On Monday, Stephan Sterns took a plea deal to avoid the death penalty in the case of the rape and killing of 13-year-old Madeline Soto in 2024.
Sterns pleaded no contest to first-degree homicide and guilty to 20 counts of sexual assault.
[VIDEO: Stephan Sterns sentenced to life in prison without parole in Madeline Soto case]
The case gained national attention after the Osceola County teen disappeared after Sterns said he dropped her off at school in February 2024.
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Police say evidence found on Sterns’ phone and a Google Drive showed several instances of Sterns sexually assaulting her.
Sterns was the boyfriend of Soto’s mother.
Last year, News 6’s Mike DeForest sifted through the hundreds of pages of evidence in the case to put together a six-part deep dive into the investigation, called “Justice for Madeline.” Watch each episode below.
Episode 1 — ‘Justice for Madeline: The search begins’
In the first episode of “Justice for Madeline,” News 6 explores the initial hours and days after law enforcement learned about Soto’s disappearance.
Police interviews with Sterns and Soto’s mother, Jennifer, reveal details about the teen’s final hours. Newly obtained videos and crime scene photos document what detectives uncovered as they launched a missing child investigation.
Episode 2 — ‘Justice for Madeline: Condo crime scene’
In the second episode of “Justice for Madeline,” News 6 highlights the evidence detectives seized from the family’s condo.
Newly obtained police interviews with Soto’s mother detail how the teen went to bed with Sterns the night before she vanished.
Episode 3 - ‘Justice for Madeline: Mysterious road trip’
In the third episode of “Justice for Madeline,” News 6 reveals why detectives believe Sterns snuck away from Central Florida and traveled across the state in those early morning hours. Newly obtained police interviews detail concerns Sterns’ parents had about their son as detectives uncovered evidence suggesting he researched a potent drug that causes hypnosis and amnesia.
Episode 4 — ‘Justice for Madeline: Evidence uncovered’
In the fourth episode of “Justice for Madeline,” News 6 explains how detectives used license plate readers and traffic cameras to trace the movements of the two vehicles on the day Soto was reported missing. A condo security guard describes seeing Soto and Sterns the morning of the teen’s disappearance. Crime scene photos reveal what investigators found in a dumpster near the family’s condo.
Episode 5 – ‘Justice for Madeline: The Interrogation’
In Part 5 of “Justice for Madeline”, News 6 takes you inside the interrogation rooms as detectives try to learn the missing teen’s whereabouts.
During the interrogation, detectives informed Jennifer Soto that pornographic images of her missing teen daughter had been found on a phone belonging to her former boyfriend, Stephan Sterns.
At nearly the same time, detectives in a nearby room confronted Sterns about the illicit photos and took him into custody on charges of capital sexual battery and possession of child pornography.
Episode 6 – ‘Justice for Madeline: What Does Mom Know?’
In Part 6 of “Justice for Madeline”, detectives question Jennifer Soto about what they describe as the family’s “weird” living situation less than an hour before the Kissimmee teen’s body is found.
[WATCH: News 6 series “Justice for Madeline” on YouTube]