Jury begins deliberations in Letecia Stauch murder trial of stepson Gannon
The jury began deliberations on Friday afternoon in the trial of a Colorado woman accused of killing her 11-year-old stepson in 2020. Letecia Stauch has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity in the death of Gannon Stauch.
Prosecutors have presented evidence they claim links Stauch to the January 2020 murder. They said that investigators found Gannon's blood on Stauch's shoe, found her DNA on a gun linked to his death and learned that she traveled to the Florida Panhandle shortly after he disappeared. The child's remains were found there in March 2020.
Attorneys for Stauch, who has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, countered that by claiming she suffered a major psychotic episode as a result of childhood trauma when she killed Gannon.
Witnesses for the defense included a doctor of psychology who is trained to identify certain disorders and has interviewed Letecia. She said she believes Letecia does have different personalities and particularly remembers meeting one referred to as "Maria."
Stauch is charged with first-degree murder, child abuse resulting in death, and tampering with a deceased human being. The jury left for the weekend. Deliberations will resume at 9 a.m. Monday, May 8.
