Thomas Roy Stein, Florida inmate I69140, born 2007, incarceration intake July 2026 at age 18, sentenced to life with possibility of review
In July 2026, a teen apologized to the victims of his crimes moments before being sentenced to life in prison, plus another 45 years, for a 2024 murder. A judge sentenced Thomas Stein to a lifetime in prison on one count of first-degree murder.
On March 17, 2024, the victim was walking from a movie theater in Cape Coral to a McDonald’s with two of her friends when an SUV drove up to the teens and blinded them with the high beams, according to court documents and witness testimony. Multiple males jumped out of the car and demanded that the girls give them their bags. The number of people who were in the SUV and involved in the attempted robbery was never made clear, as witnesses delivered conflicting testimony. Amid the chaos, three gunshots were fired, and the victim was shot.
Two people were arrested for the victim’s death shortly after: Stein and 18-year-old Christopher Horne Jr. Testimony Stein gave largely conflicted with that of his co-defendant ,Horne. Without hesitation, Stein told the court that on the night of the murder, it was not just him and Horne, but that there was two other people in the car too, friends of Horne’s. Stein said he had no idea that the plan was to rob the girls.
Horne (Florida inmate A13009) testified against Stein in the trial. Horne pleaded no contest to one count of second-degree murder and three counts of attempted robbery in September 2025. In exchange for a 25-year prison sentence, Horne was required to cooperate with authorities and testify against Stein.
The Judge, when delivering his sentence, said he believes that despite Stein being only 16 when the crime was committed, that Stein's maturity and intellectual capacity was more developed than most 16-year-olds due to Stein's losing his father and having to become independent.
The Judge did allow for Stein to have a 15-year review after starting his sentence. The lifetime sentence is followed by a consecutive 45-year sentence for the armed robbery charges. This means that if after 15 years, the court decides that Stein has been rehabilitated, then his lifetime sentence may be reevaluated. If his lifetime sentence is shortened after the 15-year review, he will still have to serve the additional 45 years for the three counts of armed robbery.
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