CO - Gannon Stauch, 11, found deceased, Colorado Springs, El Paso County, 27 Jan 2020 *Arrest* #55

[Seattle1]

OK, this is what I want to know. So, during phone calls AL believes LS is responsible for disappearing GS. Is he cooperating with LE and FBI at this point?

Yes. The call is approximately 3 weeks after GS was reported missing. Long enough for AS and LH to know that GS is not alive and/or not ever being reunited with his family.

 

[Curious Me]

She started using the F word every other sentence at one point and she ramped up on the guilt inducing sobbing, but really I think she felt something for once, for just a brief moment, when he asked her how she'd feel if it was Harley.

This is just MOO now. I think it touched a guilty spot in T when Al asked her how she would feel if it were Harley missing. She said they'd be praying, pulling together, and she would stand by her husband. Then, she started ranting and using the F word because she's been wrongly accused and he was doubting her.

Ah, but for a minute she knew if it had been Harley, it'd be such a betrayal if he did what she had done. I think she felt a moment of guilt and remorse, and went into a F-ing sobbing angry rant complaining she was being accused, fleeing to her "victim ness cover-up".​

 

[Seattle1]

Gannon's father became suspicious of stepmom, began cooperating with investigators

Gannon's father worked with investigators and placed "pretext" calls to Letecia Stauch. Audio from them was played in court Tuesday afternoon.

www.9news.com

4/4/23

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. — The father of Gannon Stauch took the stand Tuesday and detailed the moment he became suspicious that the boy's stepmom knew more about the boy's disappearance than she was telling him.

[..]

He said he found it odd that Letecia Stauch told him she had rented a car to do searches for Gannon out of concern about going over the mileage on her lease.

"Things like miles on your car don't matter in an emergency," Al Stauch said.

He said Letecia Stauch told him she had left her car at the elementary school where she worked. When he went to the school, it was not there.

"I drove around the school three times just to make sure I didn't miss it," Al Stauch said. "That was the key moment. She knows more than she's telling me."

It was at that time, he said, he called the sheriff's office and told them "something wasn't right" and later began cooperating with investigators by taking part in "pretext" phone calls with Letecia Stauch. Audio from several of those calls was played during court Tuesday afternoon.

Two days after Gannon went missing, Al Stauch testified that Letecia Stauch told him a man had broken into their home, raped and attacked her, and took Gannon. He said he asked her why there were no signs of a struggle in the home and she replied, "I cleaned it up. I got scared."

[..]

In the audio, Al Stauch confronted Letecia Stauch about why none of their neighbor's security cameras showed Gannon or her "attacker" leaving their residence. She suggested it was the angle or direction the cameras faced.
At one point in the call, Letecia Stauch asked Al Stauch if he thought she did it, to which he responded, "I don't know."

 

[Seattle1]

Gannon's father takes the stand, testifies against ex Letecia Stauch

Eugene 'Al' Stauch testified against his ex-wife on Tuesday, describing abnormalities in her messages the day of his son's death.

www.courttv.com

4/4/23

District Attorney Michael Allen questioned the witness about his relationship with Letecia regarding his work with the National Guard while serving in Alaska. According to Al Stauch, Letecia filed a claim of sexual harassment related to someone he was serving with; and this caused him to be transferred to Colorado. Additionally, the defendant also told him she was pregnant, which was not true, according to Al Stauch.

Throughout the morning, Letecia Stauch has had her head facing down, with her hair covering her face during testimony.

In a line of questioning about the day Gannon was reported missing, the father testified about photos of Gannon in bed sent by Letecia that same morning. He says it was unusual for the blankets to be piled on the bed as seen in the photo, and recognized a blanket that is not normally used by Gannon. He also noted the bed was pulled away from the wall.

The prosecution appears to be pursuing a line of questioning about what Letecia Stauch told her husband versus reality, specifically about claims of trips, her relationship with Gannon, and claims of her being a victim of criminal activity.

The prosecution is expected to playback recordings of several phone calls involving the defendant made to Al Stauch after Gannon was reported as missing.

