-
Left, Kissimmee's 13-year-old Madeline Soto's body was recovered March 1 in St. Cloud. No charges yet have been specifically filed in her murder. PHOTO ORANGE COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE Right: In the first update in the case of the death of a Kissimmee teenager in nearly a week, the man — the girl’s mother’s boyfriend — has been charged with 60 more crimes. PHOTO OSCEOLA CORRECTIONS' DEPARTMENT
In the first update in the case of the death of a Kissimmee teenager in nearly a week, the man — the girl’s mother’s boyfriend — has been charged with 60 more crimes.
In connection with the disappearance, then death, of 13-year-old Madeline Soto, the State Attorney's Office for the Ninth District announced Tuesday morning it has charged Stephan Sterns, 37, with:
- Eight counts of Sexual Battery on a Child Under 12
- Five counts of Sexual Battery with a Child 12-18
- Seven counts of Lewd and Lascivious Molestation
- 40 counts of Unlawful Possession of Materials Depicting Sexual Performance by a Child 10 or More Images
Court records show Sterns has been scheduled for an April 2 arraignment — where he would formally advised of the charges filed by the State — at 8:30 a.m.
Those counts, as of late Tuesday morning, did not include murder, or charges against the teen's mother, Jennifer Soto.
“The State Attorney’s Office has been working closely with KPD and received evidence that gave us cause to file formal charges against Sterns," State Attorney Andrew Bain said. "We appreciate the thoroughness and detailed attention of their investigation and will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to build a strong case against the defendant.”
Sexual battery on a child under 12 year old is now a capital felony — Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law last year that would extend the death penalty to those convicted of sexually abusing children, but it faces constitutional challenges. State prosecutors actually sought the death penalty against a Lake County man charged with sexually abusing a child earlier this year, but the man instead pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison. Lewd or lascivious molestation is also a first-degree felony with the potential of life in prison if a suspect is convicted.
Kissimmee police officials said the investigation continues.
"We appreciate the efforts of our partners in the State Attorney’s Office in assisting with seeking justice for Madeline," Kissimmee Chief of Police Betty Holland said. “With this being a complex case with many facets, our work is not done, and we are continuing our investigation into the timeline leading up to Madeline's death.”
Soto’s body was discovered on Friday March 1 off Hickory Tree Road southeast of St. Cloud. That’s over 20 miles from her Kissimmee home of Hoagland Boulevard. She was reported missing the prior Monday, after school officials at Hunter’s Creek Middle School in Orange County said she never arrived there that day. Sterns claimed he dropped her off that morning in front of a church blocks away from the school, on Town Loop Boulevard on the other side of State Road 417 from the school.
Originally an Orange County case, Kissimmee Police became involved when it was revealed the victim lived with her mother and Sterns in a Kissimmee condominium. By the morning of the 28th, flyers with Madeline’s missing persons photo went up all over downtown Kissimmee and the immediate area. Police did a forensic review of Sterns’ cell phone — after he said he’d “accidentally” performed a factory reset on it — and recovered graphic images of sexual acts with a minor. KPD charged him with sexual battery, sexual battery on a person under age 12, and possession of materials depicting the sexual performance of a child, and jailed him without bond.
Later in the week, Orange County Sheriff's officials said they had video evidence that Sterns discarded items, including Soto's backpack and school-issued laptop, around 7:35 a.m. the day of the disappearance in a dumpster, presumably at the Kissimmee apartment complex they lived in. Sheriff John Mina said at 8:19 a.m., Sterns returned to the complex, with Soto visible in the car; Mina said he believed she was dead at that time.
