A Florida jury convicted Thomas Roy Stein, 18, of first-degree murder with a firearm and three counts of attempted robbery in the killing of 15-year-old Kayla Rincon-Miller. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 10.
Prosecutors said Rincon-Miller was walking with two friends on the evening of March 17, 2024, after the three had seen a movie. The group was heading toward McDonald’s when police said a silver SUV drove toward them and blinded them with high beams. The two surviving girls said two men got out carrying guns and demanded their bags. They said they heard gunshots and then saw Rincon-Miller lying on the ground.
Police said surveillance video showed the vehicle making a U-turn before the shooting and aiming for the group. Investigators tracked the Hertz rental vehicle to Stein’s home, where it had been rented in his mother’s name. Stein later told police he learned of the investigation through Instagram and believed the homicide was a “setup.” He then asked for an attorney and the interview ended.
The case turns on an attempted robbery that ended with a 15-year-old dead and leaves Stein facing a possible life sentence. It also includes a co-defendant, Christopher Horne Jr., who pleaded no contest to second-degree murder and three counts of attempted robbery under a negotiated plea agreement. Horne is set to receive 25 years in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced on May 19, with the deal contingent on his cooperation with prosecutors in the thomas stein case.
The verdict closes one chapter but not the final one. Stein’s sentencing on July 10 will determine whether the jury’s conviction becomes a life term behind bars.