 

[Turkeytrot]

I have a question, and it might be a dumb one.

When it comes to this not guilty by reason of insanity plea, does the defense only need to try to prove that she was insane during the actual murder? The cleaning up and lying trying to cover herself point to knowing right from wrong imo but could they argue that she wasn't insane at *that* moment, just the actual killing?

If that makes sense

By the way, I don't buy this NGRI regardless, I'm just not too familiar with how it works. I followed from when he was first "missing" and she had all my alarm bells going off from the start.

 

[Murphy1950]

Gannon's father takes the stand, testifies against ex Letecia Stauch

Eugene 'Al' Stauch testified against his ex-wife on Tuesday, describing abnormalities in her messages the day of his son's death.

www.courttv.com

4/4/23

District Attorney Michael Allen questioned the witness about his relationship with Letecia regarding his work with the National Guard while serving in Alaska. According to Al Stauch, Letecia filed a claim of sexual harassment related to someone he was serving with; and this caused him to be transferred to Colorado. Additionally, the defendant also told him she was pregnant, which was not true, according to Al Stauch.

RSBM She told Al she was pregnant with twins, even texted a sonogram picture. No single lie is big or dramatic enough for T. Imagine the tales she wove for Al when that wasn't true.

 

[MsMarple]

She started using the F word every other sentence at one point and she ramped up on the guilt inducing sobbing, but really I think she felt something for once, for just a brief moment, when he asked her how she'd feel if it was Harley.

This is just MOO now. I think it touched a guilty spot in T when Al asked her how she would feel if it were Harley missing. She said they'd be praying, pulling together, and she would stand by her husband. Then, she started ranting and using the F word because she's been wrongly accused and he was doubting her.

Ah, but for a minute she knew if it had been Harley, it'd be such a betrayal if he did what she had done. I think she felt a moment of guilt and remorse, and went into a F-ing sobbing angry rant complaining she was being accused, fleeing to her "victim ness cover-up".​

Sadly I disagree: IMO Letecia is incapable of feeling guilt. Or remorse. Or empathy.

Notice how her answer is about what she would *do* if it was her daughter, not how she would feel. IMO the feelings she can muster up have only to do with herself.

IMO Letecia has a big, black hole where her conscience should be.

 

[Smelly Squirrel]

And that’s why I don’t believe the candle episode caused Letecia to “snap.”

To me the entire video stinks of gaslighting. IMO perhaps Letecia planned to use it to show that Gannon was upset enough to run away, who knows?

In any case I don’t think there was a single precipitating act that caused her to kill but rather it was a culmination of perceived (ie imaginary) infractions that bolstered her decision to murder Gannon.

All JMO of course but I absolutely believe his murder was a premeditated act.

I'm not sure LS didn't spill the candle herself.

 

[Ontario Mom]

She started using the F word every other sentence at one point and she ramped up on the guilt inducing sobbing, but really I think she felt something for once, for just a brief moment, when he asked her how she'd feel if it was Harley.

This is just MOO now. I think it touched a guilty spot in T when Al asked her how she would feel if it were Harley missing. She said they'd be praying, pulling together, and she would stand by her husband. Then, she started ranting and using the F word because she's been wrongly accused and he was doubting her.

Ah, but for a minute she knew if it had been Harley, it'd be such a betrayal if he did what she had done. I think she felt a moment of guilt and remorse, and went into a F-ing sobbing angry rant complaining she was being accused, fleeing to her "victim ness cover-up".​

I got a TOTALLY different vibe.

I got a super emotional gaslighting lecture on how she would have played that role WAY better than Al was currently doing for her, and how she expected Al to fall in line and do exactly what she wanted him to do.

I also got the vibe that she is genuinely evil.

 

[Ontario Mom]

RSBM She told Al she was pregnant with twins, even texted a sonogram picture. No single lie is big or dramatic enough for T. Imagine the tales she wove for Al when that wasn't true.

I may be getting ahead of the evidence but isn't she the same one that bought an online polygraph test "result" that indicated she passed? I hope I'm not mixing up cases.

