Found Deceased CO - Gannon Stauch, 11, Colorado Springs, El Paso County, 27 Jan 2020 **ARREST** #46

[MassGuy]

BBM
And that right there, is the main reason that I'm edging toward the thought, that he came home with her that day. That bloody board! If she killed him on her 4 hour journey, where would the board have come into play? I think she needed it that afternoon, so she wouldn't get blood in her vehicle. As far as hauling a suitcase up the stairs with a body in it, I'm 61 and hauled my very overstuffed suitcase all over Nova Scotia last fall and there is no way that anyone would call me in great physical shape. If you take her age, physically somewhat fit and the adrenaline, I don't think she would have any trouble doing it. I'm sure that one of you lovelies will make a post that will teeter me the other way, so I will just sit here on the perch with the rest of my kind.

I agree. The board fits perfectly into the narrative contained within the AA, as does the bloody scene in the bedroom, and the blood in the garage.

The board really only fits into one narrative, as I think trying to come up with another use for it would be a stretch.

If Gannon was really his listed weight (90 some odd pounds), I can’t imagine dragging a suitcase with his body up the stairs would be an issue.

I think he was lighter than that even. If you could do it, there’s no reason to think she couldn’t.

 

[kkdj]

BBM
And that right there, is the main reason that I'm edging toward the thought, that he came home with her that day. That bloody board! If she killed him on her 4 hour journey, where would the board have come into play? I think she needed it that afternoon, so she wouldn't get blood in her vehicle. As far as hauling a suitcase up the stairs with a body in it, I'm 61 and hauled my very overstuffed suitcase all over Nova Scotia last fall and there is no way that anyone would call me in great physical shape. If you take her age, physically somewhat fit and the adrenaline, I don't think she would have any trouble doing it. I'm sure that one of you lovelies will make a post that will teeter me the other way, so I will just sit here on the perch with the rest of my kind.

BBM
You're right! We could do it sister!

 

[kkdj]

I've never found it fascinating that LS could get Gannon up the stairs, transport the suitcase into different vehicles and throw it over the bridge. Seems like a piece of cake to me!

 

[MassGuy]

I've never found it fascinating that LS could get Gannon up the stairs, transport the suitcase into different vehicles and throw it over the bridge. Seems like a piece of cake to me!

Physically, it’s not surprising. It’s the fact she didn’t get caught doing those things that is surprising.

 

[Angels27]

This is not the Garden of the Gods in Colo. Spgs. It says its in Illinois. I didnt know that there was another one. I guess you learn something new everyday.

Good catch. Tired.

This case reminds me so much of Caylee Anthony. I followed that one very closely and was sure that it was a slam dunk, but Casey got away with it. Can we look for loopholes in the case again TS? I need reassurance. I feel 100% confident that she did kill Gannon; the evidence looks overwhelming, but when I start picking it apart I worry that it is lacking in some ways from 'beyond a reasonable doubt' standpoint:

1. No one saw TS with Gannon around the time he went missing/was murdered.
2. LE didn't realize his body had been transported out of the area.
3. No evidence on TS's VW or AS's truck (right?)
4. The motive is not all that firm.
5. Blood evidence is not conclusive as in Kelsey Berreth's case.

Strong points against TS:

1. Strange, guilty behavior - renting cars, giving interviews
2. Purchasing cleaning supplies at time of disappearance
3. Lying, lying, lying
4. Cellphone, GPS evidence placing her at scenes with evidence of Gannon.

I am hoping that LE has much more conclusive evidence against TS. If they can place her in the location where his body was found, that will do it. Without that evidence, I am worried. I know the AA was released before the body was found, but as it stands now there are so many gaps. I don't want to be disappointed in the outcome of this trial. JMO

Good post. The suitcase will hopefully tell a lot and might even point the finger right at her. Also with her mouth I bet they have her on a recorded line discussing the crime.

One thing we’ve never heard about definitely is the ADT records at the exact timeframe she claims G left house to play with friend while she was supposedly “exercising” in the basement. If the system was deactivated during that time that would send up red flags. If not, what do the records show? If they knew for certain they would have said so in the AA, but they did not. So the question is, why?

 

[Angels27]

I wonder how she told AS G was missing. Was it over text or phone? Did she leave him a VM? What were her exact words? How sad. Poor guy. His legs must have fallen out from under him.

