ORLANDO, Fla. – The man accused of raping and murdering 13-year-old Madeline Soto has notified a judge that he will appear in an Osceola County courtroom Monday afternoon to enter a new plea, court records filed late Friday show.
Stephan Sterns, 39, previously pleaded not guilty to charges that he murdered his former girlfriend’s daughter in February 2024 following years of sexually battering the minor and possessing explicit images of those encounters.
Until the announcement of a new plea being entered, Sterns had been facing two separate trials.
[WATCH: News 6 series “Justice for Madeline” on YouTube]
Jury selection remains scheduled to begin Tuesday in the sexual battery case. If Sterns is convicted of those offenses, he could be sentenced to life in prison.
Prosecutors announced they would be seeking the death penalty during Sterns’ homicide trial, which is scheduled to begin in September.
Sterns filed notices in both criminal cases late Friday requesting a plea hearing at 1:30 p.m. Monday, which is less than 24 hours before prospective jurors are to begin reporting to the Osceola County courthouse.
Representatives from the office of State Attorney Monique Worrell and Sterns’ public defender did not immediately respond to questions from News 6 about Monday’s plea hearing.
[TIMELINE: The Madeline Soto case]
Soto was reported missing on Feb. 26, 2024, after she failed to show up for class at Hunter’s Creek Middle School. Sterns told police he drove Soto to school that morning.
While searching for Soto, investigators said they uncovered images on Sterns’ phone and Google Drive that showed him raping the teen.
[WATCH: Law enforcement interview with Stephan Sterns after disappearance of Madeline Soto]
Authorities found Soto’s body four days later in a wooded area near St. Cloud. The teen had been strangled to death, the medical examiner determined.
In his first trial, Sterns faces 60 criminal charges, including sexual battery on a child under the age of 12, lewd or lascivious molestation, and unlawful possession of materials depicting sexual performance by a child.
News 6 will also stream the hearing live on Monday.
[PREVIOUS COVERAGE: One year since murder of Madeline Soto]