GUILTY PA - Cassandra Gross, 51*still missing*, Latrobe, 7 Apr 2018 *arrest in 2022*

[Richrd]

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Cassandra Gross

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[loveplace]

‘It’s hell living through it’: family wants answers 4 years after Cassandra Gross disappearance

Update on our local news tonight. Nothing I caught that was new though.

 

[Kittybunny]

‘It’s hell living through it’: family wants answers 4 years after Cassandra Gross disappearance

Update on our local news tonight. Nothing I caught that was new though.

I saw that too. It's just so so sad.

 

[CCJD]

A Unity man was sentenced Wednesday to seven years and three months in federal prison in a gun case, and the judge rejected claims that the defendant was unaware he was prohibited from having the weapons because of past felony convictions.
......
Stanko has long been suspected in the 2018 disappearance of Cassandra Gross of Unity though he is not charged in connection with it.

Federal judge unswayed by Unity man's gun possession claim, sentences him to federal prison

A Unity man was sentenced Wednesday to seven years and three months in federal prison in a gun case, and the judge rejected claims that the defendant was unaware he was prohibited from having the weapons because of past felony convictions. “(Thomas G. Stanko) acted consistently with somebody who...

triblive.com

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Homicide charges filed 4 years after Cassandra Gross’ disappearance

Homicide charges have been filed four years after the disappearance of Cassandra Gross.

Thomas Stanko, who was Gross’ estranged boyfriend, is facing several charges including criminal homicide, tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse.

 

[Gardenista]

Boyfriend Charged with Homicide in Pennsylvania Woman's 2018 Disappearance

Authorities formally charged a man long suspected in his girlfriend's disappearance and presumed death.

lawandcrime.com

 

[Richrd]

14 November (Lower) Court Date

Homicide Defendant:

Thomas George Stanko, 52

Lower Court Docket:

https://ujsportal.pacourts.us/Report/MdjDocketSheet?docketNumber=MJ-10208-CR-0000416-2022&dnh=PnfTY29iNcKs9TdnECXY7w%3D%3D

[Contribution # 8604
Thread # 370859]
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[Richrd]

25 January (Upper) Court Date

Homicide Defendant:

Thomas George Stanko, 52

CBS News:

Thomas Stanko, charged in death of Cassandra Gross, appears in court

Stanko was in court in Westmoreland County on Friday.

www.cbsnews.com

(Lower) Court Docket:

https://ujsportal.pacourts.us/Report/MdjDocketSheet?docketNumber=MJ-10208-CR-0000416-2022&dnh=PnfTY29iNcKs9TdnECXY7w==

[Contribution # 8627
Thread # 370859]

 

[asmi106082]

Well it’s about darn time!!! I hope these charges will bring some comfort to Cassandra’s family. I wonder if the prosecution will attempt to strike a deal with him to reveal where he hid her remains? MOO

 

[JerseyGirl]

Thomas G. Stanko ordered to stand trial in death of Cassandra Gross

Homicide charges against a Unity man suspected of killing Cassandra Gross were held for court Friday, despite unsuccessful searches for her body or remains in the last four and a half years since the Unity woman went missing. “Can you tell us how she died?” asked Marc Daffner, defense attorney

triblive.com

 

[Richrd]

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25 January (Upper) Court Date:

(Upper) Court Docket Sheet:

https://ujsportal.pacourts.us/Report/CpDocketSheet?docketNumber=CP-65-CR-0004195-2022&dnh=IKon8e1nw9N6kse7kBbBMQ%3D%3D

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[imstilla.grandma]

Thomas Stanko maintains he did not kill Cassandra Gross, said his attorney, Marc Daffner, during a pretrial hearing Monday.

Gross, of Unity, was last seen in April 2018 and was declared legally dead a year later.

“They have jurisdiction problems. Thus far, no one has been able to say for certain that anything has occurred or where it occurred,” Daffner said.

Stanko, 53, was charged a year ago with criminal homicide, reckless burning, abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence in connection with Gross’ death. Her body has never been recovered. She was last seen April 7, 2018. Her Mitsubishi Outlander was found burned days later in a wooded area near Twin Lakes Park, east of Greensburg.

Prosecutors claim Stanko killed her and covered up the crime. Through evidence presented at a preliminary hearing last year, they suggested he burned and discarded her remains.

“We will file pretrial motions but, ultimately, it will be a trial,” Daffner said. “He denies he had anything to do with any of this. There is no body and no forensic evidence. A lot of that you’d see in a homicide case. We don’t have it here.”

During the preliminary hearing, prosecutors presented evidence that Stanko and Gross communicated a day before she went missing. Days later, Stanko appeared to have burn injuries, police said.

Notice of Privacy

 

[Kittybunny]

Thomas Stanko maintains he did not kill Cassandra Gross, said his attorney, Marc Daffner, during a pretrial hearing Monday.

Gross, of Unity, was last seen in April 2018 and was declared legally dead a year later.

“They have jurisdiction problems. Thus far, no one has been able to say for certain that anything has occurred or where it occurred,” Daffner said.

