Ten prosecutors and outside legal experts examined whether a rape charge could be filed before the defendant pleaded guilty to incest.
VENTURA, Calif. — Ventura County prosecutors say a broad review of forensic findings, medical evaluations, interviews and electronic evidence determined that incest was the only felony charge supported in the case involving Makayla Rene Settles and her biological father.
The explanation followed months of public pressure from Settles’ relatives, who questioned why Stephen Vincent Chavez was not charged with rape. Chavez, 41, eventually pleaded guilty to felony incest and misdemeanor providing alcohol to a minor. He admitted abusing a position of trust and taking advantage of his daughter’s vulnerability.
Settles was 18 when she moved from Raleigh, North Carolina, to Moorpark in July 2025 to live with Chavez. Her family said she hoped to attend college and build a new life in California. Two days after arriving, relatives said, she called her mother crying and asking for help.
Carolina Sandoval, Settles’ mother, said she rushed to the Moorpark home and found her daughter in distress. Settles was taken to a hospital for a sexual assault examination. The family said biological evidence linked Chavez to the encounter, though prosecutors have not publicly released the complete forensic record.
Prosecutors said the two had consumed alcohol at a family gathering before Chavez bought additional alcohol for them to drink at his residence. They said he then had sexual intercourse with Settles. Chavez was arrested in connection with the incident.
Settles died by suicide in December 2025. Her death left relatives worried that prosecutors would abandon the case because she could no longer testify. Crystal Sandoval, Settles’ cousin, began posting videos that drew widespread attention and brought supporters to a Ventura County court hearing in April.
The District Attorney’s Office said it did not drop the prosecution. District Attorney Erik Nasarenko instead directed senior prosecutors to examine whether the available evidence could support additional charges, including rape. The review included further interviews, new forensic testing, medical assessments and an examination of electronic evidence.
The office said a team of 10 prosecutors reviewed the findings and consulted experienced prosecutors and legal experts from another California county. They concluded that the law and admissible evidence supported incest as the only felony charge. Prosecutors have not publicly released a detailed account of the evidentiary limits that prevented a rape charge.
Chavez advanced his court date and pleaded guilty May 18. He was taken into custody and later sentenced to one year in Ventura County Jail and three years of felony probation. He must register as a sex offender for 20 years.
Prosecutors requested three years in state prison and objected when the court imposed county jail and probation instead. Deputy District Attorney Tessa McCarty said the office believed a prison sentence was justified because Chavez exploited the trust placed in him as Settles’ father.
The guilty plea ended the prosecution without requiring Settles’ family to face the uncertainty of a jury trial. The dispute over the charging decision and sentence remains part of the family’s public campaign surrounding her case.
Author note: Last updated July 24, 2026.