Ventura County dad faces 3 years after admitting to incest of daughter who later committed suicide

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VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. – A Moorpark man faces up to three years in state prison after pleading guilty to felony incest and providing alcohol to his 18-year-old daughter, who later died by suicide.

What we know:

Stephen Vincent Chavez on Monday pleaded guilty to felony incest and misdemeanor providing alcohol to a minor. 

He also admitted to special allegations that he took advantage of a position of trust and that the victim was particularly vulnerable.

The incident occurred in July 2025, just two days after his daughter, Makayla Renee Settles, moved from Raleigh, North Carolina, to Chavez's Moorpark home to attend college and start a new life. 

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• ‘Justice for Makayla Settles’: Family outraged as dad faces 3-year sentence after daughter's suicide
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Following a day of drinking at a family gathering, Chavez purchased additional alcohol for them to drink at home and subsequently engaged in sexual intercourse with her, according to prosecutors. 

Settles was hospitalized for the assault, and a rape kit confirmed the presence of Chavez's DNA. Chavez was initially released on $250,000 bail before advancing his court date to plead guilty. 

Settles died by suicide in December 2025.

What we don't know:

While the District Attorney's office stated that the maximum confinement they can seek under current law is three years in state prison, it's unknown exactly how much time the judge will impose at the formal sentencing hearing.

What they're saying:

"The DA’s office was pleased to see the defendant taken into custody today and will seek the maximum confinement of three years in state prison at sentencing," said Deputy District Attorney Tessa McCarty. "Makayla placed her trust and well-being in the defendant’s care, moving from North Carolina to California to start a new life with him. The defendant violated this trust and shattered the father-daughter relationship in an unimaginable way, conduct for which prison is the only appropriate sentence."

Settles' mother, Carolina Sandoval, had previously expressed deep frustration regarding the statutory limits of the case.

"Based on the charges, the most that he can get is three years [in prison] and 20 years as a registered sex offender," Sandoval said. "It just feels like, you know, my daughter's life is only worth three years." She added, "He got her drunk... she was intoxicated. She was taken advantage of physically and mentally. So if that's not rape, I really don't what is." 

Sandoval remembered her daughter as a "sweet girl" and a "little entrepreneur" who dreamed of becoming an architect.

The Ventura County District Attorney's Office addressed the absence of harsher charges, noting they performed an "exhaustive, comprehensive and thorough analysis of whether Chavez could be charged with rape, an analysis that included multiple interviews, additional forensic testing, medical evaluations and an extensive review of electronic evidence." 

After convening a team of top sexual assault prosecutors to review the findings, the office stated they are "confident that this case was properly charged based upon the law, facts and evidence presented."

What's next:

Chavez is scheduled to be sentenced on June 23.

He will remain in custody leading up to the hearing.