FORT MYERS, Fla. (Court TV) — A teen who pleaded guilty in the death of another teenager offered an apology in court on Tuesday as he was sentenced to prison.
Christopher Horne Jr. appears at sentencing on May 19, 2026. (Court TV)
Christopher Horne Jr. pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and three counts of attempted robbery in the death of 15-year-old Kayla Rincon-Miller as part of an agreement with prosecutors that saw him testify at his co-defendant’s trial.
Prosecutors said that Horne was with his friend, Thomas Stein, when the two decided to rob three girls they saw walking down the street. Rincon-Miller had just left a movie with her two friends, who testified at Stein’s trial that they were terrified when approached by the strange men.
“I have suffered so much mentally and physically since this night occurred,” Louann Dejaie, one of the victims, said at Tuesday’s sentencing hearing. “They wanted our money, but the only thing they took was her life.”
Judge Nicholas Thompson was forced to pause the proceedings at one point after he noticed several people reading a piece of paper and laughing in the gallery. He warned the group that outbursts would not be tolerated.
Horne spoke briefly at the hearing, offering an apology to the friends and family of the victims. “I’m not a monster. I feel like the demons I fought as a child played a part and impacted my future,” he said. “I just want to say to the family and the victims, I’m deeply sorry for the role I played in your loved one’s death.”
While under typical sentencing guidelines, Horne would have faced a minimum sentence of approximately 27 years, the agreement with prosecutors saw him sentenced to 25 years for second-degree murder. Fifteen-year sentences for each of the attempted robbery charges will be served concurrently to the murder charge. Because Horne is a juvenile, his sentence will be reviewed after 15 years.
Prosecutors emphasized at Tuesday’s sentencing that the evidence showed Horne was a passenger in the car driven by Stein and not the person who pulled the trigger and killed Rincon-Miller. They argued at trial that Stein, the driver, had been the one to shoot the victim.
A jury convicted Stein of felony murder with a firearm and three counts of attempted robbery. His sentencing is scheduled for July 10; he could face up to life in prison.
