A Cape Coral teenager is facing serious charges after pleading not guilty to the murder of 15-year-old Kayla Rincon-Miller in March 2024. Thomas Roy Stein, 18, is charged with second-degree murder with a firearm and several counts of attempted robbery after the young teenage girl was gunned down after a night at the movies.
Jury Selection
Jury selection began on Monday, April 27, 2026, in the case of Thomas Roy Stein, for the murder of Kayla Rincon-Miller. Prospective jury members were dismissed after a dispute broke out in the hallway during lunch recess between Stein’s family and co-defendant Christopher Horne Jr.’s family.
When the jurors returned to the courtroom, Judge Nicholas Thompson asked each of them if they had heard the argument. After deciding between both sets of counsel that it is better to be safe, no jurors were selected, and jury selection will start over tomorrow.
Fatal Attempted Robbery
On the evening of March 17, 2024, Rincon-Miller and two of her friends were walking together after leaving a movie at the Coralwood Mall. They were heading towards a McDonald’s around 9:40 p.m. when police say a silver SUV turned towards them.
The headlights blinded them briefly as two men got out of the car with guns and demanded the girls hand over their bags. The two surviving witnesses said they heard gunshots as they were being robbed at gunpoint, and looked over to see their friend, Rincon-Miller, on the ground. She was found with a gunshot wound to the chest.
The police investigation revealed that the shooting was targeted. Surveillance video from the scene showed the vehicle make a U-turn and go straight for the group of girls. The vehicle was discovered to be a Hertz car rental and was tracked to Stein’s home, rented under his mother’s name.
When Stein was interviewed as a potential suspect, he said “he learned of the investigation through Instagram and explained that he believed the homicide was a ‘setup,’” according to the police report. The interview ended when he asked for an attorney.
Co-Defendant Pleads No Contest
At the time of Stein’s arrest on March 19, 2024, he was only 16 years old. Police arrested him after one of the witnesses identified him as one of the gunmen and charged him as an adult. He was the first to be arrested and charged in connection with the death of Rincon-Miller.
Stein’s co-defendant, Christopher Horne Jr., negotiated a plea agreement and pleaded no contest to second-degree murder and attempted robbery. The deal is contingent on his cooperation throughout Stein’s trial, but as of now, he is scheduled for May 19, 2026, to be sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Gun Violence Amongst Children
A problem unique to North American culture is that the leading cause of death among children ages 0-19 is firearms. Compared to other first-world countries, children in the United States between the ages of 5 and 14 are 21 times more likely to be killed through gun violence, and between the ages of 15 and 24 are 23 times more likely.
Gun violence is a learned trait that is being normalized in the United States. Violence against children starts within their homes, and those who do not die from the consequences carry it into the outside world. 85 percent of gun deaths of children under the age of 13, taking place in their homes, with a third of them being at the hands of their family or an intimate partner.
Rehabilitation and Recidivism
This preventable issue is spreading every day, amongst families, children, teens, young adults, the elderly, and everyone in between. These two teens, Thomas Roy Stein and Christopher Horne Jr., are no exception. If they are responsible for the untimely death of Rincon-Miller and the traumatization of the two witnesses, they deserve to face the consequences, but also deserve rehabilitation.
Learned traits can also be unlearned, but unfortunately, youths who are incarcerated in adult prison systems have a higher rate of recidivism, because rehabilitation services are not as strong. Around 75 percent of teens or young adults become reincarcerated within three years of release.
