A California father’s sentence has outraged citizens after he admitted to having intimate relations with his teenage daughter, Makayla, months before she took her own life.
41-year-old Stephen Vincent Chavez pleaded guilty in May to having intimacy with a relative and providing drinks to a minor. At a hearing this week, he was sentenced to just one year in county jail and three years’ probation, according to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office.
Highlights
- A California father was sentenced to one year in jail after admitting to an incestuous relationship with his 18-year-old daughter.
- Makayla took her own life five months after the incident.
- Prosecutors sought a longer prison term, while the family is now pursuing a civil case citing unused evidence.
The outcome means Chavez will avoid state prison entirely, a decision that has drawn immediate criticism.
“What is an 18-year-old’s life worth!?” a reader wrote. “We have no moral values anymore.”
A father who took advantage of his own daughter was sentenced to just one year in county jail
Image credits: Ventura County DA
Prosecutors had pushed for a three-year prison term, the maximum allowed under California law for felony inc*st. Instead, the plea agreement was presented directly to Ventura County Superior Court Judge Dusty Kawai, bypassing the sentencing recommendation.
Image credits: GoFundMe
Kawai said he could not legally impose the maximum sentence because Chavez had no prior criminal record.
The case dates back to July 2025, just two days after Chavez’s daughter, Makayla Settles, 18, moved into his home.
Image credits: Carolina Sandoval/Facebook
Prosecutors said they explored filing additional charges, but ultimately concluded they only had sufficient evidence to pursue him for having intimacy with a relative.
Makayla’s family has strongly challenged that conclusion.
Image credits: Carolina Sandoval
Prosecutors said they explored filing additional charges, but ultimately concluded they only had sufficient evidence to pursue him for having intimacy with a relative.
Makayla’s family has strongly challenged that conclusion.
Image credits: Ventura County District Attorney's Office
In a GoFundMe campaign, relatives said there was “clear evidence, including a r*pe kit, a statement to the police, and a recorded interview at the safe house,” but that it could not be used because Makayla was no longer alive to testify.
“This has left us feeling helpless and heartbroken, but we refuse to let her story end without a fight,” they wrote.
Image credits: GoFundMe
The family said they are now raising funds to hire a civil attorney “who can take on Makayla’s case and help us pursue justice, not just for her, but for others who may face similar circumstances.”
At the sentencing hearing, several family members delivered victim impact statements, describing “the lasting trauma caused by the defendant’s actions and the devastating loss of Makayla,” according to the district attorney’s office.
The fact the victim is not alive to defend herself has been brought up by those who oppose the sentence
Image credits: FOX 11 Los Angeles
Deputy District Attorney Tessa McCarty condemned the outcome following the sentencing.
“Chavez exploited his position as a father, violated his daughter’s trust, supplied her with al**hol, and engaged in criminal conduct that forever altered the course of her life,” McCarty said.
“While we respect the court’s decision, we continue to believe a state prison sentence was warranted under the facts of this case,” she added.
Image credits: GoFundMe
The case has also drawn attention to Judge Kawai’s recent sentencing decisions.
Weeks earlier, the judge reduced the sentence of a Ventura County man who took the lives of two people in a high-speed crash while driving at over 100 mph. The defendant, Sharbel Touma, received three years and four months behind bars, less than prosecutors had requested.
Image credits: Ventura County District Attorney's Office
For Makayla’s family, the legal outcome in Chavez’s case has not brought closure.
Their focus has now shifted to pursuing a civil case, as they continue to challenge how the evidence was handled and why more serious charges were not brought forward.
"Street justice is required," a reader wrote
