Al Stauch, Gannon’s father. Capital FATHER. Last name Stauch. I’m gonna start with something from my wife. Not to go out of order but she didn’t think she could make it through it, so. This is my wife, Melissa and these are her words. Some may say or think that I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for Tecia. In part, that may be accurate and I would be okay with that. Because then Gannon would still be here. I too know the pain of losing a child and there is no greater pain. We are now life long grief partners as this is a lifelong journey of pain with two sons waiting for us in heaven. I have some words from my daughter Laina I will address in the middle of my speech but they’re written in yellow so - leave it to a child. Out of the night that covers me, black as the pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever God may be for my unconquerable soul. In the ? clutch of circumstance, I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeoning of chance my head is bloody but I’m bowed. Beyond this of place of the ? And tears looms but the horror of the shade and yet the minutes of the years fines shall find me unafraid. It matters not how straight the gait, how charged with punishment the scroll. I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul. The poem I read is named Invictus. Translated from Latin it means Unconquerable. I quoted this same poem at Gannon’s memorial here in Colorado Springs back in August of 2020. Why August of 2020 when his body was ripped the shreds on January 27th? Well, as we heard testimony to, his body was found 1370 miles away and then the process to identify his maggot infested remains withheld him from us until July 2020. As I stated in my testimony on the stand Gannon was born severely premature and barely filled my two hands the first time I held him. At the end of his life, after his body was cremated into a pile of ashes he was ultimately no bigger than the first time I held him. As brutal as the weight became I am thankful to God and the bridge workers for returning his precious body to Landen and I. I quote the poem Invictus again not to boast of my strength and perseverance, your honor, but to say to the world, I alone can control my actions and reactions. Your honor I refuse to allow anger to poison my soul and orient my life to a pursuit of vengeance. I refuse to allow pain to carry me through each day and promote the pursuit of medicinal retribution toward the offender. I refuse also to let my mind me clouded by inconsistency and emotion that deter me from the purpose of this life. Your honor, the price I pay each and every day for this result, to only get pieces and parts of my son, consistently through time but the pain is too heavy and anger too overwhelming and the desire for vengeance too vexing. Instead, each and every day I pursue peace. I seek joy in my life and let the love I have for my wife and family flow in and out of me like a mighty wave. As I told Tecia regularly at the end of our relationship my joy is mine alone and she cannot rob me of that. I will learn to experience G more and more as time goes on but as I did my best to instill into his precious soul: love, joy, service, and kindness, are the pathway to take in life. This picture shows that in the fourth grade he already had a mind for service. Throughout these past three years since Gannon was Beaton, and drugged, carved up, shot at point blank range and discarded like yesterday’s garbage, I’ve encountered many people that would figuratively do the same thing to me. I’ve been questioned, compared as Tecia did to my abusive father, and ridiculed for my approach to finding Gannon. I hope now that the world has seen that I was assigned the most arduous task of finding Gannon in the only place that was possible for him to have been - in the mind of a killer. Were my efforts fruitful? I believe so. But from the moment I did not see the Volkswagen Tiguan at French Elementary of that Tuesday evening, a clear direction for finding Gannon pointed directly and precisely at Tecia. While others online - some who are even in the courtroom today - questioned my perceived lack of effort or concern. I stool still and stood firm in knowing that only one person had the information needed to find Gannon. Now I say ? to the person who questions a father’s resolve when the safety and wellbeing of his children are at stake. I did not waver. I did not falter in the pursuit nor did I allow the mentality of the mob to shake me. But it was only by the grace of God that Gannon’s precious body was finally found. In Mark 4:39 of the Bible in the middle of the storm, Christ arose and rebuked the wind and said peace, be still. In times of trial in my life, from seeing my father being taken away in handcuffs, seeing that sweet one pound 6 ounce baby boy, my first born son, being put into a ziplock bag after he was born to help regulate his body temperature, and now searching for and never finding my son again, I have but one choice and that is in times of trial and tribulation to have that peace and be still. As I eluded to previously that stillness does provide and easy target for many who do not understand peace, hope, and even faith. Some, including Tecia, feasted on my stillness, attack and yes left several scars. One of these scars come in the form of the financial and residential ruin that began in the early days of this ordeal. I’m just gonna skip this part ‘cause I don’t wanna make this anymore about me. I’m not seeking any restitution your honor. For the $1.50 a month I receive from the defendant, Tecia, would just keep me connected to her for the rest of my life and I don’t want that. So absolutely no restitution your honor. The murderer of which I speak was not always such. When I met Tecia, she was beautiful. Extremely intelligent as many have testified to and a seemingly successful woman. A far cry from the nappy headed, murderous, narcissistic, and arrogantly flippant human being that sits in our midst today. Having a background