Having abused Christie in the past, Steve brutally raped the girl and forced her to lie that rich boy Ted Capwell had done the deed. Following Christie's rape, Theda spent time in Santa Barbara to finally stand by her daughter. She had no doubts about Ted's guilt and completely trusted Steve, who was prosecuting the boy. When Christie exonerated Ted in court, Theda was less than pleased, partly because she had planned a book deal about the whole thing.

It wasn't until Christie accidentally killed Steve that Theda finally learned the truth about her stepson. Ridden with guilt, Theda apologized to Christie for not knowing what was happening.