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Letecia Stauch To Stand Trial For Murder Of 11-Year-Old Stepson Gannon

UPDATE: Jury convicts Letecia Stauch in murder of stepson Gannon

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - An El Paso County District Court judge has ordered a woman to stand trial in a case that pulled at heartstrings in the search for a missing child. What was the unthinkable at first, the stepmother of the boy will now be tried for his murder.


Eleven-year-old Gannon Stauch was reported as a runaway by Letecia Stauch in January last year. That was soon changed to a missing person's case.

Gannon Stauch and Letecia Stauch
Gannon Stauch and Letecia Stauch (credit: Stauch Family/El Paso County)

The investigation centered on the home where the stepmother and boy's father, Al Stauch, lived as he made appeals for help find the boy.

"I came out my front door Thursday and there was like 300 people there... so thank you, everyone."

A series of massive searches took place in hopes of finding Gannon. Two months later his body was found. Not in Colorado, but in a suitcase in Florida. In the preliminary hearing, it was revealed he had been shot, beaten, stabbed and slashed.

GPS tracking showed Letecia had driven to Pensacola where the suitcase was dumped. Now a judge has determined there is enough evidence by the prosecution for her to stand trial for first-degree murder.

MISSING 11 YEAR OLD 10 PKG.transfer_frame_58
Letecia Stauch (credit: CBS)

Michael Allen, the El Paso District Attorney said outside court, "This is an unusually long process but like everything in life for the past year and a half roughly everything is being impacted and covid has certainly impacted our ability to get this case moving forward."

The evidence includes blood found on furniture and a trail of blood from Gannon's bedroom to the garage.

crime lab gannon stauch house
(credit: Twitter)

Letecia Stauch has maintained her innocence and is expected to plead not guilty at an arraignment scheduled for Nov. 4. She remains in custody without bond.

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