“I have to get an attorney fast,” Text messages between Letecia Stauch and her daughter shown in court
EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- As the murder trial against Letecia Stauch entered its third week, the prosecution called Letecia's daughter, Harley Hunt, to the stand to testify against her mother. Her testimony included showing a series of text messages between the pair, including one where Letecia says, "I have to get an attorney fast," mere days after 11-year-old Gannon Stauch disappeared.
Hunt said Stauch told her she was "being set up" and needed an attorney for that purpose. Hunt testified that specific feeling was a constant theme with her mother dating back to time spent in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina after allegedly disposing of Gannon's body under a Florida bridge.
Even as Stauch and Hunt drove across the country to Florida after Gannon's disappearance, Hunt denied any involvement in disposing of his body under the bridge. Instead, she testified that Letecia attempted to control her behavior after her step-brother went missing.
Hunt said Letecia would tell her not to speak with detectives, not to open the door to law enforcement when they attempted to ask her questions, and even going as far as slapping Hunt with the back of her hand if she asked too many questions.
According to testimony from Hunt, another aspect of Letecia's erratic behavior was asking her where she wanted to live after Gannon went missing.
"I remember she just kept saying, like, where do you want to live? And I was just confused. Originally it was going to be Texas and Florida and Myrtle Beach, it just kept changing," Hunt said in court.
Her testimony turned emotional when discussing a GoFundMe account she created over the last three years to help pay for expenses she incurred after losing her father and mother.
"You wake up and your whole life changed. I lost my stepdad. You know, I lost my mom and my brother. I lost everybody," Hunt said.
Prosecutor Dave Young then asked her, "Were you trying to imply that your mom had died?"
"No," Hunt replied.
"Were you just stating the fact that she was arrested and you hadn't seen her since she's been arrested," Young immediately asked.
"Yes," Hunt stated.
Stauch's defense attorneys probed her with questions surrounding an interview she did with the 4th Judicial District Attorney's Office in 2020. Stauch's defense team claims they were considering whether Hunt needed to be charged for any actions she performed after Gannon was found murdered. Hunt has never faced charges since Letecia was arrested for Gannon's murder.
The eight-week murder trial will continue on Tuesday. Stauch's defense team admits that she killed her stepson, but they say she was insane at the time of the murder. She has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.
