I transcribed Landen and Al's impact statements and Judge Werner's sentencing statement. They were just so... well, IMPACTFUL. I felt they needed to be typed out.
LANDEN BULLARD’S IMPACT STATEMENT
Hello, Your Honor. My name is Landen Bullard, also referred to as Hiott in this case, but Bullard is B-U-L-L-A-R-D.
I miss you Gannon, and I love you to the moon and back and back again. I know every day you’re with me and your sisters, but that will never take away the ache that I have for you. To hold you, to hug you, to tell you how much I love you, and to see your smile and your innocence. I remember all the pain your dad and I suffered with having children. It was never easy, and we were always fearful through the process. On September the 29th 2008, our lives were forever changed. Our first biggest blessing came into the world weighing only one pound and six ounces. You fought all the odds and developed a personality and a smile that’s larger than life. You became my hero that day. You forever changed my heart and my life, and that will never change. That is something that can never be taken away from me.
You came into this world fighting, and unfortunately, you left this world fighting. Your Honor, she fought against someone that he loved and trusted. Someone that myself and Albert both trusted and loved. Someone who can never understand what it means to love or trust anyone but herself.
For more than three agonizing years, I’ve often wondered what I may say or if I would even be able to. For three years, I have questioned every single possibility and scenario. For three years, I have tried to forgive you, but I can’t. I want to, but no parent should have to bury their child. No parent should have to see or hear the horrific things you have done. To the whole family, she has taken away the most precious gift in this world. Not just my family, not Al’s family, but your own family. She destroyed dozens of lives. Lives of people who never wanted to believe that she could have done this.
She knew how special Gannon was, and she knew what meant the most to me. I, in my heart, can never understand her hatred and insecurities when it came to me, but I DID LOVE HER! Mother to mother, I trusted her with my children while trying to survive a complicated life with my third child, and she used every opportunity to write a narrative of my life. Again, to try to take pieces of my life. And she already took some of it, that still wasn’t enough. She searched so hard for love when all along she had it, but she took it for granted. I didn’t hold anger against you then. I still kept my heart open to her.
You had so much love from Laina and Gannon. From Harley, her own daughter, who she willingly subjected to the chance of serving time for her crimes. It’s such an indicator of her inability to love anyone but herself. You had support and appreciation from me even when we couldn’t see eye to eye. Because I valued her for helping me with our children when I physically couldn’t. Even when I was fighting for my kids, as you wrote a false smear campaign against me and my children, and also Al. For me, I still appreciated that they were loved by you… so I thought.
She had everyone fooled. She projected abuse and addiction claims against all of us, not just me, when all along she was the one harming innocent children! ANYTHING to take the light off. Manipulating us, breaking my kids, and murdering my son. I can’t say that she ruined my life because that would be some form of sick victory for her. Because even through this process it’s been a game to her. The people who listened doesn’t know her style or her sly jabs she’s even made at Albert and I. They do not know the significance of certain things she says or does, but we do.
Instead of allowing her to take that power of hurting me further, I wanted to tell you this. Let me tell you what GANNON has done even to this day. Even after you murdered him, she tried to taint any positive image of him. He has caused families and communities to come together. Children and adults have given their life to Christ. He has called unity in times of trial. He is a hero.
She even tried to steal that away. A cape, huh? The one image of Gannon that was created for the world. After it went national on TV begging for the return of my son and my hero. How dare her? How truly sick and cruel is she? You stole so much from this world. Gannon’s cousins, aunts, uncles, sisters, new siblings, grandparents, and friends are missing a huge portion of their lives without Gannon.
Laina is missing her brother. Your Honor, I’ve never seen a bond between two siblings so close as theirs. She had to TAKE THAT! Why? I’m afraid we may never know that answer, will we?
I show his baby sister, Nova, pictures and videos of Gannon so she will always know who he is because she stole him from us. He is not forgotten and never will be, and it’s so sad to sit here today and face her. A person even Gannon loved. One that I know while she was attacking and killing him and fought for his life, he defended himself against her still loving her! A love she never deserved from him for what she has done.
