CCPD chief: ‘Justice was served for Kayla’
Stein convicted of first degree felony murder in death of Cape teen
In the wake of a jury verdict finding Thomas Roy Stein guilty of first-degree felony murder in the shooting death of a 15-year-old Cape girl during an attempted robbery, Cape Coral Police Chief Anthony Sizemore said justice was served.
“Last night, in the murder trial of Kayla Rincon-Miller, the State Attorney’s Office secured a conviction against Thomas Stein for her murder,” Sizemore said in a prepared statement issued this morning.
“I had the solemn honor, privilege, and responsibility of sitting alongside Kayla’s family, along with the Violent Crimes Detectives who tirelessly worked this case, as the verdict was read and justice was delivered. It was a powerful and emotional moment–one that brought accountability, but not closure. The reality remains that Kayla cannot be brought back, and a family will forever carry the weight of that loss.
“Moments like this remind us of the profound responsibility we carry in this profession. From the first responding officers who arrived on scene and immediately rendered life-saving aid, to our forensic personnel who meticulously processed the evidence, to the detectives who built this case piece by piece, and to the prosecutors at the State Attorney’s Office who carried it forward in court–this conviction represents the collective work of professionals committed to truth and justice.
“Last night, justice was served for Kayla. That matters. It matters to her family, it matters to this community, and it matters to every one of us who wear this badge or support this mission. We stand with Kayla’s family and remain committed to seeking justice for all victims.”
The jury returned its verdict at about 8:20 p.m. Monday, concluding a four-day trial.
While the jury found Stein, now 18, guilty of one count of first-degree felony murder it did not unanimously find that he discharged the gun that killed Kayla.
Stein, who took the stand in his own defense, denied being the shooter when asked by his attorney if he had pulled the trigger.
Stein also was convicted of three counts of attempted robbery with a firearm.
Kayla was shot on March 17, 2024 as she was walking to McDonalds with friends after seeing a movie at the Coralwood Shopping Center off Del Prado Boulevard.
According to testimony, Stein, then 16, took an SUV his mother had rented and picked up Christopher Horne Jr., also 16, and possibly other individuals, intending to commit a crime.
The youths first drove through the parking lot of a North Fort Myers movie theater attempting to burglarize cars. They then drove to the movie theater in Cape Coral, but, but after driving through the parking lot, considered robbing someone at a nearby bank ATM.
“It was then that they saw the trio of girls walking and decided to rob them,” the State Attorney’s Office said in a summation of the case it presented to jurors.
The girls were walking along a road adjacent to Del Prado, which was not well lit, when the SUV drove by and then circled back and drove by again.
The driver, Stein, then flashed the highbeams into the girls’ faces and stopped the vehicle in front of them.
“Moments later a gun went off, with the bullet going into the chest of the victim, at close range.”
The SUV took off as Kayla’s friends, also victims of the attempted robbery, tried to save her life, applying pressure to the wound and calling 911.
A Cape Coral police officer arrived in minutes and also rendered aid.
Kayla was able to speak at first and told the officer she did not know the person who shot her.
She died a short time later at the hospital.
The State Attorney’s Office direct filed the case against Stein and co-defendant Christopher Horne Jr. early this year, taking the cases from juvenile court and into adult court which allowed for adult sanctions upon a guilty verdict.
State Attorney Amira Fox then convened the Lee County Grand Jury which returned indictments against Stein and Horne, both for first degree felony murder.
Horne pleaded no contest to one charge of second degree murder and three counts of attempted robbery on Sept. 19, 2025. As part of his plea agreement, testified against Stein.
Assistant State Attorney Sara Miller of the State Attorney’s Office Homicide Unit and Assistant State Attorney Alyssa Wolf prosecuted the case. The Cape Coral Police Department investigated the case.
Sentencing for Stein is scheduled for July 10.
Horne remains in the Lee County Jail where he is being held on the second degree murder and attempted robbery charges to which he pled.