Stephan Sterns to Appear in Osceola Court Today for Pre-Trial Hearing in Child Sex Abuse Case Connected to Madeline Soto
Stephan Sterns, the man accused of sexually abusing and later murdering 13-year-old Madeline Soto, is scheduled to appear in Osceola County court on Monday, July 14 at 9 a.m. for a motion hearing related to over 60 child sex abuse charges.
Madeline Soto's child sex abuse was not evil - Mom
The hearing will address two new motions, including a request by Sterns’ attorneys for him to appear without handcuffs or physical restraints.
Sterns is also charged with first-degree murder in Maddie Soto’s death. Soto’s body was found in a field in St. Cloud, a week after she was initially reported missing on February 26, 2024.
Investigators say Sterns, her mother’s then-boyfriend, was the last person to see her alive and was supposed to drop her off at school that morning.
The murder case is being tried separately and is currently scheduled for trial in September, according to court records.
Prosecutors announced they are seeking the death penalty if Sterns is convicted, citing the cruelty of the crime and Soto’s vulnerability.
Jury selection in the sex abuse case begins July 22, with opening arguments scheduled for July 25.
Life without parole in two county sex case
McLennan/Burnet County, Tx (FOX 44) – District attorneys in McLennan and Burnet counties teamed up in a trial that sent a man to prison for life without parole in a child sex case.
Angel Escalante was found guilty of continuous sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14.
The case was presented in 33rd District Court in Burnet County.
McLennan County District Attorney Josh Tetens said back in 2023 two relatives of the 53-year-old Escalante made an outcry that he had sexually abused them over a period of years, with acts occurring in both Burnet and McLennan counties,
Ultimately, investigators determined that Escalante had sexually abused those two victims, as well as a third child, with the bulk of the abuse occurring in Burnet County.
Consequently, Escalante was charged with Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child Under 14 in Burnet County, and also with two counts of Indecency with a Child by Contact in McLennan County.
Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child Under 14 carries a punishment range of 25 years to life and is one of only a few crimes in Texas that allows no possibility of parole.
Indecency with a Child by Contact carries a punishment range of 2 to 20 years in prison.
Because Burnet County had the more serious charge on Escalante, prosecutors elected to try that case first. Additionally, because Escalante’s cases in Burnet and McLennan Counties were so closely connected, prosecutors from the two jurisdictions decided to collaborate in trying Escalante.
During Escalante’s weeklong trial, prosecutors called all three of his victims to testify. Prosecutors also presented evidence from Detective Josh Day with the Burnet Police Department, Lisa Carson, a therapist from the Hill Country Advocacy Center, and Dr. Kerry Burkley, forensic interviewer and Associate Director of Waco’s Advocacy Center for Crime Victims and Children.
The investigation into Escalante’s case involved officers from the police departments in both Burnet and Waco, as well as deputies from the McLennan County Sheriff’s Office and investigators from Child Protective Services.
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