Legal expert weighs in on Letecia Stauch potentially representing herself

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Letecia Stauch, the woman accused of killing her 11-year-old stepson, Gannon Stauch, will be in court on Friday at 11:30 a.m. to discuss her counsel.

Court documents state that Stauch will appear in court for an Arguello Advisement, which often indicates a defendant may try to represent themselves. Friday's hearing will be open to the public.

Jeremy Loew, legal expert and defense attorney, told KRDO that an Arguello Advisement is an opportunity for the judge to communicate what a defendant's responsibility would be if they decided to fire their legal counsel and defend themselves.

Loew said, in his experience, most defendants who decide to represent themselves end up getting convicted. He said it's extremely rare for this to happen in a case with so much national attention.

"I've never seen anybody try and represent themselves in such a high profile case. It is a huge mistake to represent yourself as a criminal defendant. It's an even bigger mistake to think that you can do it when the country, the state, and the community are watching," Loew said.

Loew added that if Stauch does decide to represent herself, she will have limited resources to learn about the legal process and develop a defense strategy, as most jail libraries are incomplete and outdated.

Loew believes that during Friday's hearing, the judge will try to persuade Stauch to keep her legal counsel and explain the immense responsibility she will have if she goes it alone. He also noted that if Stauch is convicted, she will not be able to appeal based on the fact she represented herself.

When asked why someone might try to represent themselves, Loew said it's often because they are unsatisfied with their current legal representation, and may not fully understand the role of a defense attorney in a criminal trial.

"Attorneys go to undergrad for four years, law school for three years, they have to take the bar exam, by the time that they're on such a high profile case, or representing people charged with murder, they have a set of skills that you don't just get in law school," Loew said. "A lot of times people discount that set of skills, because it's not like you're cutting into somebody's leg to conduct surgery, right? But this really is essentially legal surgery, a homicide trial. It's as big as it gets."

Watch KRDO New Channel 13 tonight at 5:00 and 6:00 p.m. for a full report.