 

[Thespyma]

I'm just going to throw this out there.
When a person has a lot of adrenaline they can be very strong sometimes.
I think LS had the strength to do all of this on her own.
I'm 5'3" and feel confident I could if I felt I needed to.
Just saying.

I am 5' nothing and I learned how strong a little person can be when I went in the Army. We shorties can be mighty! Looks can be very deceiving. I had to show my husband who kept calling me "cute little bunny". So I picked him up, all 5'8" 180 lbs of him. I wonder since TS was into military guys, if she wanted to do some kind of working out to seem like she was military strong as well.

 

[GordianKnot]

Physically, it’s not surprising. It’s the fact she didn’t get caught doing those things that is surprising.

BBM:

Surprising, and disappointing.

Had LE been tailing TS, Gannon would have been found much, much earlier.

Had LE checked those vehicles in the garage thoroughly the night he was reported missing, it would have been mystery solved.

It's very reminiscent of LE missing the blood in Kelsey's condo in the Berreth case.

JMO.

 

[Thespyma]

Yup and it will be a lot warmer than 175 degrees where she eventually ends up......

Indeed it will!

 

[MassGuy]

BBM:

Surprising, and disappointing.

Had LE been tailing TS, Gannon would have been found much, much earlier.

Had LE checked those vehicles in the garage thoroughly the night he was reported missing, if he was in that trunk, it would have been mystery solved.

It's very reminiscent of LE missing the blood in Kelsey's condo in the Berreth case.

JMO.

Yeah. The delay in responding to the 911 call, and allowing the family to remain in the home, was also less than ideal.

It won’t matter in regards to the outcome, but mistakes were made.

 

[GordianKnot]

Yeah. The delay in responding to the 911 call, and allowing the family to remain in the home, was also less than ideal.

It won’t matter in regards to the outcome, but mistakes were made.

I agree that it won't make a difference, but it does give one pause.

In the Berreth case and this one, you're dealing with the world's two biggest morons as the perpetrators.

I just wonder how often smart criminals are able to take full advantage of mistakes by LE, and avoid prosecution.

I think the JBR case is one such example.

That poor little girl will never receive justice, in large part because of LE's monumental missteps.

JMO.

 

[NCWatcher]

^^bbm

I believe LS's Colorado or recent work history important because it involved her being around young children just before she was arrested for murdering a young child and disappearing his body. I'm interested in her mindset and demeanor exhibited in that environment leading up to her horrific crime. Respectfully, I'm not interested in semantics and stand by my linked posts.

Reportedly, LS obtained a Colorado teaching certificate March 2019; worked as a substitute for only two months according to D-3 spokesperson; was terminated from French Elementary School position; and job offer rescinded for cause Jan 2020.

LS is certainly proof that being terminated does not affect being hired in another state or within another school district. Teaching positions are difficult to fill! MOO

Gannon's stepmom former Widefield School District teacher

Stauch reportedly has had stints working for a variety of schools and districts – most of them brief.

"Letecia Stauch was a substitute teacher in the district from March to May 2019," said Samantha Briggs, WSD3 Director of Communication. [2 months].

Letecia ‘Tee’ Stauch: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know | Heavy.com

And a source told Heavy that Stauch was fired from her job in Colorado in December 2019 after just one semester of employment. She had worked at French Elementary School in Colorado Springs before she was fired after a few months.
[Aug - Nov 2019]

Teachers living in campers: How rural Colorado districts are coping with growing teacher shortage

I understand your concern. But whether someone quit or left a job voluntarily goes beyond mere semantics.

The letter sent to D-3 parents (links in previous posts) said TS left French Elementary voluntarily. (There are FB rumors about why she left that have been mentioned here but shouldn't have been-- but they didn't involve firing...self-created drama yes, firing no.)

Maybe the school district lied, but I would tend believe the letter to parents over an unsourced report in Heavy.com. And leaving a long-term substitute teacher job (long-term in that it wasn't a day here, a day there) when an absent teacher returns or school lets out isn't unusual and isn't considered being "fired."

