This is the Day 15 of 20 trial report of the murder trial of Letecia Stauch, accused of murdering her stepson Gannon Stauch however she pled not guilty by reason of insanity claiming multiple personalities compelled her to kill her stepson. A jury of her peers convicted her of all counts!
Case Report
Factual background:
On January 27, 2020, while Gannon’s father was away on National Guard deployment, Letecia Stauch killed Gannon in his bedroom.
Stauch entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. The defense’s sole expert witness, psychiatrist Dr. Dorothy Otnow Lewis, testified that severe, suppressed childhood trauma had caused Stauch to suffer a severe “psychotic crack” and develop Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). The defense argued that an alter persona named “Maria” was entirely in control during the offense.
Blood spatter was recovered from the bedroom walls, baseboards, and floor area. Blood loss was extensive enough to soak completely through the mattress, carpet, and carpet padding, leaving deep stains on the structural concrete underneath the bed.
On March 17, 2020, a bridge maintenance worker discovered the suitcase discarded beneath the Escambia Bay Bridge in Pace, Florida.
Stauch dismantled her cell phone’s connection to the network for extended intervals, utilized GPS-evasion methods, and was eventually arrested on March 2, 2020, in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Criminal complaint:
CHARGES:
1. 1st Degree Murder – Guilty – decided on 8th May 2023
2. Tampering with physical evidence – Guilty – decided on 8th May 2023
3. Tampering with a deceased human body – Guilty – decided on 8th May 2023
Victim(s): Gannon Stauch
Date Of Murder: TBC
Killing Incident Reported: TBC
Courthouse: El Paso County District Court, Colorado
Officers of the court
Judge:
Attorneys
Prosecution:
ADA Michael Allen
ADA Angelina Gratiano
Dave Young
Defence:
Josh Tillini
Will Cook
CO v. Letecia Stauch – Day 15 Trial Summary
Day 15 (26 April 2023) of the trial was heavily dominated by specialized forensic psychological evidence introduced by the state to systematically challenge the defense’s insanity framework and demonstrate symptom feigning. The prosecution called two expert forensic psychologists, Dr. Jackie Grimmett and Dr. Loandra Torres, who had personally evaluated the defendant while in custody. Dr. Grimmett exposed profound internal inconsistencies within the defendant’s accounts, revealing that her bizarre claims of interacting with “vampires” relied on details lifted straight from the movie Twilight and that her assertions of having multiple personalities did not manifest until late in the year. Dr. Torres followed with an extensive, structured analysis of seven distinct video-recorded clinical interviews. Her testimony established that the defendant’s behavior, language, and claims of consciously “creating” her alternative personalities did not meet the rigorous diagnostic thresholds required for a genuine Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) diagnosis, pointing instead toward a deliberate pattern of exaggeration and symptom fabrication.
Witness-by-Witness Summaries
Dr. Loandra Torres – Forensic Psychologist
Key summaries (Click arrow for more)
Connection to the case
Assigned as a state forensic psychologist tasked with administering structured diagnostic testing, conducting clinical interviews, and analyzing video records to assess sanity and symptom validity.
Summary Of Testimony
Dr. Torres walked the jury through several video-recorded interview segments to illustrate the baseline mechanics of the evaluation. She noted that the defendant reported an early childhood history of abuse, manic phases, and past auditory hallucinations of an ex-partner, but highlighted severe clinical anomalies. Crucially, Torres explained that genuine Dissociative Identity Disorder is characterized by a complete lack of conscious awareness or control over personality transitions. Torres pointed out that the defendant’s primary alleged alter, “Maria Sanchez,” was claimed to have been present since age 16, yet Al Stauch possessed absolutely no knowledge of this persona. She concluded that the defendant’s personal history showed no indications of prevalent psychosis, that her claims of hearing the devil lacked credibility, and that the evaluation team continuously accounted for exaggeration and symptom feigning throughout their assessment.
Key evidence introduced!
- Nothing Of Note.
Full report below!
Sources:
Letecia Stauch Trial, The Trial Channel, Youtube Channel, Playlist, Available Online: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLq-6my_qlf-Lt1H2__FclEoRjE8_R0ls
