Fort Myers murder trial begins for man accused of killing teen

FORT MYERS, Fla. (WINK) — A jury was seated for the trial of Thomas Stein after a rocky start.

Stein is charged with the murder of 15-year-old Kayla Rincon-Miller in March 2024. The state told the freshly seated jury about the night Rincon-Miller was shot and killed on Southeast 16th Place in Cape Coral near Del Prado Boulevard and the Coralwood Mall after seeing a movie with her friends.

The state told the court that Stein approached Rincon-Miller, trying to rob her. They say that during a scuffle, the gun went off, and the boys were surprised.

The state also told the court Rincon-Miller's friends tried to save her. Two years later, it's still unclear who killed her.

The first witness took the stand on Wednesday.

A Cape Coral police officer who was the first one on the scene that night testified.

He called it chaotic and found Rincon-Miller shot. His body camera video played in the courtroom. 

Who fired the shot that killed Kayla Rincon-Miller has been one of the many lingering questions for two years. The State Attorney's Office made it clear they believe Stein did.

"Christopher Horn and Thomas Stein had gotten out of that car with guns in hand, ready to commit a robbery, the gun went off by Thomas Stein," a prosecutor said.

But his attorneys disagree, arguing that the other suspect, Christopher Horne Jr., lied to prosecutors behind closed doors. Defense attorneys told the jury they should ready themselves for what comes out of the witness stand.

Prosecutors say they were in a rental SUV. Now, the court is learning there were others inside.

Prosecutors argue Stein drove and Horne Jr. was a passenger. Bodycamera video from Officer Jamil Vega was played in front of everyone.

In the video, a witness describes seeing five people, including a white male driver who looked 17 to 20 years old with blonde hair. You can hear Vega ask Rincon-Miller if she saw who shot her.

She said no. He then asked if there's any reason anyone would hurt her.

She said no. Officer Vega said he did what he could to save her life.

"I observed she had an apparent gunshot wound to her chest and had been losing a lot of blood. I have another female in tears trying to help put some pressure on her chest. I have another female in tears on 911 trying to get information over and trying to get help to her so there wasn't the most controlled scene," Vega said.

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If Stein is found guilty of first-degree murder, he could face the rest of his life behind bars. Police said Stein is not the person who pulled the trigger.

The prosecutors and defense attorneys have to find people they feel will be fair and unbiased throughout this murder trial. That means asking dozens of people many questions, such as whether they know anything about the case. On Tuesday, 12 out of 13 people raised their hands and said they'd heard about this case through the media.

Jury selection has also been set back after the families of Stein and Christopher Horne Jr. were shouting at each other on Monday. Horne Jr. took a plea deal to testify against Stein.

Prosecutors said Horne Jr.'s family was talking about the case behind the jurors from the back of the courtroom on Monday. Judge Nicholas Thompson worried that potential jurors wouldn't be impartial after hearing these conversations, so both the prosecution and defense teams asked that all of those potential jurors be dismissed.

Jury selection started all over again on Tuesday. Horne Jr.'s aunt and mother were not in the courtroom, but Stein's family was.

By the end of the day, 14 potential jurors had been chosen. Jury selection continues with another new group of 50 people.

Questions remain about who the other people in the car were that night and whether they will take the stand. The trial picks back up at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday.