Crime Archives - https://truthanddeliberation.com/tag/crime/ Fri, 26 Apr 2024 17:11:20 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.5 https://i0.wp.com/truthanddeliberation.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/cropped-Facebook-Profile-Image.png?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 Crime Archives - https://truthanddeliberation.com/tag/crime/ 32 32 215267201 How I Survived My First Day in Prison https://truthanddeliberation.com/2024/04/26/how-i-survived-my-first-day-in-prison/ https://truthanddeliberation.com/2024/04/26/how-i-survived-my-first-day-in-prison/#respond Fri, 26 Apr 2024 17:11:17 +0000 https://truthanddeliberation.com/?p=420 by Azhdah Enga, Prison Journalism ProjectJanuary 14, 2024 My first day in prison was the worst day of

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by Azhdah Enga, Prison Journalism Project
January 14, 2024

My first day in prison was the worst day of my life, besides the day I was sentenced to 17 years. Before I touched down in prison I thought it was going to be like something out of the movies — long dark walkways outside of rusty cell doors with the paint peeling off. I thought everyone was going to be yelling and banging and trying to kill each other. 

It turns out there were no cells, no bars and no banging. Only buildings that looked like military dorms and two rows of tightly packed bunk beds and lockers, with 3 feet between me and the man on either side of me. I’m 6 feet, 2 inches tall. If I stand in the middle of the dorm and touch the tip of my middle finger to the nearest bunk bed, I can almost reach the opposite bunk bed in the other row.

I hadn’t been in prison for 15 minutes when I witnessed a guy get stabbed in the neck while I was standing in the medication line. It happened right behind me. I saw the aggressor and the victim. I immediately walked away without saying anything. I was shocked.

I didn’t know either man. But I knew for damn sure I didn’t want to be the guy with all the holes in his neck, or the guy who was probably about to spend the rest of his life in prison (if that wasn’t already the plan). The reality of where I was hit me like a ton of bricks. My anxiety shot through the roof.

When I got back to my living area, people were talking about what happened as if they were fans of rival football teams. I couldn’t believe how thrilled people were to see someone get hurt. I lay on my bunk and stared at the ceiling, trying to process the violence. I decided not to tell anyone what I saw. It wasn’t my business. 

Not long after that altercation, an old friend of mine from the county jail told me somebody wanted to fight me. I knew the guy he was talking about — our beef was old, childish. Even though I grew up fighting, I didn’t want to fight anybody anymore, especially in prison. But I also didn’t want anybody to think that I was scared. So I went over to another building across the yard to try and talk with him. 

When I found him, we exchanged a few words, and next thing I know I’m getting my head stomped into the ground by him. “How in the heck did I get here?” I asked myself. Then, to my surprise, somebody pulled the man off of me. I got up and shook off the kicks to my head and face. I squared off with the man and we fought again. And again. The fighting lasted about eight minutes. Honestly, I was pretty sure I was going to die, but I held my own. I escaped with a busted lip and a couple shoe prints on me. That was a win. 

Later that day, people kept coming up to me, praising me and giving me commissary items. The guy I fought was pretty big compared to my 160 pounds. 

The next day a corrections officer saw my face and shook their head. Another asked me if I had learned my lesson. Everybody assumed that because I was only 22 I was bound to get into trouble — that I’m the type who goes looking for it. I wasn’t though. If someone just talks smack to me, I ignore it. I only get active if somebody threatens my life or puts their hands on me. 

Oddly enough, after every fight I’ve been in, the guy who fought me always wants to be cool. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve become close friends with after a fight. I’ve been incarcerated over nine years now and still don’t understand this dynamic.

My first day in prison changed me in many ways. The paranoia inside is real. Prison is so unpredictable. The people around you, including the ones you don’t even know, are watching. Not every situation has to end in violence and not everybody has to be an enemy. The ones who are your enemies are the ones you choose to make your enemies. 

