Thomas Stein denied new trial weeks after murder conviction; sentencing set for July

LEE COUNTY, Fla. (WINK) — A judge has denied Thomas Stein’s request for a new trial after he was convicted earlier this year of first-degree felony murder and three counts of attempted robbery with a firearm.

The Lee County State Attorney’s Office confirmed the motion for a new trial was denied in an email to WINK News.

Stein was found guilty by a jury on May 8 and is now awaiting sentencing, currently scheduled for July 10.

Court records show he is facing a possible life sentence in prison.

Before the ruling, Stein’s attorneys had asked the court to throw out the verdict, arguing multiple legal errors occurred during the trial.

The central argument in the motion involved what the defense described as a discovery violation tied to eyewitness testimony.

According to the filing, witness Emma Wright previously told law enforcement, investigators and testified in depositions that she could not identify who fired the fatal shot, could not determine whether the driver was armed, and could not say who shot the victim.

Defense attorneys argued Wright’s testimony changed at trial, claiming she testified that Stein approached the victim with a firearm, attempted to steal her purse, and identified Stein as the person who fired the fatal shot.

The defense also alleged prosecutors knew about the change in testimony before trial but failed to disclose it, writing that “the defense was ambushed by the undisclosed change in Wright’s testimony.”

In addition to the eyewitness issue, Stein’s attorneys argued the evidence presented at trial was insufficient to support the convictions, that the court improperly blocked the defense from calling Assistant State Attorney Alyssa Wolf as a witness, and that jurors were shown images of a firearm not used in the crime.

Prosecutors were expected to argue the trial was fair and that the jury’s verdict should stand.

With the motion now denied, Stein’s conviction remains in place. His sentencing is set for July 10, where he faces life in prison.