 

[MsMarple]

I have a question, and it might be a dumb one.

When it comes to this not guilty by reason of insanity plea, does the defense only need to try to prove that she was insane during the actual murder? The cleaning up and lying trying to cover herself point to knowing right from wrong imo but could they argue that she wasn't insane at *that* moment, just the actual killing?

If that makes sense

By the way, I don't buy this NGRI regardless, I'm just not too familiar with how it works. I followed from when he was first "missing" and she had all my alarm bells going off from the start.

Small correction: in Colorado it’s up to the prosecution to prove the defendant was sane at the time of the crime.

But yeah, I’ve been scratching my head too. How does one prove either condition in a case where the defendant began covering up the crime so quickly? I suppose that by itself could indicate not only sanity but also understanding the urgency of cleaning up.

Luckily IMO this one’s in the bag.

 

[Smelly Squirrel]

I may be getting ahead of the evidence but isn't she the same one that bought an online polygraph test "result" that indicated she passed? I hope I'm not mixing up cases.

She tried to buy one but the business refused because the purpose was too shady even for them. They could tell by the questions, which may well have been, "did you kill your stepson?"

They could be a witness later.

 

[Seattle1]

I have a question, and it might be a dumb one.

When it comes to this not guilty by reason of insanity plea, does the defense only need to try to prove that she was insane during the actual murder? The cleaning up and lying trying to cover herself point to knowing right from wrong imo but could they argue that she wasn't insane at *that* moment, just the actual killing?

If that makes sense

By the way, I don't buy this NGRI regardless, I'm just not too familiar with how it works. I followed from when he was first "missing" and she had all my alarm bells going off from the start.

The defense does not need to prove anything.

In Colorado, the burden is on the prosecution to prove beyond reasonable doubt that LS was sane at the time she committed the act of murdering Gannon, and therefore guilty of the crime.

1. What is “insanity” under Colorado law?​

Defendants are considered insane at the time of the offense if they were either:

1. so diseased or defective in mind as to be incapable of distinguishing right from wrong; OR
2. suffering from a condition of the mind caused by mental disease or defect that prevented them from forming a culpable mental state that is an essential element of a crime charged.

Under the first prong, the defendant’s mental capacity to distinguish between right and wrong is measured against the societal standard of what is right and wrong. It is not a subjective standard.

And the second prong – where the defendant is so disordered that he/she cannot form criminal intent – applies only to cases where the defendant is facing charges for a “specific intent” crime. Specific intent crimes are offenses where the defendant’s mindset is an element of the crime, such as first-degree murder or assault.

In short, people are legally insane when – at no fault of their own – they are so mentally incapacitated that they cannot tell what is wrong or form criminal intent.

The "Insanity Defense" in Colorado - A Legal Guide

Learn how Colorado's insanity defense works, including its elements, process, and key differences from incompetency and intoxication.

www.shouselaw.com

 

[Smelly Squirrel]

RSBM She told Al she was pregnant with twins, even texted a sonogram picture. No single lie is big or dramatic enough for T. Imagine the tales she wove for Al when that wasn't true.

She told constant whoppers. I know someone in my family who is like that, it creates a very stressful situation where you never know what to expect. Hard enough for an adult to deal with that, can't imagine how it was for the children to be around it.

 

[justme11]

I just got done listening to the phone call. I'm exhausted, my ears hurt and my brain is tired. IMO Al did a great job. First off, even having a call of that length with the monster is a huge feat. He remained patient, for the most part, and kept her yapping away. Every story and every lie is exactly what they needed to help nail her. At the end, I was sad to hear Al describe that the monster and HH would have, as he called it, a 'dance party'. She was happy they left. He said they were living in SC, it was before he had custody but the kids came for weekends. IMO, she didn't care for Gannon from the get-go. I always get the impression that Landon (sorry not sure what her initials are now) and Al's worlds revolved around those kids and the monster was jealous and couldn't stand it. All my opinion.

 

[Seattle1]

She told constant whoppers. I know someone in my family who is like that, it creates a very stressful situation where you never know what to expect. Hard enough for an adult to deal with that, can't imagine how it was for the children to be around it.