I don’t have issues with many people, but every day I wake up thinking that I might not live to see tomorrow. The best way to do your time is to be humble and stay focused on the end goal: your freedom.

This article first appeared on Prison Journalism Project and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Azhda Enga is a writer incarcerated in Arizona. He is using a pseudonym.

To read more articles written by incarcerated writers, check out these other articles:
Who Benefits From the Death Penalty? by Dennis “Abbadunamis” Mintun
Sending Teenagers to Prison Has Severe Consequences By Robert Schultz

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Who Benefits From the Death Penalty? https://truthanddeliberation.com/2024/04/15/who-benefits-from-the-death-penalty/ https://truthanddeliberation.com/2024/04/15/who-benefits-from-the-death-penalty/#comments Mon, 15 Apr 2024 16:30:32 +0000 https://truthanddeliberation.com/?p=404 by Dennis “Abbadunamis” Mintun, Prison Journalism ProjectApril 14, 2024 In late February, my state of Idaho tried to

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by Dennis “Abbadunamis” Mintun, Prison Journalism Project
April 14, 2024

In late February, my state of Idaho tried to execute a person for the first time in 12 years. According to an Idaho Statesman article, the execution team searched for an hour for a suitable vein to inject Thomas Creech with lethal drugs, but was unsuccessful. The execution was eventually aborted and he was sent back to death row. 

Creech has been incarcerated for nearly 50 years and on Idaho’s death row for close to 44 of those years. He has been convicted of five murders and received his death sentence after killing a disabled inmate in his prison in 1981. According to The Associated Press, he claimed to have killed as many as 50 people, but authorities believe the number of possible killings to be closer to a dozen people.  

As you can see, this man was once a bad person. “Was” is the key word in that sentence, because many people believe that Creech changed over close to five decades behind bars.

I have never met Creech, but I have spoken with a couple people who have, and they say he is a better man now — always polite, respectful and ready to help people in need. Creech is highly regarded at Idaho Maximum Security Institution, where he resides. Recently, I was being transported to an outside hospital for an MRI, and the corrections officers transporting me were having a conversation about Creech and how well-respected he was in the prison system. Even the judge who sentenced him to death and a former warden have supported taking him off death row.

Idaho Department of Correction Director Josh Tewalt told The Associated Press in February that some corrections officers have “grown up” with Creech.

“I don’t want to be dismissive of what he did and the countless people who were impacted by that in real significant ways,” Tewalt told the wire service before Creech’s scheduled execution. “At the same time, you also can’t be dismissive of the effect it’s going to have on people who have established a relationship with him. On Thursday, Tom’s not going to be there. You know he’s not coming back to that unit — that’s real. It would be really difficult to not feel some sort of emotion about that.”

I believe that a person can change for the better, even someone who might have killed close to 50 people. This belief has been shaped over the nearly 22 years that I have spent behind bars. I’ve seen others change, and I have changed myself. I started a new religion during my incarceration, in large part, because of discrimination I faced from churches as a gay man. One of the things we teach is not holding people’s past against them, but accepting them as they are now.    

I wish that we could view Creech’s life that way. But many people have said Creech deserves to be killed. What would that accomplish? Who would his killing serve? 

In this case, it might serve family members of Creech’s victims. At least two family members have publicly called for his execution, asking for closure. 

Yet, we don’t know how every family member feels; and if some disagree with his execution, then how do we decide whose feelings are more valid? 

When I read interviews of victims’ families, it often sounds like they want to get on with their lives more than they want to see someone die. In several instances, family members of victims have spoken out against executions, according to a database from Death Penalty Information Center. 

Sometimes, they believe the inmate can be rehabilitated. Sometimes, they believe life in prison is the right punishment — still harsh, but providing the perpetrator an opportunity to live. Others cite the fact that killing another human won’t bring their loved one back. 

