause of death of the young woman has not been revealed; nor the specific circumstances of her death. It’s unclear what exactly led the grand jury to make the decision to indict Sterns for the girl’s murder.
Sterns was the boyfriend of Jennifer Soto, Madeline’s mother.
“The evidence shows that an individual entrusted with keeping Madeline safe made calculated moves to dispose of Madeline’s belongings and locate her body in a wooded area before she was even reported missing,” Holland told members of the the press according to an Orlando Sentinel article. “For four days, after her disappearance, the entire community was actively searching for Madelina to be safe and alive,” added the police spokesperson, who described the evidence in the case as voluminous.
Just yesterday, Sterns was supposed to appear at a court hearing to answer the 60 charges that were previously filed against him for sexual abuse. The allegations include capital sexual abuse of a minor, lewd or lascivious abuse and unlawful possession of materials depicting sexual acts of a minor. However, the man’s defense filed a motion to delay the proceedings while they continue to prepare for the case.
On the cell phone of Sterns, 37, agents discovered “disturbing” images and videos of a sexual nature.
It was as a result of that discovery that the man was prosecuted for sexual abuse and related charges.
Madeline was reported missing on February 26, after her mother did not find her when she went to look for her at school.
Sterns was supposed to drop her off at school that morning. Although that was his argument before the authorities, the Police have evidence from security cameras that show the man driving a car in which the girl’s lifeless body was supposedly found. Sterns is also seen in the images throwing the teenager’s belongings into a trash container at a housing complex. Other footage shows Sterns near Old Hickory Tree Road in St. Cloud later that day. Madeline’s remains were later found in that area.
Investigators have not identified the young woman’s mother as a suspect in the case. So far, the woman has cooperated with detectives.
Keep reading:
Madeline Soto’s mother appears in an interview with her boyfriend accused of raping the minor and suspected of murdering her
Madeline Soto’s father on the rape and murder of the minor in Florida: “Every father knows what I’m thinking right now”
Who is Stephan Sterns, the man accused of sexually abusing Madeline Soto in Florida?