FORT MYERS, Fla. (Court TV) — A Florida teenager faces a potential life sentence in the death of a 15-year-old girl after a judge denied his request for a new trial.
Thomas Stein appears in court during closing arguments. (Court TV)
A jury found Thomas Stein, 18, guilty of felony murder with a firearm and three counts of attempted murder in the death of Kayla Rincon-Miller, who was killed in a shooting on March 17, 2024. Rincon-Miller had been leaving the movies with two friends when the group was accosted by Stein and his friend, Christopher Horne, who wanted to rob the girls. When a shot went off, Rincon-Miller fell to the ground and both Stein and Horne fled.
Stein testified in his own defense at his trial, admitted to being at the scene with Horne, but maintained there were others in the car and that he never fired a gun or had any intention of hurting the victim.
Immediately after his conviction, Stein filed a motion for a new trial, alleging that the prosecution committed a discovery violation because one of the eyewitnesses’ trial testimony differed from her prior statements to investigators and attorneys. In their response, filed on Wednesday, prosecutors urged Judge Nicholas Thompson to deny the defense motion. “The defense claims in their motion that they were ambushed by a change in eyewitness testimony from a key State’s witness. This claim is false and not supported by the evidence.” In their response, prosecutors said they “never relied” on the eyewitness testimony, but rather built their case on “extremely strong” circumstantial evidence.
At a motions hearing on Thursday, Thompson denied the motion for a new trial.
Horne pleaded guilty to second-degree murder as part of a deal with prosecutors that saw him testify at Stein’s trial. Second-degree murder normally carries a minimum sentence of 27 years, but Horne was sentenced to 25 years in prison as part of his plea deal.
Stein’s sentencing is scheduled for July 10. Under Florida law, a conviction for felony murder carries a mandatory life sentence.
