Jury selection for Colorado woman Letecia Stauch’s murder trial is expected to begin on March 20, despite a pending final sanity report.
Stauch appeared in court on Thursday in El Paso County for a pretrial readiness conference ahead of the trial. Fourth Judicial District Attorney Michael Allen announced that Stauch’s final sanity report from a defense expert is not ready yet, but the prosecution wants to move forward with the March 20 trial date.
Allen added that the prosecution hopes to have the report before the trial starts, while the defense argued that they’re trying to best to get the report in. Both sides agreed that they want the trial to continue as scheduled.
Opening statements are scheduled to start no later than April 3, while Judge Gregory Werner ordered the final mental health report to be submitted no later than March 16 at 5 p.m.
“It is not a suggestion, it is not a guideline, it is not a hope, it is a deadline,” Werner added.
Prosecutors say Stauch’s 11-year-old stepson, Gannon Stauch, was stabbed, shot, and beaten inside the family’s El Paso County home in January 2020. Months later, his body was found stuffed into a suitcase beneath a bridge in Pace, Florida, as CrimeOnline previously reported.
Letecia Stauch is facing charges of:
- Murder in the First Degree (Child Under Twelve-Position of Trust §18-3-102(1)(f))
- Child Abuse Resulting in Death §18-6-401(1)(a), (7)(A)(I)
- Tampering with a Deceased Human Body, §18-8-610.5
- Tampering with Physical Evidence, §18-8-610(1)(a)
Additional Information
PART ONE: Tecia Stauch Interview
PART TWO: Tecia Stauch Interview
PART THREE: Tecia Stauch Interview
Neighbor Roderrick Drayton Interview
CLICK HERE to see all of our coverage on Gannon Stauch
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[Feature Photo: Gannon Stauch/Handout; Letecia Stauch via KRDO-TV/The Gazette/AP, Pool]