Letecia Stauch, a woman from Colorado accused of killing her 11-year-old stepson, could lose a key witness as part of her defense due to not fulfilling a Judge’s order to submit a mental health report before the trial begins. Judge Gregory Werner firmly established a “hard deadline” for the defense to submit a report by 5 p.m. on March 16, with jury selection to begin on March 20 and opening statements set for April 3. The prosecution said if the document arrives past the deadline, they will request the court to not allow the expert witness to provide testimony. Additionally, the defense has requested Stauch to undergo an MRI.
Stauch is being accused of attacking her stepson, Gannon Stauch, in his bedroom on January 27, 2020, in El Paso County. Evidence of blood was found on the mattress, walls and floors, in addition to the defendant’s SUV. When Gannon was first reported missing, Stauch allegedly told investigators he went to a friend’s house, but she was unable to provide a name or location. She then claimed to investigators on January 29, 2020, that a man named “Eguardo” raped her and kidnapped Gannon, a story which was not accepted by authorities due to her lack of calling 911 and not wanting to gather evidence against the alleged attacker. Stauch was eventually arrested in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
In 2021, Stauch, who at one point attempted to act as her own lawyer, made unsubstantiated claims that a doctor who examined her was an actress and her lawyers were working with the prosecution. After changing her plea to not guilty by reason of insanity in February 2022, the trial was delayed, however Judge Werner made it clear that the deadline for the mental health report was not to be taken lightly.