Al Stauch - Cross Examination
- He and Letecia met in 2014 while Al was going through a divorce.
- He was in the military at that time. He played softball for fun.
- In spring/summer 2014 it progressed to dating when Landen had the majority of custody. Al had every Wednesday night and every other weekend while in the Myrtle Beach area.
- They were married in January 2015.
- Al ended up filing for custody of the kids because he had concerns there was criminal activity going on in the house and concerns about Mike Hiott.
- Al thought his home with Letecia would be a safer environment for the children. In fall 2018, Letecia didn't want to move to Alaska and the kids stayed with her for a few months.
- Defense says Al says he started taking Gannon to counseling as soon as he got custody primarily due to the custody issue; shows him a transcript of a phone call.
- She didn't like Alaska.
- It seemed like Letecia and Gannon had a good relationship and that he loved her. He definitely had love and trust in his heart for her.
- Defense Exhibit B is a Mother's Day card Gannon made for Letecia in 2018.
- Al can't tell if it was Gannon's handwriting, he hasn't seen it in three years.
- Al doesn't even remember Letecia being a big Kobe fan, more Yankees and Derek Jeter.
- Defense Exhibit A is an Instagram photo Letecia posted from her hike with Gannon and Laina.
- Al's mom is a mental health professional. He spoke to her about Letecia's mental health; defense says Al's mom thought she needed to be on medication.
- Keeping him home from school was abnormal but it was acceptable if he was having a stomach issue or embarrassment.
- Incontinence wasn't a regular worry of his but giving him Miralax for constipation was a common thing.
- Letecia told him about the candle and carpet on January 27th. Gannon was concerned he was going to be grounded for a year; he received messages from Gannon's phone but never spoke to him directly about it.
- When he got back from OK, some things didn't make sense but he initially thought they were on the same page trying to find Gannon.
- Al never had a thought that Landen was involved at all. He also doesn't think he ever suspected Mike Hiott (her then-husband).
- On Wednesday the 27th, she left and only came back to get her belongings.
- Defense is trying to clarify when the phone calls were even though they were dated in the exhibits; asks Al how much of a gap there was between the calls. Al says the prosecution had that covered even if he doesn't know. "That was a grueling time period in my life to have to sit there and try to keep my cool" / "I can't attest to that".
- Defense says Al gets more and more frustrated with Letecia on February 14th.
- Defense days her goal wasn't to seem crazy, Al says he won't speak to her goal or her intentions.
- Letecia told Al she only has part of the information, she has to play it in her head over and over again and when she woke up out of the state of confusion she was going crazy. It was all a blur.
- Defense says she said "Tecia doesn't know where Gannon is" (rhymed with mesh, not how Al was pronouncing Tecia).
- Al told investigators she could be great with the kids but could have weeks she seemed like she didn't want anything to do with them.
- Sometimes she would be all in doing homework, cooking, teaching, and there were other times they'd be left to fend for themselves.
- Sometimes Landen and Letecia would work together like they were out to try to get him and other times they were at each others throats.
- Al didn't know where Letecia got the money for her spontaneous trips.
- Al knew something about one of Letecia's stepfathers, he doesn't remember a pattern of abuse, just some isolated events and then Letecia moved out of that house and into her grandparents’ house.
- Defense says Letecia had issues maintaining steady employment, Al says it's a misrepresentation because she intentionally left her jobs.
- Late fall of 2019 she was having mental health issues and seeing a doctor. Al went to the facility with her for one visit but stayed in the lobby.
- For most of their relationship, Letecia was prescribed Lorazepam. Al says he doesn't know if it was most of their relationship but she saw someone for anxiety. Al says he is unaware that the doctor told Letecia to leave her job due to her mental health issues.
- Defense says Al told a detective that Harley said "her mom is friggin’ nuts, crazy".