- The commencement statements of the stepmother homicide trial were heard on Monday, April 3, 2023.
- Letecia Stauch has entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity in the killing of her 11-year-old stepson, Gannon. She faces numerous charges, including child mistreatment, premeditated homicide, and manipulation of evidence.
- Both the defense and prosecution provided the specifics of the stepmother’s homicide trial. The victim was stabbed 18 times with a kitchen knife and shot three times in his room.
- Stauch murdered her stepson, placed him in a suitcase, and drove nearly 1,300 miles to dispose of his deceased body off of a Florida bridge.
- The trial for Gannon’s murder began with jury selection on March 20. It is projected to endure 6 to 8 weeks.
The commencement statements of the stepmother homicide trial were heard on Monday, April 3, 2023.
In the trial, a woman was accused of killing her stepson at their Colorado house and disposing of his corpse in Florida.
Letecia Stauch’s Accusations and Plea
Letecia Stauch has entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity in the killing of her 11-year-old stepson, Gannon. She faces numerous charges, including child mistreatment, premeditated homicide, and manipulation of evidence.
Prosecution’s Commencement Statement and Gannon’s Depiction
The prosecution began by presenting a depiction of an 11-year-old victim, Gannon Stauch.
The depiction and the initial statements of the prosecution’s case rapidly caused Gannon’s biological mother to leave the courtroom, overwhelmed with emotion.
Both the defense and prosecution provided the specifics of the stepmother’s homicide trial. The victim was stabbed 18 times with a kitchen knife and shot three times in his room.
11-year-old victim Gannon Stauch
The defense attorney did not dispute that Stauch, 39, killed her stepson, placed him in a suitcase, and drove nearly 1,300 miles to dispose of his deceased body off of a Florida bridge.
The two sides’ arguments differ regarding her mental state during the time of the killing.
The 4th Judicial District Attorney, Michael Allen, stated, “All of her actions were intentionally executed by her to distance herself from her actions. To mislead investigators, buy herself time, evade accountability for her actions against Gannon on January 27.”
Stepmother homicide trial- The defense attorney declared insanity
Letecia’s defense attorney claimed that she was insane at the time of the killing. They mentioned that she has a fragmented personality resulting from trauma stemming from physical and s*xual abuse as a young child.
Defense attorney Will Cook stated, “Initially, it was purely physical: beatings, whoopings, emotional abuse, physical abuse, and then it turned into s*xual. She was regularly molested from the age of 5 or 6 until her teenage years.”
Cook informed the judge that his client’s mother was absent for a significant part of her childhood and left Letecia in the care of boyfriends who physically and s*xually abused her.
Cook added that there was a psychological breakdown that led her from being a teacher, loving mother, and stepmother to becoming a killer of an 11-year-old.
They also mentioned that she did not wake up that day with the intention to kill her stepson, Gannon Stauch.
Instead, she was murdering the demons from her past, from the depths of her childhood.
The prosecution will commence the presentation of evidence today at 9 AM, Tuesday, April 4, 2023.
In January 2020, someone reported 11-year-old Gannon as missing, and his disappearance initiated a nationwide search.
On March 2, 2020, authorities apprehended Stauch in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and on March 18, they located the deceased body of Gannon, her stepson, in Florida.
In the three years since Gannon’s killing, Stauch has altered her plea in the case. Initially, she pleaded not guilty but then changed her plea to not guilty by reason of insanity in February 2022.
Gannon’s killing trial began with jury selection on March 20. They envision the trial to last 6 to 8 weeks.
