Florida man faces dozens of sexual assault charges in connection with February murder of 13-year-old Madeline “Maddie” Soto is now charged with capital murder for her death, according to court records.
Stéphane Sternsalready facing 60 charges related to child sexual abuse, was charged with first-degree murder Wednesday, according to Osceola County. Circuit Court Records. Kissimmee Police Department and Orange County Sheriff’s Office Sterns initially arrested in connection with the affair of February 29.
Madeline “Maddie” Soto disappeared Feb. 26 from her home in Kissimmee, a city about 20 miles south of Orlando. The girl’s body was found on March 1.
Sterns was the last person to see Maddie alive, according to an X post from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
He is expected to be arraigned on the new charge Monday before Judge Keith Carsten.
If convicted of capital murder, Sterns faces the death penalty.
24 years later: Deathbed confession leads to bodies of missing daughter and mother in West Virginia
What happened to Madeline Soto?
The girl was last seen wearing a green sweatshirt, black shorts and white Crocs, the Kissimmee The police, the lead investigating agency into his death, said Friday. THE The Orange County Sheriff’s Office said according to this evidence, she was “never dropped off near her school” on the morning of her disappearance.
Video footage from the day of her disappearance shows Sterns “throwing items into a dumpster at the family’s Kissimmee apartment complex” at 7:35 a.m., according to the sheriff’s office. reported on X, adding that investigators found Madeline’s backpack in the dumpster.
The footage then shows Sterns returning to the family home at 8:20 a.m. with “Madeline visible in the car”, but investigators believe she was already dead.
During the Sheriff’s Office’s investigation into Madeline’s disappearance, detectives found “disturbing images during the forensic examination of Sterns’ phone” — some that he allegedly attempted to delete.
The alleged sex crimes, detectives said, took place at Madeline’s home, the agency reported.
Stephans Sterns jailed without bail in Florida
Sterns remained jailed without bond Friday, according to online records.
As of Thursday, the attorney handling the first-degree murder charge Sterns faces had not been released online.
Contributors: Jonathan Limehouse and Saman Shafiq
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Contact her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.
This article was originally published on USA TODAY: Stephan Sterns charged with murder of Madeline Soto in Florida