One quote in the database, from the daughter of a murder victim, stood out to me: “I cannot imagine what good it would do to kill a person who is incarcerated and away from the public. No one would be made safer. However, I can think of many people who would be harmed by his death — including his innocent family members and the prison workers who would be asked to carry out his execution. Not a single person would be healed.”

Other family members against executions have said they do not want to contribute to the racial disparities present in executions. As of early 2023, about 55% of people on death row were Black or Latino, compared to 33% of the U.S. population. There’s another glaring statistic from Death Penalty Information Center: “More than 75% of death row defendants who have been executed were sentenced to death for killing white victims, even though in society as a whole about half of all homicide victims are African American.”

Beyond racial imbalances, executing someone has often been torturous — and far from humane — even in modern times. One researcher identified  276 botched executions between 1890 and 2010 — 7% of all executions. For 2022, the percentage of botched executions was clocked at a whopping 35%.  

People have been poked with needles for hours, like Creech. In one case, a man’s arm was cut open to insert an IV. Other people have suffered in pain for extended periods of time, instead of experiencing the quick death they were promised.

Alabama, a notoriously tough-on-crime state, called for a moratorium on executions in 2022 while it investigated multiple botched executions. But earlier this year, the state returned to executions by killing Kenneth Smith with a new method: nitrogen suffocation. 

The state has claimed that Smith’s execution went smoothly, while witnesses have said he writhed violently in pain for minutes. Mississippi, Oklahoma and Louisiana also have approved the new form of execution, and other states could follow. 

We had a chance to reconsider the inhumanity of executions; but instead, we just moved forward and found a new way to kill people. 

I am not necessarily protesting the death penalty categorically; but if the state is going to carry out killings, then it should explain why those killings are necessary and why they benefit society.

The specter of dying as a punishment for killing someone has also not stopped murders. If a person is intent on taking a life, they are probably not going to stop and say to themselves, “I might be put to death for this.” Either they believe they will get away with killing someone or they don’t care about the consequences. It doesn’t make sense to kill someone to show that killing shouldn’t be done. 

In my view, state executions just introduce pain and suffering into more people’s lives. And if it’s true that “hurt people hurt people,” as the saying goes, then we are contributing to further harm down the road.

Creech’s next execution attempt has not yet been scheduled, but the state will try again eventually.

(Additional reporting by PJP)

This article first appeared on Prison Journalism Project and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Dennis “Abbadunamis” Mintun is a writer incarcerated in Idaho.

More by Dennis “Abbadunamis” Mintun

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Pre-trial Motion for James Crumbley, Father of Oxford High School Shooter https://truthanddeliberation.com/2024/02/23/pre-trial-motion-for-james-crumbley-father-of-oxford-high-school-shooter/ https://truthanddeliberation.com/2024/02/23/pre-trial-motion-for-james-crumbley-father-of-oxford-high-school-shooter/#respond Fri, 23 Feb 2024 11:52:33 +0000 https://truthanddeliberation.com/?p=387 OXFORD, Mi. – Represented by Attorney Marielle Lehman, James Crumbley appeared in court yesterday after a motion was

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OXFORD, Mi. – Represented by Attorney Marielle Lehman, James Crumbley appeared in court yesterday after a motion was filed to excluded three of the witnesses the prosecution plans to call.

Prosecution plans to call two former Oxford High School students to testify about what they witnessed in the hallway during the shooting on November 30, 2021. Prosecution argued that the students give a unique perspective given that they are the only two surviving shooting victims from the hallway. Defense argued the testimony is irrelevant; the only purpose being to “inflame the jury” and would be “highly prejudicial.” Prosecution also plans to call the former owner of the gun used in the shooting.

Judge Cheryl Matthews said that while she previously was against the testimony of the former gun owner, she now feels that he “may have information on the condition of the cable lock” and will allow the testimony. Matthews is taking more time to decide whether to allow the testimony of the two former students.

