Former Disney World Cast Member Expected To Plead Guilty to Sex and Murder Charges Involving a 13-Year-Old

One day before jury selection was supposed to start in the trial of former Disney World cast member Stephan Sterns, the court has scheduled a plea hearing where Sterns is expected to plead guilty. Sterns is charged with over 60 sex crimes and the murder of his girlfriend’s daughter, 13-year-old Madeline Soto.

Sterns’ trial for the sex crimes was set to start jury selection on Tuesday, but that may be on hold with the plea hearing set for 1:30 on Monday. Sterns’ murder trial was set to begin at a later date, and prosecutors said they would seek the death penalty against him if convicted.

Neither the prosecutors nor Sterns’ attorney would discuss the plea hearing with the Orlando Sentinel; however, sources at Orlando’s CBA affiliate say that Sterns is expected to plead guilty in both cases. There was no mention of what type of sentence Sterns would receive in exchange for his guilty pleas.

The incident occurred last February when Soto did not show up at her middle school. Sterns and Soto’s mother, Jennifer Soto, reported that she was 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.

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 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.

Victim impact statements will also be read in court on Monday, before Sterns’ plea deal is announced.