While she is too much of a coward to even come forward with the truth, she owes it to Gannon. But the lack of remorse, and the lack of respect to Gannon through this trial, her lack of compassion shows me that we were all wrong. She manipulated all of us and never loved Gannon, Laina, or Harley.
I’ve sat here for over a month having to listen to her sick lies, even as she tried to destroy who I was, and Albert as a father. I’ve had to sit here and listen and watch every reenactment of images NO ONE wants left in their minds! You wanted to leave us with that knowing it would torture us, but you underestimated ME! I AM LANDEN, Gannon’s mom, and that will NEVER change. Through my hurt, anger, and pain, I will NEVER be the monster that she is. I can never be filled with the hate that her heart holds. I pray that we will never have to look at her face again. I will continue to hold onto my faith. Vengeance is not mine, as I surely wish it could be at times, but it’s the Lord’s. I have to trust in that.
Thank you, Judge Werner. For your compassion, your patience through this trial. I want to thank the jurors for their attentiveness and time that they took for justice for my boy. To the detectives, officers, legal team for every single second they’ve poured out into Gannon’s case. And to the community for your countless hours.
Tecia, that was her biggest mistake. You underestimated the community and this team from Lorson Ranch. They searched for and fought for Gannon within hours, and they never believed your lies from the moment they started. These people never gave up on him while you never looked. All of these people I will forever hold close to my heart. Always Gannon Strong, my G-Man forever. Justice has been served TODAY.
Your Honor, I pray that you just give her the best sentencing, the longest sentencing, that you can. This will not bring my son back, but I can sleep soundly for the first time in three years knowing that you can never harm – this defendant can never harm – anyone again. Knowing Gannon will always be a true hero in a cape, he will always be MY son. That will never be taken away.
AL STAUCH’S IMPACT STATEMENT
Al Stauch, Gannon’s father. Capital, F-A-T-H-E-R. Last name Stauch, S-T-A-U-C-H. I’m going to start with something from my wife. Not to go out of order, but she didn’t think she could make it through it.
This is my wife Melissa, and these are her words –
Some may say or think that I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for Tecia. In part, that may be accurate, and I would be okay with that because then Gannon would still be here. I, too, know the pain of losing a child. There’s NO greater pain. We are now lifelong grief partners, as this is a lifelong journey of pain with two sons waiting for us in Heaven.
I have some words from my daughter Laina that I’ll address in the middle of my speech, but they’re written in yellow. So... leave it to a child.
Out of the night that covers me, black as the Pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be for my unconquerable soul. In the fell clutch of circumstance, I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeonings of chance, my head is bloody but unbowed. Beyond this place of wrath and tears looms but the horror of the shade, and yet the menace of the years finds, and shall find, me unafraid. It matters not how strait the gate, how charged with punishment the scroll, I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.
The poem I read is named Invictus, translated from the Latin means unconquerable. I quoted this same poem at Gannon’s memorial here in Colorado Springs back in August of 2020. Why August of 2020 when his body was ripped to shreds on January 27th? Well, as we heard testimony to, his body was found 1370 miles away. And in the process to identify his maggot-infested remains, they’ve held him from us until July 2020.
As I stated in my testimony on the stand, Gannon was born severely premature and barely filled my two hands the first time I held him. At the end of his life, after his body was cremated into a pile of ashes, he was ultimately no bigger than the first time I held him. As brutal as the wait became, I’m thankful to God and the bridge workers for finding him and returning his precious body to Landen and I.
I quote the poem Invictus again, not to boast of my strength and perseverance, Your Honor, but to say to the world I alone can control my actions and reactions. Your Honor, I refuse to allow anger to poison my soul and orient my life to the pursuit of vengeance. I refuse to allow pain to carry me through each day and promote the pursuit of medicinal retribution toward the offender. I refuse also to let my mind to be clouded by inconsistency and emotions that deter me from my purpose in this life. Your Honor, the price I pay for each and every day for this result is to only get pieces and parts of my son and consistently through time… but the pain is too heavy, the anger too overwhelming, and the desire for vengeance too vexing. Instead, each and every day I pursue peace. I seek joy in my life, and the let the love I have for my wife and family flow in and out of me like a mighty wave. As I told Tecia regularly right at the end of our relationship, my joy is mine alone and she cannot rob me of that.