James Crumbley is charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter related to the shooting at Oxford High School by his son, Ethan Crumbley, who is currently serving a sentence of life in prison. His wife, Jennifer Crumbley, was found guilty last month of four counts of manslaughter. Crumbley’s trial is set to begin on March 5.

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Court Grants Motion to Remove Media Cameras from Kohberger Hearings and Trial https://truthanddeliberation.com/2023/11/20/court-grants-motion-to-remove-media-cameras-from-kohberger-hearings-and-trial/ https://truthanddeliberation.com/2023/11/20/court-grants-motion-to-remove-media-cameras-from-kohberger-hearings-and-trial/#respond Mon, 20 Nov 2023 22:14:28 +0000 https://truthanddeliberation.com/?p=376 MOSCOW, Id – Judge John C. Judge published his ruling in the matter of the motion filed by

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MOSCOW, Id – Judge John C. Judge published his ruling in the matter of the motion filed by the defendant, Bryan C. Kohberger, on August 24, 2023, asking that cameras be prohibited in the courtroom. A motion to which The Associated Press filed a motion in opposition of removing cameras from the courtroom.

The press argued that “continuing to allow audio/visual coverage of the proceedings is the only way to ensure that the many community members affected by these crimes throughout the University of Idaho, Moscow, the State of Idaho, and the cities in which the victims’ family members reside have an opportunity to see and hear the proceedings for themselves.”

After the arrest of Kohberger on December 30, 2022, media coverage quickly focused on Kohberger and continues to be flooded with articles and posts focused on Kohberger. This coverage raised concerns surrounding Kohberger’s right to a fair trail by an impartial jury. The court recognizes “the high-profile nature of the case and the extensive coverage it has received, along with the need to minimize possible pretrial prejudice.”

The defense presented examples in their motion of media cameras zooming in on Kohberger despite the Court’s against this practice, instead ordering they capture the courtroom in its entirety. “It is the intense focus on Kohberger and his every move, along with adverse headlines and news articles, that leads the Court to conclude that continued photograph and video coverage inside the courtroom by the media should no longer be permitted.”

Both the state and defense are in agreement with the need to prohibit cameras from the courtroom. The state arguing concern of “vulnerable victims and witnesses” that may be called to testify in either hearings and/or the trial. Practices by the media thus far leaves no confidence that they won’t show these victims and witnesses, despite any ruling by the court.

It is with these reasonings, as laid out in the judge’s order, that he has banned media cameras, video and still, from the courtroom. He will, however, continue to allow a court operated video system to be operated and that live video will be live streamed on the Court’s YouTube channel.

Click link to go the Court’s YouTube Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAOFrQpvtre9HRSzhY-zhCA

Related Reading:
Pennsylvania Releases Search Warrant – (truthanddeliberation.com)

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Parents Charged in Murder of Five-Year-Old Adoptive Son https://truthanddeliberation.com/2023/08/06/parents-charged-in-murder-of-five-year-old-adoptive-son/ https://truthanddeliberation.com/2023/08/06/parents-charged-in-murder-of-five-year-old-adoptive-son/#comments Sun, 06 Aug 2023 22:57:46 +0000 https://truthanddeliberation.com/?p=314 Delmont, PA – On the evening of January 30, 2023, five-year-old Landon Maloberti was brought to AHN Hempfield

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Landon Maloberti

Delmont, PA – On the evening of January 30, 2023, five-year-old Landon Maloberti was brought to AHN Hempfield Hospital, unconscious. A week later, on the evening of February 7, he would be dead. On July 27, Landon’s adoptive mother, Lauren Maloberti, and her husband, Jacob Maloberti, were arrested and charged in relation to his death.

“Tragically, Landon suffered abuse and trauma over the span of his short life. We intend to prosecute this case with the dignity and honor Landon deserves,” said D.A. Nicole Ziccarelli

Lauren & Jacob Maloberti, charged in the death of Landon

A forensic examination revealed previous injuries and evidence of abuse prior to the death of Landon. According to a press release by the Westmoreland County District Attorney, severe child abuse allegations against the parents were being investigated by Westmoreland County detectives and Delmont Police since January 2023.

