Credit: The Family of Madeline SotoFormer Disney World cast member Stephan Sterns is claiming in a newly released jailhouse recording that he “didn’t start it,” and that being charged with first-degree murder was a “gut punch.” Sterns is accused of murdering his 13-year-old step-daughter Madeline Soto and 60 counts of possession of child pornography and sexual battery on a child.
The incident occurred last February when Soto did not show up to middle school. Sterns and Soto’s mother, Jennifer Soto, reported her missing. During the search for Madeline, both Jennifer and Sterns were interviewed by police and local news.
During their investigation, Orange County Sheriff’s Office detectives said they found what they called “disturbing images” on Sterns’ phone, and a forensic investigation showed that he had tried to delete those images. Detectives believe those crimes were committed at the family’s home in Kissimmee. Sterns is currently in prison on those charges.
Madeline Soto’s body was later found in a remote area of Osceola County near Pearl Lake. After police reviewed video from around the Soto’s apartment complex and the school, Sterns was questioned again by police and arrested on 60 counts of possession of child pornography and sexual battery on a child.
It wasn’t until a few weeks after the initial charges that Sterns was officially charged with first-degree murder.
Sterns was a former Walt Disney World cast member, and internet sleuths found photos of him working at Journey Into Imagination with Figment. Jennifer Soto also listed her place of employment as The Walt Disney Company on her LinkedIn biography. She worked as a vacation planner at Walt Disney World.
In a newly released tape from a jailhouse conversation between Sterns and his parents, he claims that “I didn’t start it,” when asked by his father about the murder. He also claims that he was surprised by the first-degree murder charges, and it was a “gut punch.”
Here is an excerpt from their conversation:
Chris Sterns, Stephan’s Father: Yeah, I wish there was a way that, you know, you and I can have a conversation. All of us could have a conversation to understand what’s taking place, how this came about, how you were right here because it would help us, help us better understand the situation because we’re just rather lost for understanding how all this came about. I mean, we’re just totally, totally baffled
Stephan: I didn’t start it
Chris: You didn’t start it, but you participated in it, which is just as bad not starting it.
Stephan Sterns working at @Disney as a cast member on the Journey into Imagination ride in Epcot just a few months before he was arrested for having child porn in his phone.
Also the prime suspect in the murder of his step-daughter Madeline Soto.https://t.co/66rb90OU0I pic.twitter.com/isnCb6KTM4— JLR© (@JLRINVESTIGATES) March 7, 2024
It is unclear what Sterns meant when he claims he “didn’t start it.” However, this also brings up the issue of what Jennifer Soto knew and did not know before and after her daughter’s murder.
Stephan Sterns was living with Jennifer and Madeline at the time of Madeline’s death. He had allegedly been having sexual encounters with Madeline for years, and during police interviews, Jennifer claimed not to have been aware of those encounters.
If convicted on all counts, Sterns could face the death penalty in Florida. At a minimum, he would spend the next 40 years in prison.