Judge Sentences Thomas Stein to Life, Then Adds 45 Years for Attempted Robberies That Led to Teen’s Death
A Lee County judge has sentenced 18-year-old Thomas Stein to life in prison for the murder of 15-year-old Kayla Rincon-Miller, bringing an end to a case that began with a random act of violence outside a Cape Coral movie theater.
Stein was also handed a 15-year prison term on each of three counts of attempted robbery with a firearm, and Judge Nick Thompson ordered those sentences to run one after the other.
This means that even if Stein’s life sentence is reviewed after 15 years under juvenile sentencing rules, he would still face decades more behind bars.
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| Kayla Rincon-Miller |
On the night of March 17, 2024, Stein, who was just 16 took an SUV his mother had rented and picked up a friend to commit a series of crimes.
The two drove first through a North Fort Myers movie theater parking lot, trying to burglarize cars, before heading to a theater in Cape Coral.
After driving through that lot, they considered robbing someone at a nearby bank ATM.
It was then that Stein and his friend noticed three girls walking along a road next to Del Prado, and sadly, he made a bad decision that would prove fatal.
He circled the SUV back around, aimed the vehicle toward the group, and flashed the high beams directly into the girls’ faces before stopping in front of them.
According to official reports, the girls had just finished watching a movie and were on their way to get something to eat.
Just moments later, as they tried to rob the girls, a gun went off at close range, and the bullet struck Rincon-Miller in the chest.
Stein fled the scene with his co-defendant, Christopher Horne Jr., while the two other girls tried to save their friend’s life.
A Cape Coral police officer arrived within minutes and also attempted life-saving measures.
Rincon-Miller was still conscious at first and told the officer she did not know the person who shot her. Tragically, she died a short time later at a hospital.
After the crime, an extensive investigation was carried out by the Cape Coral Police Department, and it eventually identified Stein and Horne as the suspects.
The State Attorney’s Office made the decision to move the case against Stein and Horne to an adult court, moving both teenagers out of the juvenile system.
A Lee County grand jury then returned indictments against the two 16-year-olds on charges of first-degree felony murder.
Horne eventually entered a plea, and as part of his agreement he had to testify truthfully against Stein if called as a witness.
In May 2025, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison, as we previously reported here.
Stein’s trial took place that same month, and he chose to take the stand in his own defense.
He admitted he was behind the wheel of the SUV, but he insisted that someone else inside the vehicle had pulled the trigger, and that he never intended for anyone to be hurt that night.
During his sentencing hearing in July, 2026, Stein expressed regret for his actions. “I didn’t know that robbery was going to occur, but it was my reaction in fleeing that ultimately played a major role in assisting the perpetrators,” he told the court.
“I know that it wasn’t my intentions, but the truth is it doesn’t change the result. It doesn’t change the fact that there was a life taken and innocent people were forever traumatized because of that. That day I made a terrible decision. The decision to get behind the wheel was a total act of selfishness and something I regret and I’m ashamed of every day,” he added.
The two surviving victims read impact statements to the court that same morning, describing how the attack had upended their lives.
Emma Wright, who had been walking with Rincon-Miller, told the judge that she faced a wave of blame in the aftermath. “I have been bullied and discouraged,” she said. “People tried to blame me and my friend Dejaie for this act of violence.”
Louann Dejaie, the third girl targeted that night, spoke about a grief that felt inescapable. “I feel like I’m trapped in a coma that I can’t wake up from,” she said. “Like I’m suffocating, but somehow still expected to keep on living. Losing Kayla changed every part of my life.”
Prosecutors asked Judge Thompson to impose the maximum sentence of life in prison because they believed Stein was a danger to the society. They pointed to Stein’s prior felony convictions for breaking into cars and to the role he played in orchestrating the crime.
They argued that he was the driving force behind what happened. “Thomas Stein is the bad influence,” the state told the court. “He was the driver. He had armed the parties. He was making the rap videos about doing crimes. He was doing all of those things. He’s the one who identified the targets — the girls in this case who were walking down a dark road alone.”
Stein’s defense attorney, Robert Malove, asked for a 25-year prison term, which would have mirrored the sentence Horne received.
Before the judge announced the sentence, Stein made one simple request, as per Court TV.
“If I could just ask you one thing,” Stein said, “if before I walk out of the courtroom, if I could give my family a hug, if you’d allow that?”
Judge Thompson denied the request immediately. “I can’t grant that request in here,” he said. “You can say goodbye, but you can’t have any physical contact.”
Thompson then sided with the prosecution and sentenced Stein to life in prison for the murder of Kayla Rincon-Miller.
Because Stein was only 16 when the crime took place, the law guarantees him a review of that sentence after 15 years.
Judge Thompson also gave Stein 15 years for each of the three attempted robbery counts, with a mandatory 10 years on each, and ordered those sentences to run one after another — on top of the life sentence."
Malove objected, pointing out that even if a court found Stein rehabilitated after 15 years, he would still face another 45 years in prison, however, Thompson stood by his decision
“I’ve thought about it, I’ve considered it, and the sentence the Court’s imposed is what I believe is appropriate under these circumstances,” the judge said. “So I will leave it the way I’ve ordered it.”
Stein spoke briefly with his family before deputies led him out of the courtroom to begin serving his sentence.
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