Stephan Sterns was sentenced on July 21, 2025 to 21 concurrent life sentences without the possibility of parole after pleading no contest to first-degree murder and guilty to 20 counts of sex crimes in the killing of 13-year-old Madeline Soto. The sentencing by Osceola County Circuit Judge Keith Carsten came one day before Sterns was set to stand trial on the sex crimes charges and roughly two months before his scheduled murder trial.1NBC News. Man Gets 21 Life Sentences for Death of Madeline Soto
What the Plea Deal Included
In exchange for the plea, prosecutors withdrew their intent to seek the death penalty. Sterns waived all rights to appeal, a condition State Attorney Monique Worrell said was meant to “ensure finality” and spare Madeline’s family further courtroom proceedings.1NBC News. Man Gets 21 Life Sentences for Death of Madeline Soto
Prosecutors also dropped 40 additional sexual abuse charges and agreed not to file further charges related to abuse in other counties. The agreement contains a reversion clause: if Sterns ever withdraws his plea or obtains any form of post-conviction relief, prosecutors will pursue the death penalty and take the case to trial.2WESH. Madeline Soto Murder: Stephan Sterns Life Sentence
Worrell said the resolution was reached in “close consultation with Madeline’s family” and that the outcome “reflects their wishes.”3Fox 35 Orlando. Stephan Sterns Expected to Change Plea
The Counts Behind the 21 Life Sentences
Sterns pleaded no contest to first-degree murder and guilty to 20 counts of sex crimes, including capital sexual battery and lewd and lascivious molestation.4Click Orlando. Stephan Sterns Expected to Enter New Plea Those 21 counts produced the 21 concurrent life sentences imposed by Judge Carsten.
The murder charge came from an Osceola County grand jury indictment returned on April 24, 2024. The sex crimes traced back to a March 12, 2024 filing by the State Attorney’s Office for the Ninth Judicial Circuit, which initially brought 60 charges against Sterns, including eight counts of sexual battery on a child under 12, five counts of sexual battery with a child aged 12 to 18, seven counts of lewd and lascivious molestation, and 40 counts of unlawful possession of materials depicting sexual performance by a child.5Kissimmee Police Department. State Attorney Files 60 Charges Against Stephan Sterns
The Evidence That Shaped the Outcome
Madeline was reported missing on February 26, 2024, after failing to arrive at Hunters Creek Middle School in Kissimmee. Sterns, who was dating Madeline’s mother Jennifer Soto, initially told investigators he had dropped the girl off near the school that morning.6Spectrum News 13. Timeline: What Accused Murderer Stephan Sterns Told Investigators and What Video Evidence Shows Surveillance footage undercut that account, and her body was found on March 1, 2024, in a wooded area off Hickory Tree Road in Osceola County.7Click Orlando. Full Timeline of the Madeline Soto Case
The Orange County Medical Examiner ruled the cause of death as strangulation, citing a broken hyoid bone, and classified the manner of death as homicide. Investigators also found that Sterns had searched online for Sevoflurane, a volatile anesthetic, roughly a week and a half before the murder, along with queries such as “show up in drug test.” The medical examiner’s findings did not confirm whether any drug was administered to the victim.8WESH. Madeline Soto Medical Examiner Report
The sex crimes case rested on digital evidence pulled from Sterns’ phone and Google Drive account after Jennifer Soto’s daughter went missing. Detectives found child sexual abuse material depicting Sterns abusing Madeline, and the material dated back to at least 2022.9CBS News. Madeline Soto Florida Murder Case: Stephan Sterns Sentenced The prosecution’s evidence included roughly 1,500 images and videos, which the defense had to review at the prosecutor’s office because of the sensitive nature of the material.10Court TV. Stephan Sterns Absent From Court as Trial Is Delayed
The Pretrial Ruling That Preceded the Plea
Defense attorney Alesha Smith fought hard to keep the phone evidence out. She filed motions arguing police had improperly seized Sterns’ phone, coerced him into providing his password, and should have obtained a warrant before searching the device.11WESH. Stephan Sterns Court Hearing, Sexual Abuse Case
On July 2, 2025, Judge Carsten denied the motion to suppress, ruling that all images and videos recovered from the phone and associated Google Drive were admissible.12Click Orlando. State Can Use Stephan Sterns’ Cellphone, Judge Rules Less than three weeks later, Sterns entered his plea.
The Sentencing Hearing
Several of Madeline’s family members addressed the court, including her father, Tyler Wallace, her grandmother, a cousin, aunts, and a woman described as a roommate who had lived with Madeline, her mother, and Sterns. Jennifer Soto did not provide a statement.3Fox 35 Orlando. Stephan Sterns Expected to Change Plea
Wallace spoke about the permanent loss to his family, saying “because of the actions of this depraved man, I will never meet the woman she was becoming.” He also expressed regret that Madeline had wanted to come live with him when she turned 13.13Court TV. Madeline Soto’s Dad Speaks at Sentencing
Sterns spoke for roughly 90 seconds, apologizing and saying he had “prayed to God countless times to trade places with her.”3Fox 35 Orlando. Stephan Sterns Expected to Change Plea
Sexual Predator Designation and Where Sterns Is Now
On September 24, 2025, Judge Carsten signed a written order designating Sterns a sexual predator under Florida law. The designation requires compliance with Florida’s sexual predator registration rules, and Sterns was added to the state’s online registry of sexual offenders and predators.14Click Orlando. Judge Designates Stephan Sterns a Sexual Predator
After sentencing, Sterns was moved from the Osceola County Jail, where he had been held since March 2024, to the Central Florida Reception Center in Orlando, operated by the Florida Department of Corrections. The reception center processes inmates before they are assigned to a permanent prison, and the timing of his transfer to a long-term facility had not been confirmed in available reporting.15WESH. Stephan Sterns New Mugshot
What About Jennifer Soto
Jennifer Soto, Madeline’s mother, drew significant public scrutiny during the case. When shown the evidence of abuse, she acknowledged Sterns had been “grooming and abusing my child” and called him a “master liar” and “master manipulator.”16Fox 35 Orlando. Madeline Soto’s Mom and Stephan Sterns: New Documents Investigators noted inconsistencies in her responses, and an Orange County Sheriff’s Office incident report stated detectives believed she “accepted the victimization” of her daughter.7Click Orlando. Full Timeline of the Madeline Soto Case
The Kissimmee Police Department said in 2024 that it had “no plans to file charges against Jennifer Soto,” citing a lack of evidence to charge her at that time.17WFTV. Madeline Soto Case: Deputies Release Interview With Jennifer Soto No criminal charges against her have been reported as of 2026.