By Toptrendreporttv May 9, 2023
Letecia Stauch, a 39-year-old woman, has been found guilty of murdering her 11-year-old stepson, Gannon Stauch, after he was reported missing from their home in Colorado Springs in 2020. The jury convicted Stauch of two counts of first-degree murder, one count of tampering with a deceased human body, and one count of tampering with physical evidence.
Colorado District Judge Gregory Werner sentenced her to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder charges and shorter prison sentences for the tampering charges.
According to prosecutors, Stauch stabbed Gannon 18 times and shot him before disposing of his body in a suitcase under a bridge near Pensacola, Florida. The child's body was found just weeks after Stauch's arrest in March 2020. Gannon's father, who was away on National Guard training at the time of the murder, was not involved in the crime.
Gannon Stauch, 11, was reported missing in January 2020.
During the five-week trial, Stauch's defense team argued that she suffered a "major psychotic crack" when she killed Gannon and pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to the charges. However, the prosecution successfully convinced the jury that she committed the murder with intent.
In court on Monday, Gannon's mother, Landen Hiott, expressed her relief at the verdict, saying "justice has been served today" and that she could now "sleep soundly." Gannon's father also gave a tearful statement apologizing for leaving his son at home with the person who turned out to be his murderer.
Letecia Stauch declined to make a statement to the court during her sentencing.
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