OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – An arraignment hearing Monday was canceled for the man accused of killing 13-year-old Madeline Soto..
Stephan Sterns was charged last week with first-degree murder in the girl’s death. State Attorney Andrew Bain said his office has not yet decided whether it will seek the death penalty against Sterns in this case.
“We’ve got to look at accessory aggravating factors that are laid out in our report,” he said during a news conference last week. “Once we determine that we have sufficient evidence to prove those factors to the proper evidentiary standard, then we have to have a talk about whether this is a death penalty case.”
The arraignment was set for Monday afternoon, though it was canceled for an unknown reason.
He was originally arrested in late February on charges of sexual battery and child pornography.
The girl was reported missing around 8 p.m. on Feb. 26 after Sterns claimed he dropped her off that morning near Hunter’s Creek Middle School. However, when Madeline’s mother arrived at the school around 4:30 p.m. to pick her up, she was told Madeline had never come to school that day, deputies said.
Monday’s arraignment is at 1:30 p.m.
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