A Southern California father who admitted to having sex with his 18-year-old biological daughter — who later took her own life — received a hand-slap sentence this week, shocking local prosecutors who asked for the maximum punishment.
Superior Court Judge Dusty Kawai, an appointee of Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, sentenced Stephen Vincent Chavez, 41, to only one year in jail and three years of felony probation after pleading guilty in May to one felony count of incest according to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office.
He also pled guilty to one misdemeanor count of providing alcohol to a minor.
The prosecution, under a plea agreement, had asked for the maximum sentence under California law, which even then only carried a three-year prison term.
Judge Kawai claimed he could not legally hand out the maximum term because the defendant lacked a prior criminal record, the California Post reported.
Prosecutors said they considered additional charges, including rape, but concluded “incest was the only felony charge supported by law, evidence, and admissible facts,” according to the Post.
The case originated in July 2025, when Chavez’s daughter, Makayla Rene Settles, was staying at his Moorpark home.
Prosecutors said alcohol played a role in the lead up to the crime, which occurred following a family gathering.
“After a day of drinking at a family gathering, Chavez purchased additional alcohol for himself and his daughter to consume at home. Chavez then engaged in sexual intercourse with her,” the district attorney’s office said in a news release.
Makayla died by suicide in December 2025.
Chavez’s sentence has triggered a backlash in social media and in the local district attorney’s office.
“One year in Jail????” one woman posted on X, one of many commenters on the platform critical of the sentence. “Stephen Vincent Chavez should be locked up for life for what he did to his daughter.”
“Several members of Makayla’s family addressed the court during sentencing and provided emotional victim impact statements describing the lasting trauma caused by the defendant’s actions and the devastating loss of Makayla,” the news release said.
Deputy District Attorney Tessa McCarty condemned Chavez’s actions.
“Chavez 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,” McCarty said.
She added, “While we respect the court’s decision, we continue to believe a state prison sentence was warranted under the facts of this case.”
The judge Kawai, a registered Democrat appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2024 and a former public defender, recently received criticism for his sentencing on another case.
Earlier this month he shaved off two years from the recommended sentence of five years for a driver who killed two people in 2023 while speeding at 108 miles an hour.
Veteran crime writer Lowell Cauffiel is the author of the New York Times true crime best seller House of Secrets , which documents one of the worst cases of incest and child sex abuse in U.S. history, and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more.
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