Maybe you were right when you stated she was "fired" from all 3 of her CO teaching jobs (sub job and French Elementary job in D-3, and never got beyond orientation D-20 job where she definitely was fired) but I really doubt it. Because that would mean that the very same district (D-3) that fired her as a sub then rehired her no more than 2-3 months later as a full-time teacher. (And then lied to the parents in writing after she was arrested.) And D-20 (in the same general geographical area as D-3) hired her less than 2 months after she'd been fired not once, but twice, in a sister school district.

If that all truly happened, then I bet some other teachers currently working in the Colorado Springs area have iffy backgrounds too.

It seems much more likely she wasn't fired by D-3 but was let go by D-20 for issues discoverable only after a deeper dive than Colorado Springs records. (For example, SC) I can't imagine a quick check wasn't done before extending even a conditional offer of employment. Perhaps she omitted her previous D-3 employment from her D-20 application, but if she wasn't fired, why would she? And if she did omit it because she was fired twice by D-3, how in the world did that happen?
JMO

 

[NCWatcher]

I don't think it made much difference. She could talk to the police as much as she wanted to at 17, but probably not be as legally compelled to talk as she is after 18.
Psychologically taking in your mother is a murderer and involved you in the cover up; I think that would take about week to process. Dreadful, depressing and unreal as it must be, if she isn't being a forthcoming witness for Gannon then she should be charged with obstruction.
Also if she is not forthcoming she should not be allowed to continue her path into the military, they dont need a soldier that can't see that honesty is required.

HH can and will be compelled to testify.

Witnesses don't get to just refuse to testify when they're served a subpoena.
If she refuses to testify, she can be held in contempt of court and thrown in the slammer.

The only time people can plead the 5th is when their testimony might be self-incriminating.

HH is going to be called as a witness by DDA Allen. That's a given.
She was in that home in the hours both before and after GS's disappearance.
She's one of the last people to see Gannon alive.
She's one of the people who saw and spoke with TS that day.
She bought cleaning supplies that were likely used to clean up GS's blood.
She went and picked up TS in Colorado Springs for some completely unknown reason after TS had rented a car.
She was with TS in the days following GS's disappearance, and likely travelled with her out of state.

IF HH hasn't done anything criminal, she can either do the smart, honorable thing and tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth when she's up on the stand.

Or she can be dumb and dishonorable, like her mother, and lie under oath.

It's that simple.

Message to HH: "Make good choices."

JMO.

I'm not sure that not talking to LE is obstruction. I'm not a lawyer but from The Dangers of Talking to the FBI | Denver Criminal Defense Lawyer

"You are NOT REQUIRED to answer any questions of ANY law enforcement agency including the FBI. You ALWAYS have the right to consult with an attorney and you ALWAYS have the right to remain silent."

"There is no law enforcement organization in Colorado or anywhere in the country state or federal, including the FBI, that has the authority to compel you to answer their questions."

The above link points out many people think it's wrong not to talk to LE and points out we are raised to believe "honesty is the best policy" but that's not necessarily true in LE matters.

While HH could be called to court with a subpoena, if she hasn't voluntarily talked by then I think that's fairly unlikely.

Would a prosecutor really want to hear HH answer questions for the first time in court in the presence of a jury? I really doubt it.

JMO

 

[Catareeka]

Good catch. Tired.


Good post. The suitcase will hopefully tell a lot and might even point the finger right at her. Also with her mouth I bet they have her on a recorded line discussing the crime.

One thing we’ve never heard about definitely is the ADT records at the exact timeframe she claims G left house to play with friend while she was supposedly “exercising” in the basement. If the system was deactivated during that time that would send up red flags. If not, what do the records show? If they knew for certain they would have said so in the AA, but they did not. So the question is, why?

If she was wearing an Apple watch during the time she was scrubbing the carpet and cleaning up the blood, it could technically look like she had been"exercising" in the basement during that time.
I highly doubt she was smart enough to turn the ADT off, and she wouldn't want to Google how to do it, for fear of it looking obvious if they checked.
I think at first she believed she could tell them anything and they would just take her word for it.

 

[pepper 34]

I'm not sure that not talking to LE is obstruction. I'm not a lawyer but from The Dangers of Talking to the FBI | Denver Criminal Defense Lawyer

"You are NOT REQUIRED to answer any questions of ANY law enforcement agency including the FBI. You ALWAYS have the right to consult with an attorney and you ALWAYS have the right to remain silent."

