Letecia Stauch trial: Video shown to jury of Stauch assaulting detective and possibly lunging for firearm
Apr. 14—Friday marked the end of the second week of Letecia Stauch's jury trial, where the prosecution entered into evidence a video of Stauch assaulting an El Paso County detective while being taken to jail from South Carolina.
The video was taken in early March after El Paso County detectives flew to Myrtle Beach, S.C,. to arrest Stauch for the murder of her 11-year-old stepson, Gannon Stauch, on Jan. 27, 2020.
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Following her arrest, detectives had to drive Stauch back to Colorado from South Carolina, and according to former El Paso County detective Jessica Bethel, the drive was uneventful until they reached Kansas.
In the video, Stauch can be seen hitting a female detective with a Monster energy drink who is sitting next to her in the back seat of the van, then attempting to reach across her lap. Bethel testified that she believed Stauch slipped her handcuffs, and was lunging for her partner's firearm during the interaction.
As the assault takes place, "Hey Soul Sister" by Train can be heard playing loudly over the car radio.
Within seconds of Stauch striking the female detective, Bethel and a third detective, who was driving the car, detain Stauch in her seat. Bethel testified that shortly after the assault, Stauch used her foot to open the door to the van, which she alleges was another attempt to escape law enforcement custody.
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After being detained again by Bethel, Stauch can be heard claiming numerous times that she "wasn't trying to escape" and that she only hit the detective because she wouldn't listen to Stauch when she asked her to turn on the car's air conditioning.
Bethel testified that after the assault, Stauch was placed into a local county jail briefly before continuing the drive to Colorado, where Stauch would be placed into custody at the El Paso County jail.
While speaking with prosecutor and 4th Judicial District Attorney Michael Allen, Bethel claimed she believed Stauch was "sane" and "very calculated" during the assault of the detective.
During cross-examination, attorney Will Cook presented Bethel with a copy of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5), which Cook referred to as the "bible" for psychiatrists diagnosing mental disorders.
Cook asked Bethel if her determination of Stauch's sanity was made using knowledge from the DSM-5, which Bethel confirmed it was not.
At several points in the trial on Wednesday, where Bethel spent the full day testifying, Stauch could be seen reading the DSM-5 at the defense table.
Friday morning began with the prosecution playing the final portion of the over four-hour-long interview Stauch had with El Paso County detectives on Jan. 29.
The first three hours of the recording played on Wednesday showed Stauch telling detectives that a man named "Eduardo" the code to the garage to help fix her carpet, and that the alleged intruder assaulted her, raped her, and took Gannon. Several people over the course of the trial, including forensic nurse examiner Amanda Van Nest, testified that Stauch had told them this story.
As detectives continued to ask questions, Stauch struggled to recall specifics from the alleged attack, saying numerous times that she "doesn't remember," or "doesn't want to talk about" certain topics brought up by detectives.
Stauch claimed she didn't remember certain events from the assault because she hit her head a number of times and "blacked out." During Van Nest's testimony on Tuesday, she said Stauch had no injuries consistent with having hit her head when she examined Stauch on the same day the interview occurred.
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Over three hours into the interview, Stauch told detectives that she would like to leave, and after briefly disappearing from the room, Stauch returned and was seen arguing with a new detective about having her phone taken.
The male detective in the recording told Stauch that they were keeping her phone because the Sheriff's Office had applied for a search warrant, and that she was no longer allowed to leave the building.
"This is unconstitutional," Stauch complained to deputies.
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The remainder of the interview was played Friday morning, and in the recording Stauch can be heard having a verbal altercation with a male detective, asking him to leave the door open because she "was having a hard time breathing," which the detective refused to do.
"You're being detained right now," the male deputy informs Stauch.
Eventually, Stauch claims her chest pain had become so bad that she needed an ambulance to take her to the hospital. When medical personnel arrives, Stauch claims she is having a very difficult time breathing, despite responders saying her vitals looked fine, and that she would like to go to the hospital.
The video ends when Stauch leaves the room to go to the hospital.
Later on in the day, the prosecution called experts from the Colorado Springs Police Department to testify about various different pieces of evidence.
Colorado Springs firearms analyst Stefanie Happ testified that the bullet recovered from Gannon's body matched a 9-mm Smith & Wesson handgun. Such a gun was recovered at the Stauch's home by law enforcement.
Colorado Springs crime scene analysts Christian Liewer and Brooke Bell testified to numerous locations that potential blood was discovered when they searched Stauch's home. Some of the locations include the garage, the storage room, Harley Hunt's bedroom and numerous locations in Gannon's bedroom.
Bell testified about a burn mark on the floor in the Stauch's basement. Numerous witnesses over the past two weeks have testified that on Jan. 26, Stauch claimed Gannon had knocked over a candle and accidentally burned the couch and carpet below.
Bell testified that the burn marks in Stauch's house do not align with Stauch's story. Furthermore, Bell testified that potential blood was discovered in the area where the burn mark was, as well as a significant amount of blood being found on a cut-up piece of carpet in Stauch's storage room.
Before Friday's proceedings concluded, a juror informed Judge Gregory Werner that she knew Happ, but didn't realize it until Happ's testimony began. The juror stated she knew Happ because she sang at a funeral for one of Happ's family members last year.
Allen did not object to the juror staying on, but defense attorney Josh Tolini did. Werner stated he would consider what to do over the weekend and give a ruling on Monday morning.
Allen informed Werner that Stauch, over the course of Friday, had been "flipping off" people in the courtroom. After Werner informed Stauch that if she continued doing that, she would be removed from court and the trial would proceed without her, Stauch could be heard saying "that sounds good," to one of her attorneys.
Stauch's trial will resume on Monday for the beginning of its third week.
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