A Southern California father has learned his fate after pleading guilty to having sex with his daughter who months later took her own life.
The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office said Stephen Vincent Chavez’s 18-year-old biological daughter, Makayla, was staying with him at his residence in Moorpark last July. Moorpark is about an hour northwest of Los Angeles.
‘Investigators and prosecutors performed additional interviews, obtained and reviewed the results of new forensic testing and medical evaluations, and carefully analyzed electronic evidence.’
“After a day of drinking at a family gathering, Chavez purchased additional alcohol for himself and his daughter to consume at home,” the DA’s Office added. “Chavez then engaged in sexual intercourse with her. Makayla tragically took her own life in December 2025.”
Chavez, 41, pleaded guilty in May to felony incest and misdemeanor providing alcohol to a minor, officials said, adding that Chavez also “admitted he took advantage of a position of trust and that the victim was particularly vulnerable.”
“Several members of Makayla’s family addressed the court during sentencing and provided emotional victim impact statements describing the lasting trauma caused by the defendant’s actions and the devastating loss of Makayla,” the DA’s Office said.
In addition, Deputy District Attorney Tessa McCarty said, “The people requested the maximum three-year state prison sentence because the defendant exploited his position as a father, violated his daughter’s trust, supplied her with alcohol, and engaged in criminal conduct that forever altered the course of her life.”
McCarty added to KTLA-TV that Makayla had “placed her trust and well-being in [Chavez’s] care” by moving from North Carolina to California to start a new life with him.
The following video report aired prior to Chavez pleading guilty.
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But District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced Tuesday that Chavez was sentenced to one year in Ventura County Jail and three years of felony probation for incest and providing alcohol to his 18-year-old biological daughter, officials said.
Prosecutors objected to the court’s sentence, the DA’s Office said.
Prior to Chavez entering guilty pleas, Nasarenko “directed the office’s most experienced prosecutors to conduct a comprehensive review of whether additional charges, including rape, could legally be filed. Investigators and prosecutors performed additional interviews, obtained and reviewed the results of new forensic testing and medical evaluations, and carefully analyzed electronic evidence,” officials said.
The DA’s Office added that 10 of its prosecutors reviewed the evidence and findings and that “experienced prosecutors and legal experts from another county” also were consulted.
However, following the “extensive review, all concluded that incest was the only felony charge supported by the law, facts, and admissible evidence,” officials said.
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