"There is no law enforcement organization in Colorado or anywhere in the country state or federal, including the FBI, that has the authority to compel you to answer their questions."

The above link points out many people think it's wrong not to talk to LE and points out we are raised to believe "honesty is the best policy" but that's not necessarily true in LE matters.

While HH could be called to court with a subpoena, if she hasn't voluntarily talked by then I think that's fairly unlikely.

Would a prosecutor really want to hear HH answer questions for the first time in court in the presence of a jury? I really doubt it.

JMO

IANAL but I think that's why the prosecution schedules depositions in the presence of the potential witness's attorney(s.) Just as you said, they don't want to ask questions unless they know what the answer will be. If the witness gives different answers during the trial than they gave during a deposition, this can be pointed out during a trial so the jury is made aware of any discrepancies in the witness's testimony.
"A deposition— The purpose of a deposition is to allow the lawyers to find out what a witness knows about the case, and to preserve that witness's testimony for trial."

"You are NOT REQUIRED to answer any questions of ANY law enforcement agency including the FBI. You ALWAYS have the right to consult with an attorney and you ALWAYS have the right to remain silent."

This is true but this is early on in the process and isn't when a person has been summoned to court to act as a witness during a trial. This is when LE believes a crime has taken place and they are investigating that crime and questioning anyone who they think may be able to add to their knowledge of that crime. HH has the right, at this point in time, to refuse to answer any questions LE might want to ask.

 

[Boxer]

IANAL but I think that's why the prosecution schedules depositions in the presence of the potential witness's attorney(s.) Just as you said, they don't want to ask questions unless they know what the answer will be. If the witness gives different answers during the trial than they gave during a deposition, this can be pointed out during a trial so the jury is made aware of any discrepancies in the witness's testimony.
"A deposition— The purpose of a deposition is to allow the lawyers to find out what a witness knows about the case, and to preserve that witness's testimony for trial."

"You are NOT REQUIRED to answer any questions of ANY law enforcement agency including the FBI. You ALWAYS have the right to consult with an attorney and you ALWAYS have the right to remain silent."

This is true but this is early on in the process and isn't when when a person has been summoned to court to act as a witness during a trial. This is when LE believes a crime has taken place and they are investigating that crime and questioning anyone who they think may be able to add to their knowledge of that crime. HH has the right, at this point in time, to refuse to answer any questions LE might want to ask.

But if HH witnessed odd behavior, like stopping car randomly and tossing something in a public trash, and did not tell police wouldn't that be assisting a cover up?

 

[ab01]

IANAL but I think that's why the prosecution schedules depositions in the presence of the potential witness's attorney(s.) Just as you said, they don't want to ask questions unless they know what the answer will be. If the witness gives different answers during the trial than they gave during a deposition, this can be pointed out during a trial so the jury is made aware of any discrepancies in the witness's testimony.
"A deposition— The purpose of a deposition is to allow the lawyers to find out what a witness knows about the case, and to preserve that witness's testimony for trial."

"You are NOT REQUIRED to answer any questions of ANY law enforcement agency including the FBI. You ALWAYS have the right to consult with an attorney and you ALWAYS have the right to remain silent."

This is true but this is early on in the process and isn't when when a person has been summoned to court to act as a witness during a trial. This is when LE believes a crime has taken place and they are investigating that crime and questioning anyone who they think may be able to add to their knowledge of that crime. HH has the right, at this point in time, to refuse to answer any questions LE might want to ask.

^^^^^THIS

That she does! And if they have evidence that she has mislead LE or tried to cover up crimes that her mother committed then she is going to go down with the ship.

Her best option is to cooperate and (I know its probably "taboo" in T's family), to to do whats morally right and cooperate.

If not she can and will be compelled to do so!

They very likely then may offer her immunity if and only if she agrees to be truthful and act in good faith. At that point there's no using the 5th amendment as a crutch and she will be forced to either answer truthfully on the stand or lie and face the legal consequences of lying under oath.

Either way her answers on the stand will point to T's guilt. Juries are generally pretty perceptive and they can tell when a witness is evasive on certain questions.

