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What Is The Story Of Letecia Stauch? The Woman Who Killed Her Stepson
On Monday, a Jury in Colorado rejected Letecia Stauch’s claim that she was mad when she killed her 11-year-old stepson and convicted her guilty of murder in the death.
Three years after the prosecution claimed that Letecia Stauch killed 11-year-old Gannon Stauch by stabbing him 18 times, striking him in the head, and then shooting him once, the defendant was found guilty of all allegations against her.
Who Is Letecia Stauch?
Letecia Stauch, a 36-year-old former teacher from Colorado Springs, was charged with the murder of her stepson, Gannon Stauch, who was 11 years old.
She was married to National Guard member Albert Stauch, the father of Gannon. According to reports, Albert filed for divorce in March 2020 after finding out that she killed his son Gannon.
There isn’t anything more known about Letecia, since she avoids social media and other spotlights.
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Story of Letecia Stauch
Three years before, on January 27, 2020, Letecia Stauch reported to the police that her stepson Gannon was missing. He was then discovered in a suitcase under a bridge more than 1,000 miles from his home after two months of missing.
He had been shot in the head after being stabbed 18 times. According to the prosecution, Gannon’s death was the result of a mental break, but authorities suspect that Gannon was murdered mere hours before he was reported missing.
In January 2020, Letecia Stauch killed the kid because she hated him and wished to harm Albert Stauch, the boy’s father, whom she intended to get rid of and who was away serving in the National Guard.
Staunch acknowledged that she had murdered Gannon and transported his body across the nation in a bag in the trunk of a rented vehicle. But she claimed to be insane and entered a not-guilty plea.
Defense Claims About Mental Health Of Letecia Stauch
According to the defense, Letecia Stauch killed Gannon after a psychotic break brought on by the stress of being physically, mentally, and sexually abused as a kid.
The state mental hospital’s experts came to the conclusion that Stauch was insane at the time Gannon was murdered despite having a personality disorder with unstable and psychopathic characteristics.
Staunch was being treated at a military health facility when she was referred to a psychologist, and she was given the diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder in the weeks before the murder.
In the testimony, Letecia Stauch’s therapist Ronda Niederhauser stated that Stauch was conscious of her surroundings and did not exhibit any symptoms of being a threat to herself or others.
The Lies Behind The Crime
In January 2020, Letecia Stauch reported Gannon missing, claiming he hadn’t returned after playing with friends. However, authorities now think that Gannon was murdered in his bedroom a few hours earlier.
Several people assisted in the search for the kid near the family’s home in Colorado Springs. Investigators then found out that Letecia made up the stories to deceive them, including the claim that a guy she hired to fix the carpet assaulted her before kidnapping Gannon.
Albert Stauch enabled the FBI to listen in on his phone chats with his wife after growing suspicious of her. In a suitcase under a bridge in the Florida Panhandle, Bridge officials discovered Gannon’s remains in March 2020.
The prosecution said that Satuch had sneaked out of the Pensacola hotel room she was sharing with her daughter to dispose of his body in the hope that it would be carried into the Gulf of Mexico.
Charges And Court Updates
Judge Gregory Warner gave Letecia Stauch the maximum punishment possible under Colorado law: Life in prison without the chance of parole.
Letecia received a sentence of 12 years in prison on first and second-degree charges of tampering with a dead body and an 18-month consecutive term for tampering with evidence.
According to Judge Warner, Letecia Stauch betrayed those she loved due to her selfish and deliberate actions. He claimed that her actions actually betrayed those who truly struggle with mental breakdowns.
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