Spencer Wilson, KKTV

He is a reporter with CBS4.

• He has never testified before.
• Regarding his training/education: he has a degree from University of Missouri in broadcast journalism and 10+ years of experience as a TV reporter.
• He is a multimedia journalist. He does video and audio, calls himself a “one man band”.
• By January 2020 he had done thousands of on camera interviews.
• They were on the sidewalk covering a search in the neighborhood that day and saw a big moving truck or utility van and a car pulling out of the neighborhood. They rolled down the window and started to chastise him for the way he was covering the story - it was Letecia. He said they could talk about it.
• It took him about 5 seconds to realize it was her.
• She was angry that he and other members of the media were there; she said he was doing it wrong.
• They drove to an empty lot for the interview; she had a clip on microphone on.
• Letecia’s only condition was that her face wasn’t on camera, it was his idea to have her back to the camera so it could still be watchable on TV.
• The clip-on microphone will pick up audio even when someone walks out of the frame.
• His newsroom was ecstatic that he got this interview; his goal was to keep her talking.
• Part of his training at the University of Missouri was to keep them continuing what they’re saying but don’t agree with it.
• She seemed more focused on how she was being perceived publicly than helping find Gannon; he spoke to neighbors who had more concern for Gannon.
• Exhibit 334 is a disc with an interview on it.
• The interview with Letecia and Spencer is played.
• He points out the defendant as the person he was interviewing, Letecia Stauch.
• He believes Letecia was of sound mind.
• The defense objects but Judge Werner says he can give an opinion of what he thought of her mental state at the time.
• She was able to give coherent answers, she was driving a car and following the rules of the road.
• The prosecution replays a portion of the interview where Letecia switches from talking about Gannon in the present tense to past tense.
• The prosecution asks if he felt the switch was important, defense objects and it is sustained.
• After the interview, Letecia got back into the driver’s seat of the car and drove away.

Cross Examination

• Letecia said she didn’t want her face on camera because she had concerns for her safety.

Juror question:

• Did the defendant immediately stop crying after the interview? Yes. Quicker than a normal person.
• Did her demeanor change following the interview?: Yes.

Defense followup

• He says that the camera didn’t stop immediately after the interview but the microphone was removed and he left the scene.
• Her demeanor change would have been outside of the view of the camera.