The Murder of Krystal Dawn Steadman

On the morning of March 19, 2000, Thomas Soria Sr. woke up in a particularly foul mood. Guadalupe was out of town on business and he didn't sleep well the night before. He had been unable to fulfill any of his kinky fetishes for months and it was starting to have an emotional impact on his daily life. Soria Sr. started out his day by logging onto his computer and writing several sexually explicit fantasies involving sadomasochism and torture. After filling page after page with his rants, he called T.J. into the room and said, "Get me a girl." T.J. was not too thrilled about his dad's request, but believed that he could not let him down. So he reluctantly threw on his coat and went outside to find a girl.

It was not long before T.J. spotted Sandi Taylor, Connie Stewart and a new girl playing together in front of the complex. T.J. knew the other girls well, but he was more interested in the new girl. He knew his dad had been fantasizing about a young blonde girl and she fit the description perfectly. T.J. ran upstairs and told his father about his find. Thomas Soria Sr. was so excited that he called Guadalupe and instructed her not to come home. He then sent T.J. back downstairs to get the girl.

Not long after he left, T.J. returned with the petite blonde girl in tow. He quickly excused himself from the apartment and went downstairs to do his laundry. As soon as T.J. exited the room, Thomas Soria Sr. grabbed Krystal and overpowered her. He quickly quieted her screams with duct tape and then bound her wrists. He then carried the four-foot, 45-pound girl into a back room and closed the door behind him. He proceeded to brutally assault and mutilate the child, culminating in her murder.