The man charged with the murder of Florida teen Madeline Soto is speaking, but not to authorities.
Instead, Stephan Sterns, 38, has been phoning home from jail. Those calls are recorded, and WESH 2 was given access to the audio.
“Understand that anything I did was not done while being in my rational mind,” Sterns told his parents. “I had snapped at that point. I just … I wish I had done the right thing to begin with. You know, I wish I had run downstairs and shaken her awake and called 911 and all that.”
“I wish you had, too,” Sterns’ mother replied. “Maybe she could have been saved.”
Madeline, 13, was first reported missing on Feb. 26, 2024, after staffers at her Orlando middle school realized she never arrived for class.
Her body was found in the woods in Osceola County woods four days later with clothing similar to what she had on before she disappeared.
Sterns is accused of strangling her to death and was confirmed to have been the last person to see the teen before she disappeared.
Police suspect Sterns, who dated Madeline’s mother, sexually abused the young girl for years.
In another call, Sterns’ mother questioned him about sexual images of the murdered teen cops recovered from his phone. He said the girl’s mother was aware of a purported crush Madeline had on him.
“Well then, why would [the mother] send her in there to sleep with you?” the mom asked.
The couple regularly shared a bed with the teen, according to FOX 35.
“She used to joke about it,” Sterns insisted on the call. “You know, call it an Electra complex. Used to joke and say, you know, ‘You better not leave me for my daughter when she’s older.’ Things like that.”
Jennifer Soto, Madeline’s mother, has not been charged with any crimes.
Sterns never admits to murdering Madeline, in the hours of audio recordings obtained, but instead insists he found her body after she’d already died.
‘Well, I discovered her in the state that she was in after everything was said and done,” Sterns said. “So I mean, obviously, I can’t get into details, but I was not aware that she had passed on. As you know, I’m up and down throughout the night, and I was not in the room the whole time.”
Sterns also told them by phone he’s accepted he could be put to death if convicted.
“Are you accepting this? Are you going to be the fall guy for this? Is that the deal?” Sterns’ father asked.
Sterns said it’s that or spending the rest of his natural life in a place where no one will care about him.
“I think whoever is involved in this needs to have justice served on them,” the father responded. “I mean, if you’re not, if you’re not part of this, then you know, let’s get that cleared up. I mean, if not for you, for the families.”
Sterns replied, “I’m pretty positive that this was all an accident. I’m not sure that any one person, maybe no ones to blame or everyone’s to blame a little bit.”
He will go on trial for the murder in May.
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