Stanko, 53, was charged a year ago with criminal homicide, reckless burning, abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence in connection with Gross’ death. Her body has never been recovered. She was last seen April 7, 2018. Her Mitsubishi Outlander was found burned days later in a wooded area near Twin Lakes Park, east of Greensburg.

Prosecutors claim Stanko killed her and covered up the crime. Through evidence presented at a preliminary hearing last year, they suggested he burned and discarded her remains.

“We will file pretrial motions but, ultimately, it will be a trial,” Daffner said. “He denies he had anything to do with any of this. There is no body and no forensic evidence. A lot of that you’d see in a homicide case. We don’t have it here.”

During the preliminary hearing, prosecutors presented evidence that Stanko and Gross communicated a day before she went missing. Days later, Stanko appeared to have burn injuries, police said.

Notice of Privacy

He denies it. Shocking.

This is a pretty strong circumstantial case though. Hoping for justice for Cassandra!

 

[CCJD]

“In order to prove homicide, you have to prove these acts happened in this case. In this case, there is no body, there is no time of death, there is no location of a crime. All these things they have to prove, not only for the commonwealth to have jurisdiction but also for this court to have the proper venue,” Daffner argued.

Judge to rule if lack of remains prevents continuation of murder case against Thomas Stanko

A Westmoreland County judge will decide early next year whether there is sufficient evidence for the murder case to proceed against a Unity man charged with killing his former girlfriend. Defense attorney Marc Daffner argued during a court appearance Monday for Thomas Stanko, 53, of Unity that...

triblive.com

 

[PommyMommy]

SEP 5, 2024

Mother of Cassandra Gross, missing woman allegedly killed by ex-boyfriend, plans new search

The mother of a woman who has been missing since 2018 is planning a new search.

www.cbsnews.com

"We're going to have one more search and it's going to be the last one. I've done 128 searches," Kathe Gross said.

This time Kathe isn't searching for a body. She believes her daughter was burned to death after police recovered partially destroyed items that belonged to Cassandra from a burn barrel on the property of Thomas Stanko, who is charged in her death.

"I was told that people like him keep a trophy," Kathe Gross said. "And it could be buried in a metal box. So that's what we're looking for this time," she added.

 

[mlhenn]

Expert: ‘No way’ burning of missing woman’s car was an accident in Day 2 of testimony

UPDATE: This story was updated at 6:09 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 5, to include trial proceedings after recess.

www.latrobebulletinnews.com

UPDATE: This story was updated at 6:09 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 5, to include trial proceedings after recess.

 

[mlhenn]

Trial begins for man accused of killing Westmoreland County woman who disappeared in 2018

The trial is expected to last at least two weeks as several more witnesses are called to the stand.

www.wpxi.com

Day 2 of trial: New information surrounding woman's burned car in Westmoreland County

“I knew there was almost no chance it was accidental,” one witness said when speaking about Cassandra Gross' burned car.

www.wtae.com

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Stanko previously told police he had not seen Gross that day, but he testified on Tuesday that she was at his trailer before and after the last time she appeared in public.

Her mother, Kathe Gross, testified last week she knew Stanko killed her daughter as soon as Gross was reported missing.

The defense, and Stanko himself, told the jury he did not kill her.

To find Stanko guilty of murder, the jury must decide Gross is dead and Stanko killed her. If they determine it was intentional, he will receive a first-degree conviction. Otherwise, Stanko will be sentenced for third-degree murder.
Is
He would be found guilty of reckless burning if the jury believes he intentionally started a fire and did it with disregard for the surrounding area.

Stewart charged the jury after a short day of closing arguments from prosecuting Assistant District Attorney James Thomas Lazar and Defense Attorney Marc David Daffner

Jury declares Stanko guilty of murdering Unity Township woman

BREAKING: The jury finished deliberations, declaring that Thomas Stanko of Unity Township, 55, killed his former girlfriend, Cassandra Gross of Unity Township. He is guilty of first-degree murder and arson.

www.latrobebulletinnews.com

 

[Rikissa]

Article from 4 February 2026:

Nearly eight years after the disappearance of Cassandra Gross, a criminal homicide trial is officially underway in Westmoreland County.

Gross was first reported missing in April 2018 and officially declared dead in January 2019. In October 2022, Thomas Stanko was charged with homicide in connection with her death despite police never finding Gross' body.

Thomas Stanko's homicide trial begins nearly 8 years after Cassandra Gross' disappearance

Nearly eight years after the disappearance of Cassandra Gross, a criminal homicide trial is officially underway in Westmoreland County.

www.cbsnews.com

 

[Valiant]

And guilty of First Degree Murder and Arson. (same link as above, now updated)

Jury declares Stanko guilty of murdering Unity Township woman

BREAKING: The jury finished deliberations, declaring that Thomas Stanko of Unity Township, 55, killed his former girlfriend, Cassandra Gross of Unity Township. He is guilty of first-degree murder and arson.

www.latrobebulletinnews.com