I will learn to experience G more and more as time goes on, but as I did my best to instill into his precious soul, love, joy, service, and kindness are the pathway to take in life. This picture shows that in the 4th grade he already had a mind for service. Throughout these past three years since Gannon was beaten and drugged, carved up, shot at point blank range, and discarded like yesterday’s garbage, I’ve encountered many people that would figuratively do the same to me. I have been questioned, compared as Tecia did to my abusive father, and ridiculed for my approach to finding Gannon. I hope now that the world has seen I was assigned the most arduous task of finding Gannon in the only place possible for him to have been – in the mind of a killer.
Were my efforts fruitful? I believe so, but from the moment I did not see the Volkswagen Tiguan at French Elementary on that Tuesday evening, a clear direction for finding Gannon pointed directly and precisely at Tecia. While others online, some who are even in the courtroom today, questioned my perceived lack of effort or concern, I stood still and stood firm in knowing that only one person had the information needed to find Gannon. Now I say to the person who questions a father’s resolve when the safety and well being of his children are at stake -- I did not waver, I did not falter in the pursuit, nor did I allow the mentality of the mob to shake me. But it was ONLY by the grace of God that Gannon’s precious body was finally found.
In Mark 4:39 of the Bible, in the middle of a storm Christ arose and rebuked the wind and said, “Peace, be still.” In times of trial in my life, from seeing my father being taken away in handcuffs to seeing that sweet 1 lb 6 oz baby boy, my first-born son, be put into a Ziploc bag after he was born to help regulate his body temperature, and now searching for and NEVER finding my son again. I have but one choice, and that is in times of trial and tribulation to have that peace and be still. As I alluded to previously, that stillness does provide an easy target for many who do not understand peace, hope, and even faith. Some, including Tecia, feasted on my stillness, attacked… and yes, left several scars.
One of these scars comes in the form of the financial and residential ruin that began in the early days of this ordeal – I’m just going to skip this part because I don’t want to make this anymore about me. I’m not seeking any restitution, Your Honor. For the $1.50 a month I’d receive from the defendant, Tecia, would just keep me connected to her for the rest of my life and I don’t want that. So absolutely no restitution, Your Honor.
The murderer of which I speak was not always such. When I met Tecia, she was beautiful, extremely intelligent as many have testified to, and seemingly a successful woman. A far cry from the [censored] murderous, narcissistic, and arrogantly flippant human being that sits in our midst today. Having a background in teaching, social work, higher education, certified babysitting, an endless amount of credentials that should render one trustworthy when it relates to the safety of children. However, although she remains too much a coward to state the facts of what she did to Gannon, too much a lily-livered, self-centered, pathological liar to ask for forgiveness, and too much the façade of one who actually cares for others to have taken her frustration out on an adult and one who could defend themselves… she will one day give an account through her words or through her time.
Sending pictures of Gannon sleeping to Landen and I was telling, as the boy looked pale and absent of the energy that so defined him. This is what a happy, healthy little boy looks like when he’s asleep in the next picture. That’s what a little boy sleeping looks like. These pictures on the screen are of a happy, healthy little boy that’s sleeping sweetly, healthily where he lay.
The impact Tecia had as a result of this heinous crime stretches far wider and far deeper than I can depict through my statement today. Two other people torn to pieces as a result of this are Gannon’s sister Laina and Harley. Speaking of Harley, I feel as though I’ve lost two children as a result of this tragedy. One of which I will never see on this earth again, and the other which I do not know if a relationship can be salvaged with.
Now, for Laina. The video you saw of her as evidence… her bebopping down the street is actually an excellent depiction of Laina, and her happiness, and her joy in life. She is very loving, trusting, and at times, way too social. Normally you might be concerned by your little girl talking to the utility guy working in the front yard, but in this case it was the inside of her own home that was of grave concern. Nonetheless, her loss – Laina’s loss – is like none even I can imagine. She lost her big brother, her only brother at the time. I still do not know if she has fully processed or fully understands the gravity of the situation but regardless has pressed forward and is thriving the best that she can. I am SO proud of her. And these are her words – once again they’re in yellow, so I’ll do the best I can. And this is what I asked her if she wanted to say anything to Tecia, and this is what she said in her sweetest mind that she has – that you do not do that to people, especially your stepkids. And that is never all right to do these things. How sweeter of a response can you get?
