Ventura County father gets 1 year in jail for incest after daughter’s suicide
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Dad charged with incest after allegedly assaulting daughter
Makayla Rene Settles moved to California to chase her dreams. Two days later, her family says her biological father sexually assaulted her. She was 18. She died five months later. Now her family is fighting to make sure her accused attacker faces trial.
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VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. – A Moorpark man has been sentenced to one year in county jail and three years of felony probation for committing incest against his 18-year-old biological daughter and providing her with alcohol.
The sentence comes despite strong objections from prosecutors, who sought the maximum prison term of three years following the young woman's tragic suicide five months after the assault.
What we know:
Stephen Vincent Chavez, 41, pleaded guilty on May 18, 2026, 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, his biological daughter Makayla Renee Settles, was particularly vulnerable, according to the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
The incident took place in July 2025, just two days after Settles moved from Raleigh, North Carolina, to Chavez’s Moorpark home to attend college.
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After a day of drinking at a family gathering, Chavez bought additional alcohol for them to consume at home, where he then engaged in sexual intercourse with her.
Settles was hospitalized following the assault, and a rape kit confirmed the presence of Chavez's DNA.
Months later, in December 2025, Settles died by suicide.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Man accused of assaulting daughter before her suicide appears in court
Stephen Vincent Chavez was charged with felony incest, but no rape charges were filed.
Prior to the guilty pleas, Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko directed a team of ten internal prosecutors, alongside external legal experts, to conduct an exhaustive review to see if harsher charges like rape could legally be filed.
All experts concluded that incest was the only felony charge supported by the admissible evidence.
What we don't know:
While the court's jail and probation sentence has been handed down, it remains unclear what specific terms or conditions of probation Chavez must follow, or where he will serve his probation term upon release from the Ventura County Jail.
Timeline:
July 2025: Settles moves from North Carolina to Moorpark; two days later, Chavez provides her with alcohol and commits incest.
December 2025: Settles dies by suicide.
May 18, 2026: Chavez advances his court date and pleads guilty to felony incest and providing alcohol to a minor.
Stephen Vincent Chavez (left); Makayla Settles (right) / Ventura County District Attorney's Office, Family-provided photo to FOX 11
June 2026: Several family members deliver emotional victim impact statements, and the judge sentences Chavez to one year in jail.
What they're saying:
Prosecutors and family members expressed deep dissatisfaction with the statutory limitations and the final sentencing decision.
"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," said Deputy District Attorney Tessa McCarty. "While we respect the court’s decision, we continue to believe a state prison sentence was warranted under the facts of this case."
Settles' mother, Carolina Sandoval, previously voiced heartbreak over the maximum possible penalties.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Makayla Settles family speaks out after hearing
Stephen Vincent Chavez was in court for an early disposition conference on Tuesday, facing felony charges of incest and taking advantage of a position of trust involving his late daughter.
"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 know what is."
Sandoval remembered her daughter as a "sweet girl" and a "little entrepreneur" who dreamed of becoming an architect.
The Source: This report is based on information provided by Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko and Deputy District Attorney Tessa McCarty. Information regarding the defendant's plea, the review by a team of prosecutors, and prior statements from Settles' mother, Carolina Sandoval, were pulled directly from a press conference held by the family on May 19, 2026, as well as previous FOX 11 reports.