There's truly only one option in this case and I hope she chooses wisely

JMO

 

[GordianKnot]

I'm not sure that not talking to LE is obstruction. I'm not a lawyer but from The Dangers of Talking to the FBI | Denver Criminal Defense Lawyer

"You are NOT REQUIRED to answer any questions of ANY law enforcement agency including the FBI. You ALWAYS have the right to consult with an attorney and you ALWAYS have the right to remain silent."

"There is no law enforcement organization in Colorado or anywhere in the country state or federal, including the FBI, that has the authority to compel you to answer their questions."

The above link points out many people think it's wrong not to talk to LE and points out we are raised to believe "honesty is the best policy" but that's not necessarily true in LE matters.

While HH could be called to court with a subpoena, if she hasn't voluntarily talked by then I think that's fairly unlikely.

Would a prosecutor really want to hear HH answer questions for the first time in court in the presence of a jury? I really doubt it.

JMO

We're not talking about her refusing to talk to LE.
LE is one thing.
The court system is another.

We're talking about what happens if she refuses to testify in court.

HH is on the prosecution's witness list.
She'll likely be served a subpoena.

What happens if a victim or witness refuses to testify in court?

What if a witness fails to appear in court in Colorado? Contempt rules

SABBM:

If the witness had been subpoenaed to appear in a Colorado court, then failing to appear can result in that witness being held in contempt. This means that the witness could be arrested, jailed, and fined.

Clearly, TS does not subscribe to the belief that "honesty is the best policy."
That's because the truth will not set her free.

HH refusing to speak with investigators is her right, but that doesn't make it a right decision.

It's not a good look for someone who aspires to join the military.
Last time I checked, the mantra was "No man left behind," not "Every man for himself."

This is about Gannon.

Justice for Gannon is all that matters.

Per the arrest affidavit, HH has done nothing to advance that cause.

Not one thing.

JMO.

 

[pepper 34]

But if HH witnessed odd behavior, like stopping car randomly and tossing something in a public trash, and did not tell police wouldn't that be assisting a cover up?

I suppose it would be but that information would have to come to be known to LE, I would think, before HH could be charged with anything. If surveillance showed HH in a car and TS getting out of the same car to discard something, iow.... it might look suspicious but it could just have been a Burger King hamburger wrapper. LE would have to prove HH saw and knew what TS threw out and knew of it's impact on the case... and, therefore knew TS had actually murdered Gannon, etc... I think this is why LE often lets some of the less vital things go rather than trying to chase down every little thing. They've caught the big fish they wanted to catch, imo... if they thought HH had played a roll in Gannon's murder, I think HH would have been arrested already.

There was that case recently where the husband's lover helped him throw out bags of bloody evidence of his wife's murder and he had killed his wife... He and "Lovey-dear" drove along in a car throwing the bloody bags of evidence into trash cans along the street and that was that until LE located some of the bags. The husband's lover's fingerprints were found on some of the bags, as I recall. What happened to her? I'm not sure but the last I heard, she hadn't been charged with anything. I lost track of that case so I don't know but I thought he committed suicide so, unless LE decided to charge her with something, it looks like everyone's off the hook on that one.

 

[GordianKnot]

I suppose it would be but that information would have to come to be known to LE, I would think, before HH could be charged with anything. If surveillance showed HH in a car and TS getting out of the same car to discard something, iow.... it might look suspicious but it could just have been a Burger King hamburger wrapper. LE would have to prove HH saw and knew what TS threw out and knew of it's impact on the case... and, therefore knew TS had actually murdered Gannon, etc... I think this is why LE often lets some of the less vital things go rather than trying to chase down every little thing. They've caught the big fish they wanted to catch, imo... if they thought HH had played a roll in Gannon's murder, I think HH would have been arrested already.

There was that case recently where the husband's lover helped him throw out bags of bloody evidence of his wife's murder and he had killed his wife... He and "Lovey-dear" drove along in a car throwing the bloody bags of evidence into trash cans along the street and that was that until LE located some of the bags. The husband's lover's fingerprints were found on some of the bags, as I recall. What happened to her? I'm not sure but the last I heard, she hadn't been charged with anything. I lost track of that case so I don't know but I thought he committed suicide so, unless LE decided to charge her with something, it looks like everyone's off the hook on that one.

Suspecting someone has guilty knowledge of a crime and proving it are two different things.

"There's the rub," as my man Shakespeare would say.

JMO.