Thomas Stein murder trial: Witnesses describe night teen was killed

FORT MYERS, Fla. (WINK)—The prosecution called witnesses in the Thomas Stein murder trial, where he's charged with killing 15-year-old Kayla Rincon-Miller.

Investigators say Kayla Rincon-Miller and her friends were walking to McDonald's when a car pulled up, tried to rob them, and Kayla was shot in the chest.

Kayla's friends testified that the driver of the car, who was described as a white, blonde-haired, light-eyed young boy, is the person who shot Kayla. The girls who were with Kayla testified that multiple boys got out of a car with guns.

Louann Dejaie, a witness, described the incident.

"This happened quicker than I could process," Dejaie said.

What should have been a fun night watching a movie and getting dinner with her friends ended in violence and death for 15-year-old Kayla Rincon-Miller. Dejaie recalled the moments before the shooting.

"I just remember laughing and telling her to, you know, treat it like her runway," Dejaie said.

Dejaie described the moment Kayla was shot.

"She was just like, I just got shot, and I just remember telling her it's going to be okay, it's going to be okay, and I just didn't want to believe it," Dejaie said.

The witnesses say a car with multiple boys blinded them with their headlights, then pointed guns at them.

Detectives say a couple of days later, they arrested then 16-year-old Thomas Stein. A month later, they arrested then 16-year-old Christopher Horne Jr.

During their investigation, detectives told the court they found videos of Christopher Horne Jr. holding a gun, posted on Thomas Stein's social media just an hour before Kayla was shot. They also say other videos on Stein's phone showed him playing with his mom's guns.

 Thomas' mom, Jessica, took the stand.

"Did you have any discussions with the Horne family about getting rid of evidence?" the state asked. "Christopher Horne Senior was giving me instructions on how to get rid of evidence, I did not follow them," Jessica Stein said.

Thomas Stein's defense attorneys asked Jessica whether he had ever confessed to murdering Kayla, and she said no. A detective said the investigation is still ongoing and that if other people are found to be involved, there could be more arrests.