California dad pleads guilty to incest involving daughter who died by suicide

MOORPARK, Calif. - A California man pleaded guilty to incest with his 18-year-old daughter, who later died by suicide, prosecutors announced.

Stephen Vincent Chavez, 41, of Moorpark, pleaded guilty on Monday to felony incest and misdemeanor providing alcohol to a minor, according to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office. Authorities said Chavez admitted to taking advantage of a position of trust and said that the victim, his daughter Makayla Renee Settles, was particularly vulnerable at the time.

Chavez faces up to three years in state prison and will be required to register as a sex offender for 20 years.

"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," said Deputy District Attorney Tessa McCarty. "The defendant violated this trust and shattered the father-daughter relationship in an unimaginable way, conduct for which prison is the only appropriate sentence."

New beginning cut short

What we know:

Settles had just turned 18 when she left Raleigh, North Carolina, and moved to Moorpark in July 2025 to live with her biological father, attend college, and start a new life.

After a day of drinking at a family gathering, Chavez bought more alcohol for them to drink at home and subsequently engaged in sexual intercourse with her, according to FOX11.

Settles was hospitalized after 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.

Statutory sentencing limits

Dig deeper:

The district attorney's office expressed confidence that the case was properly charged based on the evidence. Prosecutors said that while the maximum prison sentence they can seek under current law is three years, the exact amount of time Chavez will serve remains at the judge's discretion.

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

"Based on the charges, the most that he can get is three years 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."

Sandoval said that Chavez got her daughter intoxicated and took advantage of her physically and mentally.

"So if that's not rape, I really don't know what is," she said.

Sandoval said her daughter was a "sweet girl" and an entrepreneur who dreamed of becoming an architect.

Prosecutors defend charges

The Ventura County District Attorney's Office addressed the absence of harsher charges, saying it performed an "exhaustive, comprehensive, and thorough analysis of whether Chavez could be charged with rape." The analysis 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 it is "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.