EL PASO COUNTY, Colo — Letecia Stauch, who is charged with murder in the death of her 11-year-old stepson, Gannon Stauch, will be moved to a state hospital in Pueblo to undergo an evaluation to determine whether she's competent to stand trial, according to KRDO, our partners in El Paso County.
During a status hearing on Friday, KRDO reports prosecutors said they expect Stauch to be moved early next week.
Stauch was not present at the hearing, which was largely procedural, according to KRDO. Prosecutors also asked to be able to send records to the competency evaluator.
Gannon was reported missing Jan. 27 from his El Paso County home. Investigators think he was killed in his bedroom sometime that afternoon, according to an arrest affidavit.
Stauch told police that evening that Gannon had gone to play with friends and never returned. What came next was a weeks-long search for Gannon and an investigation that culminated with the arrest of Stauch in South Carolina in early March.
Remains found later that month in Florida were identified as Gannon.
Stauch was originally set to appear in court for a preliminary hearing in early June, but the hearing was delayed due to concerns raised by her attorney over the novel coronavirus. Instead, she was in court for a status hearing to determine how the case moves forward.
At that hearing, everyone wore a mask due to COVID-19, except for Stauch, who sat chained in the courtroom clad in an orange jumpsuit flanked by two El Paso County deputies. Throughout the hearing, Stauch's hair covered her face, shielding it from the view of others in the courtroom.
Gannon's father, Al Stauch, sat in the front row of the courtroom, while Gannon's biological mother, Landon Hiott, listened to the hearing over the phone.
On June 5, defense attorneys submitted a motion, which is currently under seal, regarding Letecia Stauch's mental competency.
The court ruled that there isn't enough evidence to make a decision about her competency, so an evaluation was ordered.
The judge then explained that Stauch would be evaluated by psychologists or physicians and warned her that anything said during those evaluations could be used in court proceedings. He also said that if she was found incompetent, she would be committed and the criminal trial proceedings would be put on hold.
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