KISSIMMEE, Fla. (Court TV) — A new batch of jailhouse phone calls between Stephan Sterns and his parents has been released. Sterns is the Florida man accused of sexually assaulting his girlfriend’s daughter, Madeline Soto, for years before allegedly killing her days after her 13th birthday.
Court TV has obtained audio recordings of the calls, which total about four hours. They were made from the Osceola County jail roughly three months after Sterns was arrested for Madeline’s murder.
FILE – Stephan Sterns (Kissimmee Police Department)
In one shocking revelation, Sterns admits to his parents that he discovered Madeline’s body, essentially saying he found her dead but there was nothing he could do. It’s a total departure from the story he’d maintained since before he was even arrested: that the last time he saw Madeline was when he dropped her off at school on Feb. 26, 2024, the morning she was reported missing.
The phone call marks the first time the public has heard Sterns say he was around Madeline’s body before it was discovered:
STEPHAN STERNS: “I wish I had run downstairs and shaken her awake and called 911 and all that.”
DEBRA STERNS (STERNS’ MOTHER): “I wish you had too, cause maybe she could have been saved.”
STEPHAN: No, she was beyond that. “When someone’s that ice cold and just — gone.”
CHRIS STERNS (STERNS’ FATHER): “She was in a different part of the house?”
STEPHAN: “Yes.”
CHRIS: “She wasn’t with you?”
STEPHAN: “She had gone to be with me earlier in the night but I’d left her alone for quite a while while…By the time I realized anything was wrong…By the time I realized it was far too late, she’d been gone for a while. Seeing her pale face, blue lips, how ice cold she was…When they’re gone and really truly gone there’s nothing you can do, there’s no coming back. She was past the point of no return.”
DEBRA: “Maybe God just delivered her out of a place that was going to be really bad for her.”
Madeline Soto was last seen on Feb. 26, 2024. (Florida Department of Law Enforcement)
STEPHAN: “I always knew life was going to be hard for her. Her mom didn’t do her any favors and since I had no say in the way she was raised or disciplined or anything there was nothing really I could do about it but sit back and watch the train wreck as it unfolded.”
The call doesn’t indicate how Madeline supposedly died in the house, and Sterns doesn’t mention what he did immediately after allegedly discovering the body.
In another call, Sterns and his mother discuss the news that authorities found disturbing sexual images of Madeline on his phone. When his parents ask him if he is attracted to minors, Sterns doesn’t flat out say no; rather, he states that he isn’t “generally” attracted to them, but can’t get into details for fear of incriminating himself.
“I don’t even like most kids,” Sterns, who faces over 60 counts of sexual abuse, tells his parents. Sterns also informs his mother at one point that Madeline had “feelings” for him and that Madeline’s mother, Jenn Soto, would joke with him and frequently say things like: “You better not leave me for my daughter when she’s older.”
Although Jenn has admitted she allowed Madeline to sleep in the same bed as Sterns, she has never been charged in relation to Madeline’s death or disappearance. Jenn maintains she had no idea her daughter was being abused.
Sterns’ calls with his mother and father were also fraught with the defendant’s complaints about life behind bars — including dehydration, his itchy wool blanket, having to settle for tap water, the toll lying on a mat has taken on his elbows and ankles, subpar treatment for anxiety with medication, lack of pillows or sheets, and needing lotion for the worry lines that have begun to appear on his forehead. Sterns also grumbles that the facility is filthy, unsanitary, and teeming with ants.
RELATED | Coffee, candy, comfort: Sterns’ main worries as he awaits murder trial
Sterns also expresses concern about what will become of some of his cherished belongings. For instance, he is very concerned about the whereabouts of a collectible popcorn bucket of a “big plastic purple dragon” that he insists is “in a large box at the foot of my bed.” He becomes equally frustrated when his parents don’t know where his mouse droid is, and gets so exasperated trying to explain what a mouse droid even is that he tells them to just “Google” it.
Several calls include discussions about items Sterns wants his parents to have shipped to him, including coffee-flavored hard candies, various toiletries, and books — mostly Michael Creighton novels (“Jurassic Park” was deemed a “must have”). Sterns’ mother draws the line at fulfilling her son’s request for a copy of Stephen King’s “Pet Sematary” because she didn’t like the story.
Coffee is a must-have, too.
“I try to make sure I have enough coffee, because coffee is very comforting,” says Sterns. “It’s one of the few things that gives me any enjoyment here. Every time I drink a cup of coffee it releases all types of happy chemicals in my brain.”
Stephan Sterns walks into court for a pretrial hearing on March 20, 2025. (Court TV)
Sterns’ mother frequently urges him to turn to the Bible for guidance; and for the most part, the calls imply that the his parents are convinced of their son’s innocence. Sterns himself says “I know I’m not bad, evil or a monster,” and insists he “couldn’t have done it” because “I’m the same person that cares about people, cries at movies.”
Sterns does, however, admit at one point that he realizes a death sentence is a real possibility.
“Murder one is about as bad as it can get,” he says, “and the death penalty is about as extreme as it can go.”
A moment later, he says, “I guess that’s not so bad, right? You go to sleep, and then you go to heaven.”
Charges against Sterns include first-degree murder, capital sexual battery, and possession of child sexual abuse material. He’s awaiting two separate trials. Sterns’ murder trial scheduled to begin in Sept., while his sex crimes trial is set for May. Earlier this week, Sterns’ defense team argued that media outlets and the public should be banned from attending pre-trial proceedings. The judge plans to announce a decision within 10 days.