Now for my precious, premature first-born son. Gannon, I never in my wildest dreams would have ever thought you’d be in danger, buddy. Or you know I wouldn’t have left you at home with what turned out to be your murderer and last person to ever see you on earth. I’m so sorry. Through a father’s eyes, children are truly a gift from God. They are among the best and most perfect creations God can make.
Your Honor, I do need to clear one thing up with the defense. It was said both in the opening statement and in the closing, somehow Gannon has been compared to a demon. And I understand the process, I do. But if they want to take the case up of Gannon being a demon, I will line people up from Alaska, to Denver, to Colorado Springs, all the way to South Carolina to testify against them. Gannon was NOBODY’S demon. I don’t care how much anyone was abused or anything, he was NOT ANYONE’S demon.
Gannon was truly my buddy. Very recently before he died, the most alarming thing he did was call me dad. Up until age 10 or 11, I was daddy. But in the last months of his life, I was just dad. A signal that he was coming into those junior high, pre-teenage years. Another amazing thing is that he finally started asking me regularly to play ball with him. He was never too much into sports for most of his life, but that last six to nine months he really started enjoying playing ball. Some of the most memorial times were him running little 5-yard football routes in the street in front of our house. Most of the time he dropped the ball, but he kept asking let’s do it again. I almost had it that time, daddy.
Oh, and that Nintendo Switch. One of the most difficult pieces of evidence to give up was his Nintendo because that probably has the most of him on it. Knowing I may never see that again is truly devastating. For him, many of his games were not just games but a challenge to overcome, as I made him beat specific games before I would buy him the next one. I remember not long before he died him beating the old school Zelda game he had. As he felt he was getting close to beating the final monster, he paused it, ran upstairs, and we sat at the kitchen island, and he beat it right there together with me. He was as excited as I ever saw him.
With all of that and all of the pain of only being able to see him play through the one YouTube video he was able to make, which I am about to play, I can sleep in peace at night because the father I am, and the son he is, was culminated as always in our final embrace. As he ran out of my arms and downstairs to watch Pokemon, I in his heart and he in mine. If we can try to play that video, just maybe the first 10 or 15 seconds of it. [video plays] That was one of the many he hoped to make, and the only one he was actually able to make.
I do want to add something that I don’t have in my speech. Me and Landen already had a conversation about this, and I owe her an apology as well, and she already gave me one. That we allowed Tecia to manipulate us. And to some of the pain and disagreements that we had between one another, and Landen I’m sorry. But I will say this, Tecia was not the glue to keep everything together. She was not the answer. And this is not a jab, Landen. Okay? But Laina still lives with me. Tecia, you were NOT the answer!
Now, Your Honor, if I have any influence on the final sentence for Tecia. First, I ask that she be stripped of my last name immediately. It’s nauseating and infuriating to hear her called Ms. Stauch this past three years. Secondly, I ask that for every mile she drove Gannon across the country she spend one day in solitary confinement. I think that’d take us into three or four years. After that journey is complete, I recommend that her sentence be equal to every year she stripped off of Gannon’s life, which for the average male in America right now is 77. So, that would give her 66 more years in addition to the 11 he lived. Lastly, for every year of Harley’s life that she abusively manipulated that child, she should have an additional year of prison. That adds 21 years to the total. I think without parole that should suffice.
I pray also that Tecia lives the fullest and happiest life that any inmate possibly can live. I also pray that every night before she falls asleep, her last breath before she drifts off sounds just like the breath that she describes as Gannon breathing as the life left his body. And that all through her sleep she dreams of all the fun they had Disney and other places we went throughout our time together. And that every morning as she is about to wake from the end of her dream, the last words that Gannon spoke to her, screamed and cried, “Tecia, stop! You’re hurting me! Why, Tecia? Daddy, help me! I want my mommy!” Why couldn’t you let him just be a mama’s boy? That’s all he wanted to be; he just loved his mama. I wish she would tell me what those words were so I would know. And then as she speaks those words, the sound of a gunshot goes off and she wakes. Every day and night, I pray she relives just those moments and then wakes up to a nice warm and kosher breakfast.
