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Court documents gave some of the details to the charges against Stephan Sterns, the person of most interest in the disappearance and death of Kissimmee teen Madeline Soto.
During a week in which a trial date was set for Madeline Soto’s mother’s boyfriend, the State Attorney’s Office released information related to the charges filed against him — painting a picture of when they allege he committed the crimes.
Stephan Sterns, 37, the lead suspect in the disappearance and subsequent death of the Kissimmee 13-year-old, was initially scheduled to appear in the courtroom of Judge Keith Carsten for arraignment — the reading of charges against him, and his opportunity to make a plea — on April 2 at 8:30 a.m. Court records now show that has been waived.
The reading may haven take some time. The state has filed what adds up to 60 charges, including unlawful possession of materials depicting sexual performance by a child, sexual battery of a child under 12, of a child between 12-18 and lewd and lascivious molestation. Much of the evidence against him was recovered from his phone, which he said he “accidentally” performed a system reset on when initially interviewed after Soto’s Feb. 26 disappearance.
Since a judge rarely accepts a “guilty” or “no contest” plea at arraignment, other pre-trial proceedings may be scheduled.
Sterns has also been scheduled for trial beginning May 13, with an April 24 pre-trial hearing — which he also can choose not to attend. At that hearing, Stern’s defense — court records show he is represented by a public defender — may ask for a continuance to delay a trial in order to continue building a defense. While Sterns, or anyone else, is not currently charged directly with Soto’s murder, additional charges could also affect the court date.
Also this week, the Osceola County Clerks Office made available 36 pages of information regarding the 60 charges filed. It includes insight into the forensic work done by Kissimmee Police investigators, including the awful contents, and the dates they likely occurred. They paint three periods of acts committed — all during summer break from school. They do not name a victim, but a prior arrest affidavit listed the birthdate of a victim, which matches Soto’s birthdate.
The information shows Sterns came into possession of the materials depicting sexual performance from June 17 to July 25, 2019.
Information on the sexual battery charges on a child under age 12 is that they likely occurred between June 19 and July 12, 2019, and between July 22 and Aug. 15, 2022. The report shows the acts in sexual battery on a child ages 12-18 would have occurred between June 14 and June 29, 2023, and the acts in the lewd and lascivious molestation charges occurred June 19 and July 12, 2019 and from July 22 to Aug. 2, 2022.
It is worth noting that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation in 2023 that listed sexual battery on a child under age 12 a capital offense, making it eligible for a death penalty sentence, although the bill faces constitutional court challenges. It was tested in a case in Lake County in February where the death penalty was considered until the defended entered a guilty plea and was sentenced to life in prison — a likely sentence if Stern is found guilty on the harshest of his charges.
