Gannon Stauch

State hospital finds Letecia Stauch competent to stand trial for the murder of her stepson, Gannon Stauch

Letecia Stauch, a Colorado woman accused of killing her 11-year-old stepson, was found competent to stand trial for murder and related charges against her.

Stauch appeared before 4th Judicial District Judge Gregory Werner in the El Paso County court on Tuesday, following a mental evaluation that took place earlier this year at the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo.

After the State hospital announced its findings, Stauch’s defense team requested a second evaluation. Werner scheduled the next hearing for November 12 at 9 a.m.

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According to the Colorado Springs Gazette, both the prosecution and the defense are afforded the right to ask for a second evaluation. Prosecutors in the case previously said they would ask for a second evaluation if Stauch was found incompetent.

As CrimeOnline previously reported, prosecutors said in a 32-page affidavit released earlier this year that that “probable cause exists to believe that” Stauch brutally murdered her stepson. Text messages and Internet searches indicate that Stauch may have been overwhelmed with taking care of Gannon.

Stauch was the sole caregiver at the time of the boy’s disappearance and death. Gannon lived with Stauch and his father, but Al Stauch, at the time, was on a work trip with the U.S. National Guards in Oklahoma. Gannon’s biological mother, Landen Hiott, was in South Carolina.

According to the affidavit, Stauch brutally attacked and killed Gannon inside his bedroom on January 27. Despite a neighbor who said his video showed Stauch leaving with Gannon that morning and later returning home alone, investigators believe that “Gannon likely did return home with Letecia that afternoon,” and died inside the residence.

Evidence from inside Gannon’s bedroom includes blood spatter on the walls, blood that soaked through the carpet, 50 droplets of blood on the wall, blood on wall sockets, and blood on the boy’s mattress.

Gannon Stauch [Handout]
“Based on the orientation of Gannon’s bed, the vast majority of the blood would be in line with the position of his head and torso,” the affidavit read.

A store receipt obtained by investigators showed a purchase for baking soda, a carpet cleaner, and trash bags on January 27, after 6 p.m. Investigators obtained Stauch’s phone and according to text messages, she instructed her 17-year-old daughter to buy the items for her.

Prosecutors allege that Stauch used the purchased items to clean up the crime scene. Investigators said the 17-year-old was likely not present when Gannon was killed.

Tecia Stauch mugshot
Letecia Stauch [Police Handout]
Stauch previously told CrimeOnline that she maintains her innocence. She said she has a witness that can corroborate her defense and that most of the affidavit was “speculation.”

“It’s 90% speculation,” Stauch said, referring to the arrest affidavit.

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

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[Feature Photo: Letecia Stauch/KRDO-TV/The Gazette via AP, Pool, Gannon Stauch/Facebook