COLORADO SPRINGS – A Colorado woman accused of killing her 11-year-old stepson pleaded not guilty Thursday to first-degree murder and a dozen other charges.
Letecia Stauch was in court for the first time in months after opting to appear virtually for earlier hearings, The Colorado Springs Gazette reported. In addition to murder, her charges include child abuse and tampering with evidence related to the slaying of Gannon Stauch, whose body was found in the Florida Panhandle in March 2020.
Stauch is scheduled to go to trial March 28.
Investigators believe she killed Gannon at the family’s home on Jan. 27, 2020, and prosecutors presented evidence during a hearing in September that the boy’s blood was found on Stauch’s shoe, her DNA was found on a gun linked to his death and that she traveled to the Florida Panhandle shortly after he disappeared.
Gannon was shot in the head and stabbed in the chest and back.
Defense attorney Josh Tolini notified the court that he would likely enter evidence from a mental health expert on at least some of the charges, though not specifically related to the murder count. Stauch must now undergo another mental health evaluation, he said.
Multiple mental health experts had previously determined she was competent, and the judge determined in January that she could stand trial.
