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Stephan Sterns to face death penalty in Madeline Soto case
The State Attorney's Office intends to seek the death penalty against Stephan Sterns, the man accused of killing his girlfriend's daughter, 13-year-old Madeline "Maddie" Soto, according to court records – should he be convicted.
OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. - Stephan Sterns, the man accused of murdering 13-year-old Madeline Soto, has a pretrial hearings scheduled in Osceola County court on Wednesday.
In addition to a first degree murder charge, which was handed down from a grand jury indictment in late April, Sterns is facing 60 additional charges related to sexual battery, molestation and possession of child sex abuse material. These latter charges were brought forth after Sterns voluntarily handed his phone over to law enforcement during the search for the missing teenager in late February, which revealed he was in possession of graphic photos and videos of Madeline, according to officials.
The teen's body was found on March 1 in rural Osceola County, days after she was first reported missing when she didn't show up to school that Monday morning.
Madeline Soto (Photo: Jenn Soto)
There were two pretrial hearings originally scheduled for Wednesday, but court officials said the 10 a.m. hearing is no longer happening. They'll meet at 1:30 p.m.
Stephan Sterns (Photo: Osceola County Jail)
Sterns is not expected to appear in court Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Ninth Judicial Circuit confirmed to FOX 35 on Tuesday. He previously waived his appearance at the arraignment hearings for each case, online records show.
Judge Keith Carsten will meet with prosecutors and Sterns' attorneys ahead of the scheduled jury trial dates of July 16 (first degree murder charge) and Aug. 19 (sex-related charges). Lawyers could file motions to either delay the trial or exclude evidence at pretrial hearings, while the judge could determine whether the case is fit for trial.
All of these details will be revealed at Wednesday's hearings. FOX 35 will be providing updates at fox35orlando.com.
In the weeks leading up to Wednesday's pretrial hearings, FOX 35 has obtained hundreds of pages of documents related to both cases involving Sterns, including police interviews, evidence lists and other investigative material.
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New Stephan Sterns documents released in Madeline Soto case
FOX 35 has obtained new documents from the Florida State Attorney's Office in the Madeline Soto investigation. These documents provide new details previously unknown, including the initial interview police had with Stephan Sterns, Soto's mom's boyfriend, his timeline of what happened the day Madeline was reported missing, the 1,700 sexually explicit images allegedly found on his cell phone, and details about his relationship with the 13-year-old girl.
These documents shed light on where and how Madeline's body was found, key items collected as evidence, and details about Sterns' relationship with the teenager, like how they texted frequently and sometimes slept in the same bed together with her mother's permission.
The State Attorney's Office said they intend to seek the death penalty against Sterns for the alleged murder of Madeline. Right now, Sterns is the only person charged in Madeline's death. He remains in custody at the Osceola County Jail.