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Published 16:26 24 Jun 2026 GMT
Warning: This article may contain some distressing information.
A man has gotten one year in jail for incest and providing alcohol to his 18-year-old daughter, who later took her own life.
Stephen Vincent Chavez, 41, was sentenced to Ventura County Jail and received three years of felony probation in connection with the case involving his biological daughter, Makayla Rene Settles.
The sentencing, announced by Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko on June 23, comes nearly a year after Settles' death.
In July 2025, the late teen moved to Moorpark, California, to start college and live with Chavez.
The recent high school graduate, 18, was promised a car and a college savings fund by the 41-year-old to help her when she started at Moorpark College at the end of the summer.
However, her fresh start took a life-changing turn that same month.
According to the district attorney's office, after a family gathering where alcohol was consumed, Chavez purchased additional alcohol for himself and his daughter after they returned home.
"Chavez then engaged in sexual intercourse with her," the office said.
Settles was subsequently hospitalized, and a rape kit reportedly identified her biological father's DNA.
The man was initially released on $250,000 bail before later advancing his court date and entering a guilty plea.
Makayla died by suicide five months later, in December 2025.
Settles' mother, Carolina Sandoval, previously expressed frustration over the penalties available under the law.
"Based on the charges, the most that he can get is three years and 20 years as a registered sex offender," she said.
"It just feels like, you know, my daughter's life is only worth three years."
Sandoval accused Chavez of exploiting their daughter while she was intoxicated.
"So if that's not rape, I really don't know what is," she said.
She described Makayla as a 'sweet girl' and an entrepreneur who dreamed of becoming an architect.
Family members also addressed the court during sentencing, delivering what prosecutors described as 'emotional victim impact statements describing the lasting trauma caused by the defendant's actions and the devastating loss of Makayla'.
Chavez pleaded guilty last month and admitted to taking 'advantage of a position of trust and that the victim was particularly vulnerable,' according to the district attorney's office.
Prosecutors had requested a three-year state prison sentence.
"The People requested the maximum three-year state prison sentence because the defendant exploited his position as a father, violated his daughter's trust, supplied her with alcohol, and engaged in criminal conduct that forever altered the course of her life," Deputy District Attorney Tessa McCarty said in a statement.
"While we respect the court's decision, we continue to believe a state prison sentence was warranted under the facts of this case," they added.
The Ventura County District Attorney's Office conducted an extensive review to determine whether more serious charges could legally be pursued.
Per the office, District Attorney Nasarenko assigned senior prosecutors to investigate whether additional charges, including rape, were supported by the evidence.
The review included new interviews, forensic testing, medical evaluations, and analysis of electronic evidence.
"A team of ten prosecutors within the District Attorney's Office reviewed the evidence and findings," the office said.
"The office also consulted with experienced prosecutors and legal experts from another county.
"After this extensive review, all concluded that incest was the only felony charge supported by the law, facts, and admissible evidence."
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