Mother’s ex takes plea deal to avoid death penalty over murder of 13-year-old Madeline Soto

The man accused of raping and murdering 13-year-old Madeline Soto has agreed to a plea deal that takes the death penalty off the table.

Stephan Sterns, the former boyfriend of Soto’s mother, appeared in a Florida courtroom Monday where he pleaded no contest in the death of the teenager and guilty to the 60 sex abuse charges connected to the case.

The bombshell plea deal hearing came just a day before Sterns was scheduled to stand trial on Tuesday for the sex abuse charges.

He faced the death penalty in his murder trial scheduled for September, but prosecutors agreed to remove it as part of the double plea agreement.

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Sterns had previously pleaded not guilty to raping and murdering Madeline, who was the daughter of Sterns’ former girlfriend, Jenn Soto.

While searching for the girl, investigators said they uncovered images on Sterns’ phone and Google Drive that showed him raping the teen.

Madeline was reported missing on February 26, 2024, a day after her 13th birthday, when she didn’t show up to Hunter’s Creek Middle School.

More than 50 law enforcement officers spent the days following Madeline’s disappearance searching for her in the nearby woods.

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Madeline's body was eventually found amongst the trees near Hickory Tree Road in Osceola County on March 1, a few days after she was reported missing.

On February 28, two days after Madeline disappeared, the sheriff’s office announced it had arrested Sterns, following the discovery of “disturbing images” on his phone, which he had tried to delete. These photos and videos were “criminal and sexual in nature”, the office said.

On March 4, another arrest warrant was issued for Sterns, alleging he had been abusing Madeline since 2022, when she was just 11 years old.