Thomas Stein points to others as jury instructions begin in Kayla Rincon-Miller's murder case

FORT MYERS, Fla. —

Jurors returned Monday for the sixth day of Thomas Stein’s trial, with the court turning to jury instructions after testimony Friday from Stein and co-defendant Christopher Horne Jr. in the 2024 killing of 15-year-old Kayla Rincon-Miller.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys spent Monday discussing the instructions that will guide jurors as the case moves toward closing arguments. The courtroom was full.

Friday testimony

Stein, 18, is accused of first-degree murder and attempted robbery. One of the defining moments of the trial so far is when Stein's co-defendant, Christopher Horne Jr., 18, testified against him as part of a plea deal.

Friday’s testimony came after the state rested its case.

Before jurors came in on Friday, Associate Medical Examiner Dr. Noelia Alamar Hernandez testified about the autopsy. She said Kayla died from complications of a gunshot wound and described the wound as a close-range shot, saying the muzzle of the firearm had to be about 2 to 3 centimeters away, according to court notes.

Once jurors were back in the courtroom, Hernandez walked them through the autopsy. During that testimony, Kayla’s mother became emotional as autopsy photos were shown.

A Cape Coral Police Department forensic specialist also testified Friday about a Glock 27 Gen5 and evidence collected in the case. The specialist said she did not find a Glock 27 when she searched Stein’s home on March 19, 2024.

Jurors also heard more testimony about phone and vehicle data. A Cape Coral Police Department geoprocessing technician testified that phone records, license plate reader hits and video evidence were used to track movements tied to Stein, his mother Jessica Stein, Jayden Fernandez, and co-defendant Horne Jr.

According to the testimony, the vehicle tied to the case arrived near the homicide scene around 9:30 p.m. on March 17, 2024. Court notes say a gunshot could be heard at 9:33 p.m., and the vehicle later returned to the Stein residence.

Conflicting accounts

The defense then called Horne to the stand.

Horne testified that he and Stein planned to rob people that night. He said the original plan was to rob people at a bank, but that changed when they saw Kayla and her friends walking.

“I attempted to rob people,” Horne said in his testimony.

Horne told jurors he looked back and saw Stein shoot Kayla. He also said he later threw his phone into the Caloosahatchee River because he knew it would be linked to the crime scene, and that the gun ended up in a river.

Horne acknowledged he had lied to law enforcement before and testified under a plea deal that could reduce his prison sentence. He said he confessed and agreed to testify truthfully.

Stein later took the stand in his own defense and denied shooting Kayla.

“Did you shoot Kayla Rincon Miller?” his attorney asked. “No sir,” Stein replied"

Stein testified that more people were involved that night than Horne claimed. He said Horne had a mask and that other people, including people he identified as “JD” and “Trey,” were also there after being picked up near a church.

Stein said he ran up to try to break things up before the gun fired.

“I tried to separate them, and then before I know it the gun went off,” Stein testified, according to court notes.

That testimony expanded on what jurors heard earlier in the trial.

On Thursday, Kayla’s friends Emma Wright, 19, and Louann Dejaie, 18, testified about the moments before the shooting. Both said they had seen a movie with Kayla and were walking to get food when an SUV began following them.

They testified that a group got out of the SUV and tried to rob them before shots were fired. Dejaie said Kayla lowered herself to the ground and said she had been shot.

The trial also began with a chaotic start last week. Jury selection had to restart after a hallway confrontation involving Stein’s and Horne’s families led the judge to dismiss the first pool of potential jurors.

Trial's chaotic start

Stein's trial began on April 27, but was thrust into chaos as all potential jury members were dismissed after a verbal altercation between Stein and Horne's families occurred in the hallway of the courthouse during the lunch break.

When the potential jurors returned to the courtroom, the judge asked them if any of them had heard the commotion. The judge met with the prosecution and defense, and every potential juror was dismissed and the jury selection process restarted the next day.

The trial was expected to last for at least five days, as unanswered questions about who fired the shots that led to Kayla Rincon-Miller's death remain.

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