Thomas Stein, the teen accused of killing 15-year-old Kayla Rincon-Miller in 2024, took the stand in his defense at the end of the fifth day of his trial.
Before he took the stand, co-defendant Christopher Horne Jr. testified for the prosecution against Stein after reaching a plea deal for a reduced sentence.
Both Stein and Horne Jr. admitted on the stand that they planned to rob people before they came across Rincon-Miller and her friends.
Horne Jr. frustrated attorneys at times when he refused to answer questions about whether other people were in the car that night.
Stein said he did not shoot and kill Rincon-Miller, and he says he ran up to separate people, but before he got up, the gun went off.
Horne Jr. spent about an hour and a half on the stand. He said they went to rob people at a bank on a Sunday night, but plans changed. He also said they got out of an SUV when they saw the girls walking, and Stein shot, and the gun jammed. He claims the gun is in a river in Cape Coral.
Horne Jr. also claims it was just him and Stein in the car that night. Stein and witnesses claim more than two people were there.
The jury was released and closing statements will be Monday.
Emotional testimonies
On Thursday, jurors heard witness testimony from two of the girls who were with Kayla on the night of her death.
Kayla’s friends Emma Wright, 19, and Louann Dejaie, 18, took to the stand to recount the moments leading up to the deadly shooting.
Both witnesses testified that they had just seen a movie with Kayla and were walking down the street to find somewhere to eat when an SUV began tailing them.
A group then jumped from the van and attempted to rob the group of friends, and shots were fired.
Dejaie said that she saw Kayla lower herself onto the ground and exclaim that she had been shot. Dejaie said she then tried to call 911, but her hands were “shaking so bad.”
A detective who arrived at the scene testified about his interaction with Miller as he tried to assist the first officer on site.
“He suggested that the situation wasn’t very good, and that if I needed anything, I need to ask as soon as I could,” said Det. Frank Scarlato, of the Cape Coral Police Department.
“When I asked who did this to you, she said she didn’t know and then was giving noises from the gunshot,” Scarlato said.
Thomas Stein’s mother, Jessica Stein, also took the stand, visibly upset as she identified her son to the jury. Both she and her son wiped their eyes during her testimony.
When asked if she owned a Glock 27, Jessica Stein said, “I believe so,” and confirmed it was obtained legally.
The state presented a photo of Thomas Stein with the Glock 27 as evidence, though the date the photo was taken remains unknown.
Jessica Stein denied that her son ever confessed to killing Miller.
“Did your son ever confess that he was the one that killed Kayla Rincon Miller?” she was asked. “No, sir,” she replied.
Numerous witnesses have testified in the case. The defense questioned the lead detective about whether Horne Jr.’s phone or gun had been found, but neither has been located.
Stein is accused of first-degree murder and attempted robbery. One of the defining moments of the trial is expected to be when Stein’s co-defendant, Christopher Horne Jr., testifies against Stein as a part of a plea deal.
Trial’s chaotic start
Stein’s trial began on Monday, but was thrust into chaos as all potential jury members were dismissed after a verbal altercation between Stein and Horne’s families occurred in the hallway of the courthouse during the lunch break.
When the potential jurors returned to the courtroom, the judge asked them if any of them had heard the commotion. The judge met with the prosecution and defense, and every potential juror was dismissed.
The jury selection process restarted on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, Jahmil Vega with the Cape Coral Police Department was called to the stand as a witness.
The trial is expected to last for at least five days, as unanswered questions about who fired the shots that led to Kayla Rincon-Miller’s death remain.
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Co-defendant turns on Thomas Stein in court — claiming he pulled the trigger in the deadly teen shooting. His chilling reaction: “Why did you shoot?”
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