Stephan Sterns Jail House Calls – Call 10: “When I Get Out…” – Fantasies After Madeline Soto’s Death
Hidden Killers With Tony Brueski | True Crime News & Commentary
True Crime Today
3.3 • 908 Ratings
🗓️ 10 April 2025
⏱️ 18 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Stephan Sterns talks about what he’ll do when he’s released — start a trust fund, get a job, rebuild. But here’s the catch: he’s facing the death penalty in the murder of Madeline Soto.
This call is surreal, heart-wrenching, and filled with impossible hope. His parents play along, not because they believe, but because they love.
This conversation reveals the fragile fantasy of future in the face of irreversible loss — and the staggering emotional toll of the Madeline Soto murder case.
#MadelineSoto #StephanSterns #DeathPenalty #JailhouseFantasy #TrueCrimeTragedy #JusticeForMadeline #FalseHope #MurderCase
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is Hidden Killers with Tony Bruske. |
| 0:03.1 | Here now, Tony Bruske. |
| 0:06.7 | Welcome back as we continue our dive into the jailhouse calls between Stefan Stearns and his parents. |
| 0:13.8 | Stefan is charged with the murder of Madeline Soto and also child exploitation of her. And who knows what else they found on his phone. |
| 0:25.2 | They certainly found her and him. Those charges are really not up for any sort of debate. |
| 0:31.8 | The murder, not a whole lot either. But he's innocent and proven guilty. That's how our country works. |
| 0:39.8 | In this next conversation, it happens during puppy watch. |
| 0:48.5 | Stefan's mom is tending to a pregnant dog at home. |
| 0:55.5 | It's oddly sweet, strangely normal. |
| 0:59.7 | And in that contrast, the life of new puppies and the possibility of her own son's death, |
| 1:06.5 | you can feel the weight of the contradiction. |
| 1:10.4 | They talk about books about Sudoku, about Michael Crichton novels. |
| 1:17.4 | It's all a distraction, but sometimes distraction is mercy. |
| 1:23.1 | Tell me what your thoughts are in the comments as we listen to this call. |
| 1:26.8 | Hi. |
| 1:28.1 | Hey. Hi, great. Hi. Hey. |
| 1:29.1 | Hey. |
| 1:31.4 | That phone app is not working right. |
| 1:35.0 | So the same number you just called your mother, everything's the same except my last |
| 1:42.3 | four is 6588. |
| 1:45.7 | Okay. All88. Okay. |
| 1:47.6 | All right. |
... |
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