“In the 25 years I have been working for the Delmont Police Department, we have never faced an incident like this,” said Delmont Police Chief, T.J. Klobucar

Both Lauren and Jacob Maloberti have been charged with criminal homicide, endangering the welfare of children, two counts of aggravated assault, and criminal conspiracy. They were arraigned on July 28 and are due back in court on August 8 for the preliminary hearing. This remains and ongoing and active investigation.

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Idaho Man Executes Neighbor Family https://truthanddeliberation.com/2023/07/05/idaho-man-executes-neighbor-family/ https://truthanddeliberation.com/2023/07/05/idaho-man-executes-neighbor-family/#respond Wed, 05 Jul 2023 21:43:22 +0000 https://truthanddeliberation.com/?p=303 KELLOG, Idaho – A 911 call reporting shots fired came into the Shoshone County at 7:20 p.m. on

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Kaylor, charged with killing family of four.

KELLOG, Idaho – A 911 call reporting shots fired came into the Shoshone County at 7:20 p.m. on Sunday, June 18, 2023. A few moments later, a second call followed reporting that an individual had executed his neighbors.

At the time of his arrival, 7:24 p.m., at 515 Brown Avenue, Sergeant Bilaski saw Marjorjon Kaylor in the street with another individual. Kaylor admitted at that time he shot, and killed, his neighbors. Kaylor was detained.

At 7:57 p.m., a request for Detective Justin Klitch of Idaho State Police to respond to the residence was dispatched. Detective Klitch arrived on the seen at 9:35 p.m. At that point, he assumed investigatory duties.

The Victims

Kenneth Guardipee, Devin Smith, Kenna Guardipee, and Aiken Smith

Four deceased victims were found at the scene. Two victims, Kenneth (65) and Kenna (41) Guardipee, were found near the entrance to apartment A along with multiple .45 caliber casings. Kenna Guardipee had a gunshot wound to her right temple, appearing to have been fired within close proximity. Her father, and grandfather to the younger victims, Kenneth Guardipee also had a gunshot wound to the right temple, fired in close proximity.

The children of Kenna Guardipee, Devin (18) and Aiken (16) Smith, were found inside apartment A. Aiken’s body was found lying face down between the kitchen and living room. A gunshot wound the right temple was observed. It appears that Aiken had been shot point blank while lying on the floor in the prone position. Devin was found on his knees, face down, in a bedroom, multiple gunshot wounds to the head at close range.

Motive?

According to Kaylor, the older son, Devin, had been acting suspicious, watching his kids, and conducted acts of nudity in front of his children. Allegedly, Devin exposed himself to Kaylor’s wife and daughter. During an on-scene interview, Kaylor referred to Devin as a pedophile and told Detective Klitch that he was suspicious of Devin and concerned for his children.

A few days prior to the incident Kaylie Kaylor, wife of Marjorjon, posted to Facebook claiming Devin Smith had exposed himself, shaking his penis, and masturbating through a window in front of her and her juvenile daughters. This alleged incident took place on June 13, 2023 and was reported to and investigated by police.

On the evening of the shootings, Kaylor confronted Kenneth and Kenna about the actions of Devin. He then became upset that the two did not seem to be taking his concerns seriously. This is when Kaylor claims to have “snapped”, “lost it” and “did something about it.”

What says the witness?

Mrs. Kaylor told police that Kaylor had a gun on him, in a holster, that he put on after returning home from work. Mrs. Kaylor claims she was standing near her husband when she heard gunshots and saw Kenna, followed by Kenneth, hit the ground. She heard additional gunshots after running upstairs to her apartment.

Mrs. Kaylor observed Kaylor put a belt, holster, and gun in their truck parked outside. Kaylor was overheard by his wife telling someone on the phone that he had killed four people. According to Mrs. Kaylor, Kenneth and Kenna were unarmed.

