Testimony continued Monday afternoon in the Letecia Stauch murder trial; she stands accused of killing her 11-year-old stepson, Gannon Stauch.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, prosecutors say Stauch stabbed, shot, and beat her stepson inside the family’s El Paso County home in Colorado, on January 27, 2020. Months later, his body was found stuffed into a suitcase beneath a bridge in Pace, Florida.
Letecia Stauch is on trial at the El Paso County Court, facing first-degree murder and related charges.
Detective Christina Perry with the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office took the stand Friday afternoon and said she was assigned to the case to help investigate social media pages for information on Gannon; she used an undercover account to watch social media groups discussing Gannon’s case.
Perry said she also spoke with Letecia Stauch’s daughter, Harley Hunt, during the investigation. Perry said Harley had no issues talking about her future, career, and similar things, but would not answer any questions concerning Gannon.
“It seemed odd,” Perry said.
Perry first tried to speak to Harley on January 28, a day after Gannon was reported missing, but Harley refused to speak about the case, she testified.
“Harley had refused to respond to the office for an interview and refused to give any information,” Perry said.
Perry said Letecia Stauch came to the sheriff’s office on January 29, 2020, in her Volkswagen Tiguan, which had been meticulously cleaned, inside and out. Perry said police searched for Stauch’s vehicle the previous night and could not find it.
Security footage played for jurors Friday showed a clip from the afternoon of January 27, 2020. At around 3:11 p.m., Gannon’s younger sister, Laina, came home from school, walked toward the Stauch house, then seconds later, left the residence.
The clip is important since, according to prosecutors, the defendant is accused of making Laina stay outside while she cleaned up a crime scene inside the residence.
Another clip revealed to the court showed Stauch returning home on January 27, 2020, in her husband’s truck, at around 2:24 p.m. As she exited the driver’s seat, a shadow appeared to have exited the truck from the passenger side. Perry said she believes that was Gannon getting out of the truck.
Footage also showed Harley driving home and pulling up to the residence at around 4:37 p.m. Harley was inside the home for around 14 minutes before leaving with Laina to buy cleaning supplies, at the defendant’s request.
Previous Case Coverage
Spencer Wilson, a former reporter for Colorado Springs’ KKTV, also took the stand and testified that he interviewed the defendant on January 31, 2020, after she flagged him down during a neighborhood search and chastised him for his news coverage.
Wilson said Stauch appeared distressed, angry and seemed more concerned about herself and her reputation than she did about Gannon being missing.
Others who took the stand Friday afternoon included El Paso County Detective Tim Ferrell and Detective Pete Vigil.
See Friday’s full hearing below.
Letecia Stauch is facing charges of:
- Murder in the First Degree (Child Under Twelve-Position of Trust §18-3-102(1)(f))
- Tampering with a Deceased Human Body, §18-8-610.5
- Tampering with Physical Evidence, §18-8-610(1)(a)
The trial continues. Check back for updates.
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
For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast. Listen to a previous episode on the case below.
[Feature Photo: Gannon Stauch/Facebook via Landen Hiott]
