A Cape Coral teenager is standing trial for the murder of 15-year-old Kayla Rincon-Miller, who was gunned down on the side of the street after seeing a movie with her friends on March 17, 2024. 

Thomas Roy Stein, 18, pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder with a firearm and three counts of attempted robbery. The teen’s co-defendant, Christopher Horne Jr., who was also present at the shooting, pleaded no contest and accepted a plea deal that if he testified against Stein, he would receive the max sentence of 25 years in prison. 

Robbery Turned Fatal Shooting

On the evening of March 17, 2024, Rincon-Miller and her two friends had just seen a movie and decided they were hungry for fast food. They were walking down the street to a nearby McDonald’s when a silver SUV flipped around and drove toward them, blinding them with high beams. 

The two surviving victims described two men getting out of the vehicle with guns and demanding their purses. They heard loud gunshots and turned to see their friend lying on the ground. 

Surveillance footage obtained by police corroborated the victims’ stories and showed the vehicle making a U-turn before the shooting. Police used that evidence to track the vehicle to a Hertz rental and from there tracked it to the registered renter’s home, which was Stein’s. 

Opening Statements Heard in Trial

After a failed jury selection on Monday, April 27, 2026, in the case of Thomas Roy Stein, the trial restarted the following day with opening statements beginning on Wednesday. The prosecution began by detailing the events that transpired on the day Rincon-Miller was murdered. 

Stein and his friend attempted to rob three defenseless girls walking along the street. When they stopped to take their purses, Rincon-Miller was fatally shot. The vehicle used in the failed robbery attempt was a rental in Stein’s mother’s name. 

When it was the defense’s turn to deliver their opening remarks, they argued that there is no forensic evidence to tie the defendant to the crime. They referred to Stein as a “patsy.” They assert that his co-defendant is a liar and was offered a “deal of a lifetime” to testify against their client. 

Eyewitnesses Recall Rincon-Miller’s Final Moments

Both of the surviving victims testified on the second day of trial as eyewitnesses brought forth by the prosecution. Emma Wright said that she smoked marijuana behind the movie theatre after the movie and decided to walk to McDonald’s. On the walk, she said kids slowly drove by before doing a U-turn and flashing the high beams at them. 

The other victim, Louann Dejaie, testified she attended the movies with her friends, and then the jury watched the video they recorded on the way to McDonald’s of Rincon-Miller, acting as if she were on a runway. Initially, they thought the entire situation was a joke.

Dejaie said she saw a man in a red hoodie get out, and he held her at gunpoint. She saw Rincon-Miller on the ground after three gunshots rang out, and heard her friend say, “I just got shot.”

The girls immediately tried to tend to their friend and put pressure on the wound. They called Rincon-Miller’s sister and grandmother, but unfortunately, she died the following morning.

Jessica Stein Testifies

The prosecution also called upon Jessica Stein, the defendant’s mother, to confirm she rented the SUV that was allegedly used the night of the murder. She said they used it to go to the beach earlier that day and saw her son with Horne, who was wearing a red hoodie, but a different shirt after the incident.

Forensic Evidence Presented

Detective Frank Scarlato of the Cape Coral Police Department responded to the shooting and spoke with the victims at the scene, including Rincon-Miller, who was responsive to questioning. He collected data from the SUV, from Stein’s cellphone, and from the victim’s cellphone. 

Another detective, Michael Lasalandra, reviewed Stein’s phone data along with Horne’s, which pinged at the same three cell towers, strongly insinuating they were together during the shooting.

The initial suspect, Jayden Fernandez, also testified that he was with Stein and his family that day at the beach. He said Horne and Stein picked him up from his house and noticed Horne had a pistol. It was also noted that Stein was known for handling guns.