This is a true crime in real time update from True Crime Today and the Hidden Killers podcast.

I'm Tony Bruske, and today we're diving into the disturbing case of 13-year-old Madeline Soto,

a story that's taken an even darker turn. New evidence, including jailhouse phone recordings,

sheds unsettling light on the actions and

excuses of Stefan Stern's, the man now charged with her murder.

In a call from jail, Sterns sounds more like a man complaining about inconveniences than someone

grappling with the weight of his charges.

As if 60 counts of child sexual battery in a first-degree murder charge weren't enough.

Stearns has the audacity to say he was blindsided by the accusations.

But the facts tell a much different story, one of betrayal, predation, and unimaginable tragedy.

In the recorded call with his parents, Stern's downplays his situation, first complaining about jail lockdowns caused by incidents and understaffing.

But it doesn't take long for his father to confront the elephant in the room.

The murder charge.

Were you expecting this?

His father asks.

Stern's replies, no.

"'As if this is some grave misunderstanding.

"'His father responds with an eerie truth.

"'You didn't start it, but you participated, which is just as bad.'

"'These words hang heavy, especially in light of what we now know.

Stearns had been in Madeline's life for years as the boyfriend of her mother, Jennifer Soto.

The state attorney's office alleges that Stern sexually abused Madeline from the time she was eight years old,

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