Search and Seizure

A search warrant of the Dodge Ram truck owned by the Kaylors was executed by Detective Klitch. Among the items seized was a .45 caliber High Point semi-automatic pistol. The pistol was holstered and secured with a snap and attached to a belt. At the time of seizure, there was one bullet in the chamber and five bullets in the magazine.  Both blood and tissued appeared on the pistol. An empty magazine was found under the seat of the truck.

According to police reports, Kaylor would have likely had to deliberately change magazines and/or reload magazines in order to continue shooting and discharge the number of rounds fired during the homicide.

Charges

Kaylor was arrested and booked into the Shoshone County Jail on June 19, 2023, and arraigned on June 20. He has been charged with four counts of murder in the first degree and one count of burglary, a felony. In the state of Idaho, the charge of murder in the first carries a sentence of life imprisonment or death. On June 21, a notice of intent not to seek the death penalty was filed by the state.

Kaylor is due back in court on August 15 and 16, 2023 for the preliminary hearing.

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Letecia Stauch, Letters to The Judge https://truthanddeliberation.com/2023/05/10/letecia-stauch-letters-to-the-judge/ https://truthanddeliberation.com/2023/05/10/letecia-stauch-letters-to-the-judge/#respond Wed, 10 May 2023 21:47:15 +0000 https://truthanddeliberation.com/?p=258 COLORADO SPRINGS, Co. – In the files of case # 20CR1358, Colorado vs. Letecia Stauch, are 2 letters

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COLORADO SPRINGS, Co. – In the files of case # 20CR1358, Colorado vs. Letecia Stauch, are 2 letters written 6 months apart. Both letters addressed to Judge Gregory Werner. The first letter written approximately 5 months after the arrest of Stauch. The other written almost a year after the arrest. Below are those letters, in full.

Letter #1: August 12, 2020

Letter #2: February 21, 2021

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The Judge Gets the Final Word: The Sentencing of Letecia Stauch https://truthanddeliberation.com/2023/05/09/the-judge-gets-the-final-word/ https://truthanddeliberation.com/2023/05/09/the-judge-gets-the-final-word/#comments Tue, 09 May 2023 20:27:51 +0000 https://truthanddeliberation.com/?p=228 COLORADO SPRINGS, Co. – After 20 days of trial and approximately 8 hours of deliberations, the jury in

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COLORADO SPRINGS, Co. – After 20 days of trial and approximately 8 hours of deliberations, the jury in the trial of Letecia Stauch trial came back with a verdict. Stauch was found guilty on all 4 counts, the most serious being first-degree murder and murder of a child under 12 by a person in a position of trust.

Both the prosecution and defense in agreeance, it was decided sentencing would be immediate. Judge Werner excused himself for a half hour to address the jury before returning to the courtroom where we heard victim impact statements. Victim statements were followed by the final words before sentencing was handed down. Those words belonged to a visually emotional Judge Gregory R. Werner.

The Betrayal

“Ms. Stauch, you betrayed the person you loved enough to marry. You told your husband lies and took away someone he loved. You took away every day that Mr. Stauch or Ms. Hubbard could have had with their son. When you take a life, regardless of how you do that, you forever alter the future. Neither Mr. Stauch or Ms. Bullard will ever see their son graduate from high school, go through the joy and the pain of that first love, or get married. They will never know what impact their son would have had on the world had he lived to become an adult. And, had Gannon’s body not been found they never would have known what happened to Gannon.”

The Motive

As Werner continued, he hit the different aspects of Stauch’s case. A key point in the defense’s closing was the lack of motive. In a trial, it is not necessary for the prosecution to prove motive, but most people have come to expect one. “Claiming a lack of motive is a common defense tactic, and it can be a sound strategy” Werner said. “The truth is, however, that it only takes a moment to make a bad decision that results in disastrous consequences. An 11-year-old boy with burns who feels that he’s not being take care of…it is not hard to imagine Gannon saying something like, ‘You’re not my mom. I want my mom. I want my dad.’ And that would be enough to make you really angry, but anger is not an excuse.”

