Stephan Sterns’ Parents: Jailhouse Calls and Police Statements

Stephan Sterns’ parents are Chris and Debra Sterns of North Port, Florida, who became part of the public record in the Madeline Soto case through police interviews, hours of recorded jailhouse phone calls with their son, and physical evidence Chris turned over to investigators. Their son was sentenced in July 2025 to 21 concurrent life sentences without the possibility of parole for the sexual abuse and murder of 13-year-old Madeline Soto, the daughter of his girlfriend Jennifer Soto.

Who Chris and Debra Sterns Are

Chris and Debra Sterns live in North Port, Florida, roughly 150 miles southwest of the Kissimmee area where the crimes occurred. Chris described the family as financially strained, telling his son during a May 2024 jailhouse call that they were “dead-ass broke” when Stephan asked them to put money in his commissary account.¹

Chris said he had been paying $600 a month in rent for Stephan while his son lived with Jennifer Soto in a Venetian Bay condominium beginning in November 2022, telling investigators he “didn’t realize I was supporting the whole family.” Both parents were interviewed multiple times by the Kissimmee Police Department, the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in the days after Madeline disappeared in late February 2024, and again that September.² Neither has been charged with any crime in connection with the case.

What They Told Police About Their Son

Chris Sterns was direct with investigators about his son’s character. “He’s spent a lifetime lying to us,” he told them. Both parents described Stephan’s emotions as “erratic and unpredictable” and attributed the behavior to medications he was taking. They also told police he had sustained a traumatic brain injury in a car accident in his youth and had been on an Individual Education Plan throughout school.²

Chris and Debra said they strongly disapproved of their son’s relationship with Jennifer Soto, citing what they described as her mental health struggles and alleged drug use, and they called the relationship mutually destructive. Debra said that when Jennifer and Madeline visited the family in North Port, she watched mother and daughter clash often, and that Madeline sometimes referred to Stephan as “Dad.”²

Chris told investigators he believed Jennifer Soto was “as culpable as he is” in Madeline’s disappearance. Debra said she had experienced a “premonition or dream” about the incident and suggested the death might have been the accidental outcome of a confrontation among Stephan, Jennifer, and Madeline.² Jennifer Soto has not been charged with any crime in the case.³

The Jailhouse Phone Calls

The State Attorney’s Office released roughly four hours of recordings of calls between Stephan Sterns and his parents in the spring of 2024.⁴ The recordings became some of the most closely watched evidence in the case.

“I Didn’t Start It”

In a May 14, 2024 call, Chris pressed his son for an explanation. “I wish there was a way that, you know, you and I can have a conversation,” he said, “because we’re just rather lost for understanding how all this came about.”⁵ Stephan answered, “Well, I didn’t start it.” Chris pushed back immediately: “OK. You didn’t start it, but you participated in it, which is just as bad as not starting it, but that’s for another day.”⁶ According to investigative records, Sterns never denied killing Madeline during the conversation.⁷

Sterns’ Account to His Parents

In another call, Stephan told his parents he had found Madeline’s body in the home, describing her as “ice cold” with a “pale face, blue lips” and saying she was “beyond” help. He claimed he had left her alone and later discovered her in a different part of the house. “I wish I had run downstairs and shaken her awake and called 911,” he said. Debra responded, “I wish you had too, cause maybe she could have been saved.”⁴ Investigators later determined the cause of death was strangulation.⁷

Confronted about the child sexual abuse images found on his phone, Stephan told his parents he was not “generally” attracted to minors but refused to elaborate, citing fear of self-incrimination. He claimed Madeline had “feelings” for him and alleged that Jennifer Soto had once joked, “You better not leave me for my daughter when she’s older.”⁴

How His Parents Responded

Reporting on the recordings noted that the conversations “imply that his parents are convinced of their son’s innocence.” Debra Sterns frequently urged her son to turn to the Bible. When the conversation turned to the possibility of the death penalty, she told him, “Maybe God just delivered her out of a place that was going to be really bad for her.” Stephan replied, “Murder one is about as bad as it can get.”⁴

The calls also contained everyday exchanges. Stephan asked his parents to ship him toiletries, coffee, and Michael Crichton novels. Debra refused his request for a copy of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary because she disliked the story. He also asked them to locate personal items at their home, including a collectible popcorn bucket and a toy “mouse droid,” which he had to tell them to look up online.⁴

The North Port Trip and the Storage Unit

One episode drew particular scrutiny. On the night of February 28, 2024, two days after Madeline’s disappearance and the night before his arrest, Stephan left the hotel where he was staying with Jennifer Soto and his father, and drove to the North Port area. Detectives believe he went to his parents’ home to use their Wi-Fi and access his Google account to delete images and videos of child sexual abuse.⁷ In a later jailhouse call, he gave his father a vaguer account, saying he went to “grab a few things” and “get my ducks in a row” to “prepare myself for whatever was coming.”⁸

Debra told police she never saw her son that night and believed he did not enter the home because he did not have a garage door opener. Chris owned a storage unit that investigators determined Stephan had accessed during the trip. Chris later found a hard drive and a watch inside the unit that Stephan had previously claimed were in his bedroom.⁷

While cleaning out Stephan’s former bedroom, Chris also discovered an old computer tower missing its hard drive and contacted police, telling them he feared it might contain evidence.⁷ Chris turned over the computer tower, a hard drive, and two USB drives belonging to his son. One of the disks contained more than 35,000 images of child pornography, though police said none of those images depicted Madeline Soto.⁸

Where Things Stand

Stephan Sterns pleaded no contest to first-degree premeditated murder and guilty to 20 counts of sexual abuse on July 21, 2025, one day before his sexual abuse trial was set to begin.⁹ Judge Keith Carsten sentenced him to 21 concurrent life sentences without parole.¹⁰ Chris and Debra Sterns were not charged in the case and have not been accused by prosecutors of knowing involvement in their son’s crimes.

1
ClickOrlando. A Gut Punch: Stephen Sterns Reacts to Murder Charge in Newly Released Jailhouse Call With Parents
2
Around Osceola. Sterns’ Parents: He’s Spent a Lifetime Lying to Us
3
WFTV. Madeline Soto Case: Deputies Release Interview With Jennifer Soto
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Court TV. Stephan Sterns Jailhouse Calls With Parents Reveal Startling New Details
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WESH. Stephan Sterns Jail House Phone Call With Parents, Madeline Soto Case
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Fox 35 Orlando. Madeline Soto Update: I Didn’t Start It, Stephen Sterns Tells Dad in Recorded Jail Call
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ClickOrlando. Here’s the Full Timeline of the Madeline Soto Case From Start to Finish
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Court TV. I Didn’t Start It: Stephan Sterns Talks About Madeline Soto
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NBC News. Man Gets 21 Life Sentences for Death of Madeline Soto
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Fox 35 Orlando. Madeline Soto Case: Stephan Sterns Expected to Change Plea Ahead of Trials