‘Outraged’ Colorado stepmother Letecia Stauch is found GUILTY for the murder of stepson Gannon, 11
‘Outraged’ Colorado stepmother Letecia Stauch is found GUILTY for murdering stepson Gannon, 11, by stabbing him 18 times, then shooting him and dumping him in a suitcase
- Stauch was convicted Monday of first-degree murder and three other charges
- Gannon was stabbed 18 times, then shot in the head and dumped over a bridge
- Stauch would have been angry about being used as a babysitter
A Colorado woman has been found guilty of murdering her 11-year-old stepson and dumping his body in a suitcase.
Letecia Stauch was found guilty on Monday of first-degree murder, guilty of murder of a child under the age of 12, guilty of tampering with a deceased human body and guilty of tampering with physical evidence in the death of 11-year-old Gannon.
Stauch, who worked as a teacher for children with special needs, will be sentenced later Monday afternoon.
Prosecutors say she killed Gannon because she was angry about being used as a glorified babysitter. She googled the phrase “I hate my stepson.”
Gannon Stauch’s stepmother Letecia was found guilty of his murder in January 2020
Stauch stabbed Gannon 18 times before punching him four times in the head and shooting him in the jaw in January 2020, “obliterating” the young boy’s skull, prosecutors said.
She killed Gannon while they lived in El Paso County, in the youngster’s bedroom.
Stauch then hid his remains in a remote area nearby and later rented a van to drive the little boy’s body to Florida, where she dumped it under a bridge in Pensacola.
It wasn’t found until March, about three months after he disappeared.
The murderous stepmother had tried to blame her behavior on her mental illness, with her lawyers claiming she suffered a “psychotic tear.”
Leticia Stauch is pictured in court in Colorado in March 2020
Stauch is depicted with Gannon’s father Eugene, also known as Al. He was on deployment with the National Guard at the time of Gannon’s assassination
Her lawyers claimed it was the result of sexual abuse she suffered as a child.
But prosecutors said the extent of Gannon’s injuries showed she acted deliberately and was mentally competent when she killed him.
Prosecutor Dave Young told the court, “What does that tell you? Use your common sense. It’s not psychotic. It’s just strategic.’
Disturbingly, Gannon tried to fight his murderous stepmother despite being drugged with hydrocodone, prosecutors say.
Stauch would have wanted to end her marriage to Gannon’s father, Al.
Prosecutors say a photo she took of Gannon lying in his bed the morning of his murder was further evidence that she had considered the plot beforehand.
Gannon (pictured) disappeared in Colorado Springs in January 2020. His body was found on March 20, 2020 – 1,200 miles away in Florida
Stauch is accused of blunting, stabbing and shooting Gannon before dumping his body in a suitcase
She texted it to Al, who was away serving in the National Guard at the time.
They say she used it to cover her tracks, claiming she left Gannon in bed to go for a walk, only to come home to find he had disappeared.
After killing Gannon, Stauch scrubbed the walls and floors of his bedroom and put her bloodied shoes and clothes in the washing machine.
Prosecutors said this was further evidence that her crimes were premeditated.
District Attorney Michael Allen said of Stauch’s crimes, “(Gannon) deserved to live. He deserved to grow up and become a young man and have a family of his own someday. She took it all away.’