OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – Stephan Sterns, the man who raped and murdered 13-year-old Madeline Soto, was sentenced Monday to life in prison.
During a plea hearing, Sterns pleaded no contest to first-degree murder and guilty to 20 counts of sex crimes he had been charged with.
Judge Keith Carsten sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of Soto and life in prison for 20 sex offenses, including sexual battery of a child.
[WATCH: News 6 series “Justice for Madeline” on YouTube]
Family and friends, including Soto’s father, Tyler Wallace, spoke through tears while addressing the court and prior to the official sentencing.
“I can’t grasp the selfishness of you, the deplorability of your actions. You’re depraved, you’re weak, you’re a coward," Wallace said. “It doesn’t heal with time.”
[WATCH: Madeline Soto’s father delivers an impact statement in court]
Sterns did make a statement in court after Carsten announced the sentence.
“It is not fair Madeline is not here” he said. “I prayed to God countless times to trade places with her and take me instead. She truly was a joy. I apologize for all the pain.”
Assuming the judge accepts Sterns’ plea, “no contest” carries the same legal consequences as “guilty” but he does not admit or deny responsibility.
— Mike DeForest (@DeForestNews6) July 21, 2025
Sterns previously pleaded not guilty to raping and murdering Soto, who was the daughter of his former girlfriend. The girl’s mother was not in court during the plea hearing and sentencing.
Prosecutors had announced plans to seek the death penalty for Sterns during his murder trial, which was scheduled for later this year.
In a statement, State Attorney Monique Worrell says the decision to go with life in prison was reached in “close consultation with Madeline’s family.”
I want to extend my deepest condolences to the Soto family and everyone who loved Madeline. Her life was stolen in a senseless act of violence, and the pain of that loss is immeasurable.
While nothing we do can bring Madeline back, I hope her family finds some measure of peace knowing that justice has been served. The individual responsible has been sentenced to 21 concurrent life sentences and will never walk free again. He has also waived all of his rights to appeal, ensuring finality and sparing the family from reliving this trauma in courtrooms for years to come.
Our office conducted a meticulous review of this case, and every step we took was in close consultation with Madeline’s family. This outcome reflects their wishes. It holds the accused fully accountable, while also protecting the family from further anguish.
We remain committed to seeking justice in a way that centers victims and honors the lives that are taken far too soon.
Former prosecutor Deborah Barra, who spoke for the girl’s father, said Wallace was OK with the decision. She said for the family, what was most important was what they could accept going forward, and the plea deal would have spared them the graphic details of a trial.
“Obviously, with a trial coming out, and the sex crimes trial was going to be starting on Tuesday,” Barra said, “That’s a lot of videos. It’s their little girl. And I think he recognizes that he — that Stephan Stern is going to die in prison. The death penalty is you die in prison, and he is not getting out, ever. And I think that he understands that. And he understands the trade-off in terms of, OK, he’s going to spend the rest of his life in prison."
[WATCH: Attorney for Madeline Soto’s father speaks after Sterns takes plea deal]
Soto was reported missing on Feb. 26, 2024, when she didn’t show up to Hunter’s Creek Middle School. Law enforcement later found her body on March 1, 2024, in the woods along Hickory Tree Road near St. Cloud.
Authorities believe Soto was sexually molested, strangled and dumped in a wooded area by Sterns.
Investigators said Sterns had been caught on surveillance cameras throwing items into a dumpster at a Kissimmee apartment complex the morning Soto went missing. Soto’s backpack and school-issued laptop were later found in that same dumpster.
While searching for the girl, investigators said they uncovered images on Sterns’ phone and Google Drive that showed him raping the teen.
At some point during the day, Sterns told Soto’s mother that he had factory reset his phone while trying to update it.
Despite Stern’s factory-resetting his phone, detectives said they were able to find child pornography and evidence that Sterns had been sexually abusing Soto as far back as 2022.