Part 6: The Trial
It's finally time for the state to present its case against Letecia- but changing her plea from "Not Guilty" to "Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity", changes EVERYTHING. The prosecution no longer has to prove Letecia murdered Gannon, they have to prove she was sane when she did it. During trial, Al presents an emotional testimony, the defense throws Letecia's daughter Harley under the bus, and some major bombshells are dropped in an interview Letecia did with a doctor. Plus, Letecia's bad courtroom behavior frustrates the judge, the prosecutors, and the jury.
In January of 2020 11-year-old Gannon Stauch is reported missing by his stepmother Letecia in Colorado Springs, CO, sparking a massive search effort involving volunteers, as well as multiple law enforcement agencies. As the community searches for signs of the missing child, police, and Gannon's father Al, turn their attention to the bizarre behavior of stepmom Letecia, who was the last person to see him alive.
As the investigation heats up, Letecia hits the road in a rental van, driving cross country with her teenage daughter to start a new life. Letecia is arrested on March 2, 2020, in Myrtle Beach, SC and charged with Gannon's death. On March 17th, maintenance workers find Gannon's remains in a suitcase under a bridge near Pensacola, FL- more than 1,300 miles away from his home.
Letecia begins to tell story after story- each more outrageous than the last. Letecia blames anyone and everyone- from the drug cartel to neighborhood workers, to sex traffickers- before finally pleading not guilty by reason of insanity. The trial, which lasted 5 weeks, began in April of 2023, and each witness brought out wild new details that made the story even more unbelievable.
In this seven-part series, we will walk through the background of this blended family, the search for Gannon, what happened when Letecia went on the run, her eventual arrest, and the bizarre trial that lit social media on fire.
#JusticeForGannon
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Written, produced, and hosted by Brandi Churchwell.
Music licensed through Epidemic Sound.
*Episode originally uploaded as audio version of YouTube recap video. Rewritten in complete story form post-trial. For original version, please check out YouTube.com/brandichurchwell