COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KDVR) — Defense attorneys representing Letecia Stauch filed motions on May 12 requesting better access to their client or her release on bond, among other things.
Stauch is accused of killing her 11-year-old stepson, Gannon Stauch, at their suburban El Paso County home in January.
She faces 13 charges, including first-degree murder, child abuse resulting in death and tampering with evidence.
Stauch’s attorneys say they have been unable to meet with Stauch in person due to COVID-19 concerns. They say they had a meeting via video conference during the pandemic, but the Colorado Springs Criminal Justice Center suddenly stopped allowing it “for reasons unclear to the defense.”
They have asked the judge to postpone Stauch’s preliminary hearing and make an order allowing video conferences again.
The hearing is currently scheduled for June 5 and June 8.
Otherwise, they feel Stauch should be released on bond in order to prepare her defense.
One of the motions states that if video conferencing is not allowed to resume, Stauch should be granted “a bond so that she is able to have video and phone access with counsel from the safety of her home.”
The defense also argued that travel restrictions in place due to the pandemic have prevented them from properly investigating.
“The investigation surrounding the allegations in this case span across the state of Colorado and across the country to South Carolina and Florida. To date, the prosecution has endorsed approximately 320 witnesses, and there are likely an exponentially greater number of witnesses that have yet to be endorsed by the prosecution and the defense in this case,” the motion states.
Additionally, they stated they have not yet received the autopsy report and that “DNA results are still outstanding on a number of key pieces of evidence.”