In conclusion, I’d like to share a picture of Gannon in his final state and final resting place, and thank everyone who has had a positive impact on my family and I. To everyone that has shared the positive impact Gannon has had on your life, from a proud and broken father, from the bottom of my heart I thank you. I’d like to pause until we can get that last photo up. Thank you, everyone.
JUDGE WERNER’S SENTENCING STATEMENT
A parent’s worst nightmare is getting a phone call letting them know that something has happened to their child. How much worse must that nightmare be when law enforcement asks, not for a picture of your loved one, but rather DNA and dental records. I’ve also heard it said that one of the worst tragedies that a parent can experience is to outlive a child. I have known people, both professionally and personally, that have gone through that. It never leaves them, but the sharpness of the pain does diminish to some extent over time.
I cannot fathom the pain Mr. Stauch and Mrs. Bullard have experienced as a result of the defendant’s actions. A sentence in a criminal case such as this will not change the fact that their son’s life was taken from them, and no sentence I impose and nothing I say will ever change that fact.
Ms. Stauch, you betrayed the person you loved enough to marry. You told your husband lies and took away someone he loved. You took away every day that Mr. Stauch or Ms. Bullard could have had with their son. When you take a life, regardless of how you do that, you forever alter the future. Neither Mr. Stauch nor Mrs. Bullard will ever see their son graduate from high school, go through the joy and pain of their first love, or get married. They will never know what kind of impact their son may have had on the world if only he had lived to become an adult. And had Gannon’s body not been found, they never would’ve known what happened to Gannon. They would’ve always had a lingering doubt about what happened to Gannon, and I cannot imagine the pain and sense of loss associated with that.
You betrayed your daughter, Harley Hunt. I cannot imagine the emotional impact that you have had on her due to your selfish and calculated actions. This is a young woman that trusted you to put her interests above yours. This is a young woman who believed in you and believed you were innocent of this crime right up until the time that you pled not guilty by reason of insanity, and she still loves you. That’s natural for a child, and it doesn’t matter how much older they get. You were supposed to protect her. I cannot imagine the guilt she feels or the therapy that she will need to process your betrayal. There is NO EVIDENCE that she had ANYTHING to do with the murder or your coverup of it, but some people still think that she is somehow involved. She wasn’t. The incredible strength of will and courage that it took for her to come in and testify is amazing to me, but she did it because, as she said, it was the right thing to do.
And while thankfully she didn’t testify, let us not forget about Laina. You betrayed her, too. You took her brother from her and forever altered her family dynamics. She will always wonder who she can trust and will always feel that loss. She was there the day you killed Gannon. His body was still in the house when she got back from school. At some point, you even claimed this 8-year-old girl helped you move her brother’s body from the basement to the back of your car. That’s just simply not true. As she gets older, Laina is gonna want to know more and she’s gonna want to know if there was something she could have done to prevent this. I hope she comes to realize that she has no fault in all of this.
You betrayed your stepson, and you took his life. You took away everything he was and everything he could ever become. I can’t imagine the terror and confusion that he must have felt in the last moments of his life when he knew his life was being taken by someone he trusted to protect it.
Your attempt to raise the claim that you did this because of your adverse childhood is also a betrayal of people that have mental health issues. It is no secret that there is a large part of our population that has mental health issues. It’s also no secret that our country and our health system could do a much better job addressing mental health issues than it does. However, the number of people with mental health issues who become violent is small, and the number who become murderers is smaller still. Your claim that a mental health issue caused the murder in this case is a disservice to all those who struggle with mental health issues every day.