Everybody around a person of this character suffers. Nobody is exempt. These are the same people that the only remedy is no contact. JMO

 

[Seattle1]

RSBM She told Al she was pregnant with twins, even texted a sonogram picture. No single lie is big or dramatic enough for T. Imagine the tales she wove for Al when that wasn't true.

During the second phase of the phone call (after the break), it appeared to me that LS was again alluding to having been recently pregnant and miscarried. I should see if YT will produce a transcript. This is when she's talking about having been raped by phantom Eguardo. MOO

ETA: It starts shortly after LS asks who is listening to the call and knows AS is using his speakerphone, and GS talking about "Uncle Matt." LS talks about hitting her head twice, out of it, and says:

"My body system was already weak because you know how it is in the first four to five weeks of being pregnant..my mind was already completely f-ing gone...," and now LS is pacing back and forth and this is where AS interrupts and asks why she's leaving out the part about being raped. [YT marker about -1:05:00].

Had she told AS she was pregnant but following the rape and hitting her head, she had a miscarriage? (This recorded conversation is taking place about 3 weeks after the alleged rape).

 

[arielilane]

https://twitter.com/ZachNDupont

Back from lunch break, we are about to jump into the numerous recorded phone calls between Al and Letecia Stauch.

Allen is currently talking with Al Stauch about Letecia Stauch’s claim that she was raped and Gannon was kidnapped from the house, a claim Letecia Stauch made just a few days after reporting Gannon missing. “My first impression was that it was a story," Al Stauch said.

Al Stauch is also talking about how there were several "different stories" that were told by Letecia Stauch in the days following Gannon being reported missing.

We're about 45 minutes into the phone conversation between Al and Letecia Stauch, so far, it has been Letecia describing her version of events leading up to her reporting Gannon missing. Prior to playing the audio Allen stated that the FBI walked Al Stauch through this call.

We're now on to the point of the phone conversation where Letecia Stauch is telling Al Stauch about how a man broke into their home and assaulted her before taking Gannon “My mind was completely gone,” Letecia Stauch said. “I tried, I didn’t know what was going on.”

She claims in the call that she hit her head and "blacked out." "You're treating me like a criminal," she told Al Stauch through tears at one point in the conversation. This call took place in Feb. 2020.

"Do you think I did this?" Letecia Stauch yelled at Al Stauch at one point in the conversation.

Eventually, Al Stauch asks Letecia straight up: "Did you kill Gannon." "Did I kill Gannon the answer is no," Letecia Stauch yelled in response. "I can't believe you'd ask me this... If you think Gannon's dead that's horrible.”

First phone call is over, and looks like we are wrapping the day up. There are more phone conversations that will be played tomorrow.

 

[arielilane]

Gannon's father takes the stand on second day of Letecia Stauch trial

More than three years since Gannon Stauch's body was found in northern Florida, his alleged killer and stepmom Letecia Stauch's trial began with opening statements in a Colorado Springs court.

gazette.com

“That’s my boy,” Al Stauch said through tears when Allen opened the morning asking the witness to identify a picture of Gannon.


Al Stauch talked about how Gannon was born four months early at just over one pound, how Gannon enjoyed playing video games — his favorites were the Mario games, Al Stauch said — and how Gannon aspired to be a YouTuber one day.

 

[Walela]

It would appear to me that T has a security detail in plain clothes sitting off-camera) that and the uniformed deputy assigned to her just cuffed her wrists and IMO uncuffed her feet.

For the safety of everyone in the room -- including her own defense attorneys -- not just laptops are tied down.

i think she's seated out of arm's reach of her attorneys as well.

I prefer a steel cage.

Jmo

Maybe she's seated away from her attorneys because she may not smell so good. IDK if defendants who are going to court everyday are allowed to shower each day. Perhaps her behavior, (head down; looking at the wall; stroking her hair; chewing her fist; laughing with her attorney etc) along with an unkempt appearance, is what she is trying to project as insanity. I get the vibe she thinks herself pretty. jmo