US3 min(s) read
Published 16:06 14 Jul 2026 GMT
Thomas Stein, 18, has been sentenced to life in prison for his role in the fatal shooting of 15-year-old Kayla Rincon-Miller during a botched robbery attempt in March 2024.
The teenager’s recent trial made headlines after the judge refused to grant him his tragic final request.
Stein was just 16 when he and Christopher Horne Jr., with several other friends, drove around Cape Coral, Florida, in an SUV that had been rented by Stein’s mother looking for people to steal from.
At approximately 9:30 p.m., the suspects crossed paths with Rincon-Miller and her two friends.
The girls had just left a local cinema and were walking toward a nearby McDonald’s.
Stein and Horne initially drove past the group of friends before turning the vehicle around to confront them.
The armed group allegedly demanded the girls give them their handbags, but were attacked before they had a chance to do so.
According to court documents, shots were fired almost immediately, and Rincon-Miller was hit in the chest.
One friend recalled hearing her say: “I just got shot,” before the attackers fled back into the vehicle without stealing any of their belongings.
Rincon-Miller was rushed to a nearby hospital with severe injuries and died two days later.
Prosecutors claimed that Stein was driving the vehicle and Horne fired the gun; however, Rincon-Miller’s friends and witnesses told the court that all the passengers in the car were black, while the driver was white with blue eyes.
At the end of the trial, Stein was convicted of first-degree felony murder, as well as three counts of attempted robbery with a firearm.
Last week the now 18-year-old was sentenced to life in prison, in addition to three consecutive 15-year sentences.
During his sentencing hearing, Stein acknowledged his devastating choice to shoot the girl.
In court, he said: "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.
"I know that it wasn’t my intention, 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 traumatised because of that."
Stein added: "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."
During his final court appearance, the teenage murderer made one last heartbreaking request to the judge, but it was brutally refused.
According to Court TV, he asked Judge Nick Thompson: “If I could just ask you one thing, if before I walk out of the courtroom, if I could give my family a hug, if you’d allow that?”
Offering no sympathy, Judge Thompson simply responded with: “I can’t grant that request in here.
"You can say goodbye, but you can’t have any physical contact.”
