In deal, woman enters guilty plea in teen’s death

A Cabool woman pleaded guilty late Thursday morning for her part in the 2017 murder of a teen north of Cabool.

Briana Calderas, 26, was scheduled to stand trial for the first-degree murder beginning Monday in Pulaski County in Waynesville. Pre-trial motions were heard Tuesday.

Calderas entered guilty pleas to lesser charges of abandonment of a corpse, concealing a felony and tampering with physical evidence in a felony prosecution. All are class E felonies.

Calderas was among four charged in the September 2017 death of Joseph Steinfeld, 17, who went by Ally and was transitioning to female, according to relatives. A co-defendant, Andrew Vrba, is awaiting trial next year and is held in Greene County. He faces the death penalty, if convicted.

Two other persons were earlier sent to prison for their participation in the murder.

Calderas will be sentenced July 10.

Prosecution of the case is handled by Phelps County Prosecutor Brendon Fox, in the absence of Texas County Prosecutor Parke Stevens Jr., who is serving as part of a military deployment.