This isn’t the first case I have presided over in which sanity or mental condition of the defendant has been raised as a defense. I have had cases where the defendant’s mental condition caused the defendant to act out in a certain fashion, but even in those cases I have NEVER seen conduct like this. I understand the claim of dissociative identity disorder. I have seen something resembling that, and I have seen defendants with schizophrenic disorders. I can understand those. What I have seen is that the mental condition causes the person to act a certain way, and when they realize what they did they are ASTONISHED by what happened or they have no memory of what happened. Your claim is that it was another personality that murdered Gannon, but there is no time during the minutes, hours, and days following the murder where Letecia came out and wondered, “Gee, why am I carrying a body around in my luggage?” That just isn’t credible.
You knew what you were doing. You made a number of clear and conscious decisions to cover or disguise what you had done. Claiming a lack of motive is a common defense tactic, and it can be a sound strategy. The truth is, however, that it only takes a moment to make a bad decision that results in disastrous consequences. And, oftentimes, we never know why a defendant chose a particular course of action. However, that does not mean that they did not intend to undertake a course of action.
Sometimes, as in this case, the likely explanation is anger. An 11-year-old boy with burns who feels that he’s not being taken care of… an 11-year-old boy on the verge of being a teenager. Those of us who have lived through kids who were once teenagers, we know how that is. It is not hard to imagine Gannon saying something… “you’re not my mom, I want my mom, I want my dad.” And that would be enough to make you really angry, but anger is not an excuse. A defendant is responsible for the choices they made and the actions they undertook, even those whose choices arose out of or were motivated by anger.
It’s clear that you hated and were jealous of Landen Bullard. You saw yourself as a better mother than she was. It was clear from the evidence that you had some resentment from being left with Mr. Stauch’s children. It’s clear you had some resentment toward Mr. Stauch because he traveled as part of his job. Some of that manifested as early as Al’s assignment in Alaska when you made allegations against the people in his unit. That caused Al to have to return from Alaska.
And in one of the phone calls that were played for the jury, you talked about having to take care of his kids while he was away and what a good mother you were. It’s clear you felt trapped. You wanted out. You were searching for a new job and a new location in Florida. Mr. Stauch had been gone on his new assignment for less than two days when the fire in the basement occurred. I can imagine that you saw your whole future consisting of taking care of Mr. Stauch’s children while he was off doing his thing, and that’s not the future that you wanted. I can imagine Gannon, at some point after he sustained his burns, telling you he wanted his real mom and how that comment would’ve made you angry. You took your frustration for the marriage, the childcare, the absence of Al, and even living in Colorado, you took all of that out on Gannon.
The evidence suggests that you first stabbed Gannon repeatedly 18 times. Based on the number of defensive wounds, he was clearly conscious for some of that. He was certainly gravely wounded. And chillingly, it would also explain how you were able to mimic the sound of Gannon breathing in one of your sessions with Dr. Lewis. Probably close to one of his last breaths, he was dying but not dead.
The evidence could also lead one to conclude that he either fell or rolled off the bed where you shot him in the head, and then beat him with the butt of a gun or baseball bat. That would explain the blood found at different levels on the walls in Gannon’s bedroom. I’m also reminded of the look you had on your face when you slipped your handcuffs while being transported back to Colorado and attacked Deputy James. I shudder to think that that was probably the last thing Gannon saw before he died.
You have shown NO remorse throughout this process. Instead, you’ve made a conscious choice to build a web of lies. When you gave an interview to Detective Jessica Bethel on January 29, 2020, you told her you lied to her about Gannon running way and that he was actually taken by a guy named Eduardo. When you explained that to Detective Bethel, you said you needed to lie because you didn’t want to face the consequences. You told her that you were trying to come up with a plan about what you should do. And finally, you told her you really thought you could fix this. I think that’s true.
You lied because you didn’t want to face the consequences. You needed to come up with a plan to fix this, and that plan involved covering up what you had done. It involved lie upon lie, but you slipped up at various points and let kernels of truth escape. In one conversation with Mr. Stauch, you told him the FBI needed to close the borders of Colorado and needed to close the borders of I-95. I-95 doesn’t go through Colorado; it’s an interstate that runs along the entire eastern seaboard. It’s also not far from where you dumped Gannon’s body. When questioned by Detective Bethel, you told her that Mr. Stauch might also make up some kind of story about you coming at him with a knife. You said you would never use a knife like that, yet Gannon was stabbed 18 times.
