A California father who admitted to sexually abusing his 18-year-old daughter, who later died by suicide, is scheduled to be released from jail after serving five months of a one-year sentence.
Stephen Vincent Chavez, 41, was sentenced in June by Judge Dusty Kawai at Ventura County Superior Court to one year in county jail and three years of probation. Official inmate records show he is set for release on Monday, November 9.
Guilty Plea and Background
Chavez pleaded guilty in May to one felony count of incest and a misdemeanour count of supplying alcohol to a minor. The abuse occurred in July 2025 while his biological daughter, Makayla Settles, was staying at his home in Moorpark, Southern California, after relocating from North Carolina.
Officials from the Ventura County District Attorney's Office said: "After a day of drinking at a family gathering, Chavez purchased additional alcohol for him and his daughter to drink at home. Chavez then engaged in sexual intercourse with her."
Makayla took her own life on December 28, 2025, five months after the ordeal.
Prosecutor's Comments and Sentencing
Ventura County Deputy District Attorney Tessa McCarty said Makayla had looked to Chavez for safety after moving across the United States. "[Chavez] violated this trust and shattered the father-daughter relationship in an unimaginable way," McCarty said.
Chavez was remanded into custody immediately after his plea and received his formal sentence on June 23, which also requires him to register as a convicted sex offender for 20 years.
Public Reaction and Charging Decision
The release has sparked widespread public fury, with social media users calling the development "disgusting" and "extremely infuriating". Earlier this year, prosecutors said they spent months evaluating whether more severe charges, including rape, could be brought. The District Attorney's Office said the assessment included "multiple interviews, additional forensic testing, medical evaluations and an extensive review of electronic evidence."
Officials added: "After doing so and convening a team of the office's top sexual assault prosecutors to review the findings, the District Attorney's Office is confident that this case was properly charged based upon the law, facts and evidence presented."