Anger is a common reason behind many acts of violence. So is jealousy, hatred and resentment. This case seems to have all of the above. Werner expressed this when he said to Stauch, “It’s clear that you hated and was jealous of Landon Bullard. You saw yourself as a better mother than she was.  It’s clear you had some resentment from being left with Mr. Stauch’s children…It’s clear you felt trapped. You wanted out…I can imagine you saw your whole future consisting of taking care of Mr. Stauch’s children and that is not the future you wanted. You took all of that out on Gannon.”

The Lies

Then there are the lies. There were too many to count. Stauch told “lie upon lie, but [she] slipped up at various points and let kernels of truth escape” and that, according to Werner, played a big part in her getting caught. But what did all of those lies have in common? In all of the versions of the truth she told, she was “always the victim…in all of them, [she] could claim it wasn’t [her] fault.”

The Sentence

After Werner put into words what so many were thinking, the time came to address the final piece of the trial process, sentencing. “One of the purposes is to impose an appropriate sentence for the criminal conduct that occurred. Another purpose is to punish an offender by imposing a sentence that take into account the seriousness of the offense. Yet another purpose of sentencing is to prevent crime and promote respect for the law.”

“This is not the first murder case that has come before me,” Werner says, directing his words to Stauch. “This is not the first case I’ve presided over which involves harm to a child…I have had a number of cases which have demonstrated one person’s capacity for cruelty. I can say, without hesitation, that the facts of this case are the most horrific I have ever seen. You’re conduct in this case deserves the maximum punishment that I can impose under Colorado law.”

With those closing words, Werner sentenced Stauch to 2 life sentences without the possibility of parole for the charges of first-degree murder and murder of a child under 12 by a person of trust. In addition, she received 12 years for the charge of tampering with a deceased human body and 18 months for tampering with physical evidence.

More Articles on the Trial of Colorado vs. Letecia Stauch

Trial to Start for Letecia Stauch, Woman Charged with Killing Her Stepson

State’s Exhibit #35, The Phone Call

Father of Murdered Child Testifies

Internet Searches Give Jury A Look into Defendant’s State of Mind

The Defense’s Case, A Win for The State?

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Cuevas’s Preliminary Hearing Continued https://truthanddeliberation.com/2023/05/07/cueva-preliminary-hearing-continued/ https://truthanddeliberation.com/2023/05/07/cueva-preliminary-hearing-continued/#comments Sun, 07 May 2023 23:47:02 +0000 https://truthanddeliberation.com/?p=220 NAMPA, Idaho – Originally scheduled for April 13, 2023, the preliminary hearing for Raul Cuevas has been continued.

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NAMPA, Idaho – Originally scheduled for April 13, 2023, the preliminary hearing for Raul Cuevas has been continued. The hearing is rescheduled for May 25, 2023, at 8:30 a.m.

Cuevas is charged with Murder I in the death of Jesus Urrutia on March 29, 2023. Urrutia allegedly murder Cuevas’s mother, Michelle Luna, the night prior.

To learn more about the case of State of Idaho vs. Raul Alexander Cuevas:

Man Charged with Murder of Mother’s Killer

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Trial to Start for Letecia Stauch, Woman Charged with Killing Her Stepson https://truthanddeliberation.com/2023/04/03/trial-to-start-for-letecia-stauch-woman-charged-with-killing-her-stepson/ https://truthanddeliberation.com/2023/04/03/trial-to-start-for-letecia-stauch-woman-charged-with-killing-her-stepson/#comments Mon, 03 Apr 2023 12:23:11 +0000 https://truthanddeliberation.com/?p=173 COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The trial for Letecia Stauch is scheduled to beginning on April 3, 2023 at

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Gannon Stauch, 11, Allegedly murdered by Stepmother

