Florida judge rejects new trial for teen in Kayla Rincon-Miller murder case
A judge kept Thomas Stein’s conviction intact in Kayla Rincon-Miller’s killing, clearing the way for July 10 sentencing and a possible life term.
Thomas Stein’s conviction in the killing of 15-year-old Kayla Rincon-Miller is still standing, and the case is now headed toward sentencing with a potential life term on the table. Lee Circuit Judge Nicholas Thompson denied Stein’s request for a new trial on June 18, closing off his last immediate bid to undo the verdict.
Stein, 18, was convicted after a six-day trial that ended on May 4, when jurors unanimously found him guilty of first-degree felony murder and three counts of attempted robbery with a firearm. The panel also found that Stein did not intend to kill Rincon-Miller, but did carry and possess a firearm on March 17, 2024, the night Rincon-Miller was shot outside a Cape Coral movie theater. Sentencing is scheduled for July 10, 2026.
The attack unfolded around 9 p.m. after Rincon-Miller and two friends left the movies and were walking toward McDonald’s. Prosecutors said Stein and Christopher Horne Jr. confronted the girls while trying to rob them. During the attempted robbery, a shot went off, Rincon-Miller fell to the ground, and Stein and Horne fled.
Stein testified in his own defense and admitted he was at the scene, but told jurors he did not fire a gun and did not intend to hurt Rincon-Miller. After the verdict, he immediately pushed for a new trial, arguing that the State Attorney’s Office had committed a discovery violation because one eyewitness’s trial testimony differed from earlier statements. Judge Thompson rejected that argument, leaving the conviction intact and shifting the fight entirely to punishment.
Horne’s case has already moved into its own punishment phase. He accepted a plea agreement in September 2025, later pleaded no contest to second-degree murder and attempted robbery, cooperated with prosecutors, testified against Stein, and was sentenced to 25 years in prison on May 19.
The result brought a raw reaction in the courtroom, with tears from Rincon-Miller’s family and friends. Cape Coral Police Chief Anthony Sizemore later said the verdict served justice for Kayla and called it powerful and emotional. With the new-trial motion denied and the July 10 sentencing date set, the case now moves from whether Stein will be punished to how hard the sentence will land.
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