**PROSECUTION OPENING*** Day 1 Letecia Stauch Stepmom Murder Trial ~RIP Sweet Gannon~

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Gannon Stauch, born on September 29, 2008, was an 11-year-old boy from Colorado Springs, Colorado, whose tragic death garnered national attention. On January 27, 2020, his stepmother, Letecia Stauch (née Hardin), reported him missing, claiming he left home between 3:15 and 4:00 p.m. to walk to a friend's house and never returned. Initially classified as a juvenile runaway, the case was reclassified as a missing and endangered person three days later due to new evidence.
The extensive search involved thousands of hours of investigation, drones, horses, helicopters, and divers combing various areas. Gannon's biological parents made emotional pleas for his safe return. On March 2, 2020, Letecia Stauch was arrested on charges including first-degree murder of a child by a person in a position of trust, child abuse resulting in death, tampering with a deceased body, and tampering with physical evidence. According to the arrest affidavit, she killed Gannon in his bedroom on the day he went missing, stabbing him 18 times, hitting him in the head with an object, and shooting him with a gun. She then cleaned the crime scene, disposed of his body in a suitcase, and lied to investigators about her whereabouts and activities on that day.
Gannon's remains were found on March 17, 2020, under a bridge in Florida, more than 1,300 miles from his home. Throughout the investigation, Letecia Stauch made false claims, including accusing her husband of being involved in the crime, blaming a woman with a fake pregnancy belly, and alleging a man broke into her home, assaulted her, and took Gannon.
In May 2023, Letecia Stauch was convicted on all counts, including first-degree murder, murder of a child under 12 by a person in a position of trust, tampering with physical evidence, and tampering with a deceased human being. She was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.