Jury selection for the trial of Thomas Stein, an 18-year-old accused of murdering 15-year-old Kayla Rincon Miller, continued today at the Lee County Justice Center, with both sides agreeing that the current pool of jurors is insufficient. Lawyers questioned a second group of potential jurors on Tuesday after the first group was dismissed on Monday after a dispute occurred between defendants’ family members that was overheard in the courtroom.More than 13 out of the 50 potential jurors on Tuesday indicated they were familiar with the case. Stein is accused of shooting Miller in 2024 near Del Prado Boulevard in Cape Coral. Police said Miller and her friends were walking from a movie theater to a McDonald’s when a group in an SUV approached them. Miller was shot and later pronounced dead at Gulf Coast Hospital. “I know it affected me because my son went to that movies the night before,” one juror said during questioning. Another juror responded to the defense’s inquiry about their exposure to the case, saying, “I saw pretty much the headline and then scrolled. I didn’t look at the story.” After a lunch break, about 30 jurors returned for further questioning to determine their ability to serve on the trial. Stein’s co-defendant, Christopher Horne Jr., has already taken a no-contest plea in the case. Horne is expected to testify against Stein for a possible 25-year sentence. Jury selection will resume on Wednesday at 8:30 a.m.DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.
LEE COUNTY, Fla. —
Jury selection for the trial of Thomas Stein, an 18-year-old accused of murdering 15-year-old Kayla Rincon Miller, continued today at the Lee County Justice Center, with both sides agreeing that the current pool of jurors is insufficient.
Lawyers questioned a second group of potential jurors on Tuesday after the first group was dismissed on Monday after a dispute occurred between defendants’ family members that was overheard in the courtroom.
More than 13 out of the 50 potential jurors on Tuesday indicated they were familiar with the case.
Stein is accused of shooting Miller in 2024 near Del Prado Boulevard in Cape Coral. Police said Miller and her friends were walking from a movie theater to a McDonald’s when a group in an SUV approached them. Miller was shot and later pronounced dead at Gulf Coast Hospital.
“I know it affected me because my son went to that movies the night before,” one juror said during questioning.
Another juror responded to the defense’s inquiry about their exposure to the case, saying, “I saw pretty much the headline and then scrolled. I didn’t look at the story.”
After a lunch break, about 30 jurors returned for further questioning to determine their ability to serve on the trial.
Stein’s co-defendant, Christopher Horne Jr., has already taken a no-contest plea in the case. Horne is expected to testify against Stein for a possible 25-year sentence.
Jury selection will resume on Wednesday at 8:30 a.m.
DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.