Moorpark man gets 1 year in jail in incest case involving daughter who died by suicide

VENTURA, Calif. (KABC) — A Moorpark man was sentenced to one year in jail and three years of felony probation after pleading guilty to incest involving his 18-year-old daughter, who later died by suicide, prosecutors announced Tuesday.

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Stephen Vincent Chavez, 41, pleaded guilty in May to one count of incest and one count of providing alcohol to a minor. He also admitted to taking advantage of a position of trust and that the victim was particularly vulnerable, according to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office.

Prosecutors said Chavez’s 18-year-old daughter, Makayla, was staying with him at his Moorpark home in July 2025.

“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.

According to the DA’s office, prosecutors objected to the court’s sentence and requested a maximum sentence of three years in state prison.

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“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 said 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.”

“While we respect the court’s decision, we continue to believe a state prison sentence was warranted under the facts of this case,” McCarty said in a statement.

Before Chavez entered his guilty pleas, prosecutors conducted a comprehensive review of whether additional charges, including rape, could be filed. However, they determined that incest was the only felony charge supported by the law, facts and admissible evidence, according to the news release.

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