Your actions in this case also show a very conscious attempt to avoid responsibility in this case. You started out with a story that Gannon had run away. You gave some hints that it might be related to bath salts or drug use by Gannon. You stayed with that story until you were called into EPSO for an interview. You knew they weren’t going to buy the story that Gannon ran away.
Then you came up with the abduction. And you stayed with some iteration of that for a long time, but all of those versions had one thing in common. You were always the victim. In one, you were beaten and raped, and Gannon was abducted. In one, someone stole Gannon out of the truck in the parking lot. In another, you helped Gannon take care of a head injury he had after falling off of a bike. In all of them, you could claim it wasn’t your fault. You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Then, you got arrested. You stuck to the story that it was someone else that took Gannon. During the hours that you spoke with Special Agent Grusing, he told you he thought sometimes good people do bad things, and sometimes it’s an accident.
Then they found Gannon’s body. Then you saw the mountain of evidence against ya, and this is a mountain the size of Everest. What was your position after that? Well… it was an accident, and you – Letecia – didn’t even do it; it was Maria Sanchez. You carefully crafted your new story to continue to avoid responsibility. It also allowed you to take advantage of the out that Mr. Grusing and Mr. Stauch suggested much, much earlier when they asked you if this was an accident. Now it was an accident. Your Maria Sanchez personality shot Gannon by mistake because she thought he was an intruder in a cape. Multiple personalities is not credible in this setting. As regardless of how many personalities you have, you only have one body.
I have presided over cases where a mental disease or defect prevented a defendant from remembering the course of events, including the commission of a crime. Without exception, those defendants have been terrified when contacted by law enforcement because there was a period of time in their lives that they could not account for. Their body may have sustained an injury, and they don’t know how it happened. They may have some new object in their house or on their person, and they have no idea where they got it from. We all have free will, and we all make choices based on that free will. The people who suffer from the mental disorder you claim are terrified because their free will has been taken from them, and they are being subjected to things and experiences they don’t understand and don’t have any recollection of. You didn’t behave anything like that.
One of the purposes of sentencing is to impose a sentence for the criminal conduct that has occurred. Another purpose is to punish a defendant by imposing a sentence that takes into account the seriousness of the offense. Yet another purpose of sentencing is to prevent crime and respect for the law by providing an effective deterrent to others likely to commit a similar offense. Anyone who has been in my courtroom before knows that I’ve said sentencings are the most difficult thing that I do. That’s especially true in cases where someone has lost his or her life. Nothing I or the law can do will ever bring that person back.
I have handled hundreds, if not thousands, of criminal cases over the years. I think at this point in my career I’ve presided over something like 200 jury trials. I’ve sentenced hundreds more defendants pursuant to plea agreements. This is not the first murder case that has come before me. This is not the first case I’ve presided over in which harm has come to a child. This is not the first case I’ve had where a person who was in an unhappy marriage committed a crime. Sadly, statistically, there is a high correlation between violent acts, including murders, and family members. I have had a number of cases which have demonstrated one person’s capacity for cruelty toward another human being. I can, however, say without hesitation that the facts in this case are the most horrific I have ever seen. Your conduct in this case deserves the maximum punishment that I can impose under Colorado law.
As such, with respect to the charge of first-degree murder after deliberation, I remand you to the custody of the Colorado Department of Corrections for the remainder of your life with no possibility of parole. With respect to the charge of murder in the first degree of a child under 12 by a person in a position of trust, I remand you to the custody of the Colorado Department of Corrections for the remainder of your life with no possibility of parole. Those two sentences will merge. If you have questions about that, you can ask your attorneys. With the respect to the charge of tampering with a deceased human body, I’m also going to sentence you to 12 years, followed by a three-year period of parole. That sentence is to be consecutive to the life sentences that I’ve already imposed. With the respect to tampering with physical evidence, I’m going to impose an 18-month sentence. That sentence is also consecutive to the sentences for the murder charges that I have imposed.
moo
