The second teenager arrested in Kayla Rincon-Miller’s murder will be charged as an adult.
More than 10 relatives of a second teenager arrested in connection with the murder of 15-year-old Kayla Rincon-Miller sat in the courtroom, waiting for Christopher Horne, Jr., to face a judge.
Horne, 16, of Cape Coral, did not appear in court Monday. Lee Circuit Judge Andrew Marcus addressed the family, letting them know the charges would be filed in adult court, similar to Thomas Stein, 16.
Horne was arrested March 17 by Cape Coral police and was held in juvenile detention for 21 days, as well as ordered not to contact Rincon-Miller’s family or Thomas Stein, the other teenager arrested in the case.
Police arrested Horne on charges of principal to a homicide while engaged in a robbery. Meanwhile, Stein’s case moved to adult court April 11.
During an April 11 hearing, after the testimony of Cape Coral police Detective Michael Lasalandra, Lee Circuit Judge Robert Branning ruled that Thomas Stein be held without bond related to the March 17 shooting. He will be tried as an adult.
Kayla Rincon-Miller murder: Thomas Stein to be held without bond in March murder of Kayla Rincon-Miller, judge says
Lasalandra, who’s been a detective at Cape Coral police’s Violent Crimes Unit for four years, said he was working March 17 and responded to the shooting of Rincon-Miller at Southeast 20th Street and Southeast 16th Lane.
Lasalandra said he spoke with two witnesses who were with Rincon-Miller, and they gave descriptions of the people who robbed them.
Lasalandra revealed that surveillance footage captured the car, but not the murder.
Were Thomas Stein or Christopher Horne the shooters?
While a preliminary report from Cape Coral police indicated investigators did not believe Stein was the shooter, Lasalandra said that piece of the puzzle remained under investigation as of April 11.
Cape Coral police Chief Anthony Sizemore on April 17 did not confirm Horne’s role in the homicide. There have been no updates since.
Are any further arrests expected in Kayla Rincon
“There will be a few,” Sizemore said when asked April 17 if any further arrests are expected in Rincon-Miller’s death.
Police reports indicate at least two individuals brandished firearms when the SUV armored Rincon-Miller and her two friends with their headlights.
Tomas Rodriguez is a Breaking/Live News Reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. You can reach Tomas at [email protected] or 772-333-5501. Connect with him on Threads @tomasfrobeltran, Instagram @tomasfrobeltran and Facebook @tomasrodrigueznews.