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The trial for Letecia Stauch is scheduled to beginning on April 3, 2023 at 9 a.m. Stauch is accused of killing her stepson, Gannon Stauch, 11, on or about January 27, 2020. She is charged with four counts, as follows:

            Count 1 – Murder in the First Degree – Child Under Twelve – Position of Trust

            Count 2 – Child Abuse Resulting in Death

            Count 3 – Tampering with a Deceased Human Body

            Count 4 – Tampering with Physical Evidence

El Paso County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Donahue responded to the Stauch residence on January 27, 2020 at 6:55 p.m. after a 911 call was placed by Letecia Stauch reporting a missing child, Gannon. Initially, Stauch claimed that Gannon was an hour late coming home from a friend’s house, and she was unable to locate him.  Her story would change several times in the days to follow.

In the days following the incident, Letecia was uncooperative with not only investigators and limited communication with Detective Jessica Bethel but also remained distant from her husband, father of Gannon, Eugene Stauch.

On March 29, 2020, Stauch drove to the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office and met with detectives around 12 p.m. She arrived in her 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan which up to that point had been missing. The vehicle was taken for evidence.

During the interview on the 29th, Stauch’s story would change dramatically from the one she told the day she reported Gannon.  Stauch told investigators that on Sunday night, March 26, Gannon burned part of the carpet in the house. She then left and found a man, “Edguardo”, working on a house in the neighborhood who agreed to come to her house the following day and replace the carpet while she went shopping.

On Monday, March 27, 2020 at 2:30 p.m., Stauch returned from shopping, entered the house and went downstairs to the basement, where Gannon’s room is located. That’s when the man, “Edguardo”, pointed a handgun at her.  He allowed her to go upstairs to greet her stepdaughter whom she sent outside to ride her bike.

Stauch returned to the basement. That’s where, according to Stauch, the man threw her on Gannon’s bed and sexually assaulted. The assault went on for about an hour, between 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. After he finished, he took Gannon and left the house.

The investigation will show a different story, and point to Stauch as the last person to see Gannon alive, and lead investigators to believe that Gannon was murdered by Stauch in the afternoon hours, approximately 2:14 p.m. on January 27, 2020. It is believed that Gannon was murdered in his bedroom, at the Stauch residence.

Physical evidence taken from the home, and Gannon’s bedroom, shows signs of a violent event occurring in the child’s bedroom. According to the arrest warrant, investigators found signs of bloodshed, blood spatter on the wall, and enough blood loss to stain his mattress, soak through the carpet, the carpet pad, and stain the concrete below his bed. All of the blood found on the site, including the bedroom and garage, matched the DNA profile of Gannon.

Investigators believe that Stauch then cleaned the murder scene and removed Gannon’s dead body, bringing it through the house into the garage, and loading him into the back of her Volkswagen Tiguan. It is believed she transported Gannon to the dump site, Hwy 105/S Perry Park Road in Douglas County, Colorado, in the Evening hours of January 28, 2020.

On February 15, 2020 investigators focused their search for Gannon’s body to the area of Hwy 105/S Perry Park Road in Douglas County, Colorado. On February 15, a piece of particleboard stained with what appeared to be blood. The FBI Evidence Response Team collected and transported the particleboard. A DNA profile was developed and compared to Gannon’s on February 16, 2020. The profile was a match. It is believed that the particleboard was used by Stauch during the transportation of Gannon’s body.

Gannon’s body would be found on March 17, 2020, under a bridge near Pensacola, Florida wrapped in bedding and inside a suitcase. Gannon was shot in the jaw, stabbed in the chest and back, and suffered a skull fracture. Gannon also sustained cuts on his arms and hands believed to be defensive wounds.

UPDATES:

April 3, 2023 – The state has dismissed the charge of Child Abuse Resulting in Death. This charge was brought before the body of Gannon was found. To prove this charge, they would need to show a long history of abuse. The evidence isn’t there.

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