OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – Stephan Sterns, the prime suspect in the disappearance and death of 13-year-old Madeline Soto, was expected back in court Wednesday for a pre-trial hearing.
Sterns, who turns 38 on Thursday, was not there, marking yet another waived court appearance ahead of his upcoming jury trial in Osceola County, which up until Wednesday was expected to start May 13. Sterns’ public defender on Wednesday was granted a continuance for reasons including the “defense not sufficiently (being) prepared for trial,” according to the clerk of courts office.
A pre-trial hearing is now set for 1:30 p.m. July 10, with Sterns’ jury trial scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Aug. 19, records show. Sterns does not currently face any charges related to Soto’s disappearance and death, and his trial centers on numerous other charges.
Sterns is the boyfriend of Madeline Soto’s mother and was the last person confirmed to have seen the girl alive, according to investigators. Madeline Soto was reported missing the evening of Feb. 26 after Sterns claimed he dropped her off that morning near Hunter’s Creek Middle School, yet when the girl’s mother arrived at the school around 4:30 p.m. to pick her up, she was told Madeline had never come to school that day.
In 911 calls released by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, callers reporting Madeline’s disappearance can be heard questioning deputies’ response time.
Sterns was arrested Feb. 28 after detectives said their investigation into Soto’s disappearance led them to “images and videos that were criminal, and sexual in nature” during a forensic examination of Sterns’ phone, which he claimed to have “accidentally” wiped via factory reset on the day Madeline was reported missing. He was held on no bond to face charges of sexual battery and possession of child sexual abuse materials as the search for Madeline continued, investigators said.
During a news conference on March 1, Orange County Sheriff John Mina said investigators were confident Soto was already dead, having been killed at her Kissimmee home before Sterns moved her body. Deputies would soon locate and recover Soto’s body that evening from a wooded area off Hickory Tree Road in Osceola County.
The Orange-Osceola state attorney has since filed the following 60 new counts against Sterns:
- Eight counts of sexual battery on a child under 12
- Five counts of sexual battery with a child 12-18 (familial/custodial authority)
- Seven counts of lewd or lascivious molestation
- 40 counts of unlawful possession of materials depicting sexual performance by a child 10 or more
If convicted, Sterns faces life in prison. He’s being held without bond and Kissimmee police said an investigation is ongoing.
Madeline Soto’s autopsy report was deemed confidential due to a state statute exempting from the public record “an autopsy report of a minor whose death was related to an act of domestic violence,” according to the District 9 Medical Examiner’s Office.
Jenny Esquivel is a victim advocate for Tyler Wallace, Madeline Soto’s biological father.
Esquivel said Wednesday that Madeline Soto’s parents were heartbroken by the tragic loss of their daughter, yet their resolve for justice remains unwavering.
“They will do everything in their power to seek justice for her and ensure that those who are to be held accountable will (be),” Esquivel said. “This is when reality, the cruel portion of this reality, starts sinking in, and we’re all deeply affected by it.”
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