in teaching, social work, higher education, certified babysitting, and endless amount of credentials that should render one trustworthy when it relates to the safety of children. However although she remains too much a coward to state the facts of what she did to Gannon, too much a lily-livered, self-centered, pathological liar to ask for forgiveness, and too much the facade of one who actually cares for others to have taken out their frustration on an adult or one that could defend themselves, she will one day give an account through her words or through her time. Sending pictures of Gannon sleeping to Landen and I was telling, as the boy looked pale and absent of the energies that so defined him. This is what a happy, healthy boy looks like when he’s sleeping in the next picture. That’s what a little boy sleeping looks like. These pictures on the screen are of a happy, healthy little boy that’s sleeping sweetly, healthily, where he lay. The impact Tecia had as a result of this heinous crime stretches far wider and far deeper than I could depict with my statement today. Two other people torn to pieces as a result of this are Gannon’s sister Laina and Harley. Speaking of Harley, I feel as though as I’ve lost two children as a result of this tragedy one of which I will never see on this earth again and the other which I don’t know if a relationship can ever be salvaged with. Now for Laina. The video you saw as submitted into evidence, her bebopping down the street is actually an excellent depiction of Laina and her joy in life. She is very loving, trusting, and at times, way too social. Normally, you might be concerned by your little girl talking to the utility guy working in the front yard but in this case it was the inside of her own home that was of grave concern. Nonetheless, her loss, Laina’s loss, is like none I can even imagine. She lost her big brother, her only brother at the time. I still don’t know if she has fully processed or fully understands the gravity of the situation but regardless has pressed forward and is thriving as best as she can. I am so proud of her, and these are her words. Once again they’re in yellow so I’ll do the best I can. I asked her if she wanted to say anything to Tecia and this is what she said in her sweetest mind that she has. “That you do not do that to people, especially your stepkids and that it is never alright to do these things.” How sweet of a response can you get? Now for my precious, premature firstborn son. Gannon. I never in my wildest dreams would’ve ever thought you’d be in danger buddy or you know I would not have left you. [He cries] At home with what turned out to be a murderer and the last person to ever see you on this earth. I’m so sorry. [He is still crying, sobbing. He wipes his face with a tissue] Through a father’s eyes, children are truly a gift from God. And among the best and most perfect creations God can make. Your honor, I do need to clear one thing up with the defense. It was said both in the opening statement and in the closing, somehow, Gannon has been compared to a demon. And I understand the process, I do, but if they wanna take the case up of Gannon being a demon, I will line people up from Alaska, to Denver, to Colorado Springs, all the way to South Carolina to testify against them. Gannon was nobody’s demon. I don’t care how much anyone was abused or anything he was not anyone’s demon. Gannon was truly my buddy. Very recently before he died the most alarming thing he did was call me dad. Up until age 10 or 11 I was Daddy but in the last months of his life I was just dad. A signal that he was coming into those junior high, preteen age years. Another amazing thing that he finally started asking me regularly to play ball with him. He was never too much into sports for most of his life but that last 6 to 9 months he really started enjoying playing ball. Some of the most memorable times were him running little 5 yard football routes in the street in front of our house. Most of the time he dropped the ball but he kept asking, let’s do it again, I almost had it that time Daddy. Oh, and that Nintendo Switch. One of the most difficult pieces of evidence to give up was his Nintendo because that probably has the most of him on it. Knowing I may never see that again is truly devastating. For him, many of his games were not just games, but a challenge to overcome, as I made him beat specific games before I would buy him the next one. I remember not long before he died him beating the old school Zelda game he had. As he felt he was getting close to beating the final monster, he paused it ran upstairs and we sat at the kitchen island and he beat it right there, together with me. He was as excited as I ever saw him. With all of that and all of the pain of only being able to see him play through the one Youtube video he was able to make, which I am about to play, I can sleep at night because the father I am and the son he is was culminated as always in our final embrace as he ran out of my arms and downstairs to watch Pokemon I in his heart and he in mine. [They play the first few seconds of his YouTube video. “Hey guys. I’m about to play some Sonic Mania” he says] That was one of the many he hoped to make and the only one he was actually able to make. I do want to add something that I don’t have in my speech that um, me and Landen already had a conversation about this and I owe Landen an apology as well as she already gave me one, that we allowed Tecia to manipulate us and to some of the hate and disagreements we had between one another and Landen, I’m sorry. But I will say this. Tecia was not the glue that keep everything together, she was not the answer, and this is not a jab Landen, okay, but Laina still lives with me. Tecia you were not the answer. Now, your honor if I have any influence on the final sentence for Tecia, first I asked to be stripped of my last name immediately. t’s nauseating and infuriating to hear her called Ms. Stauch these past three years. Secondly I ask that for every mile she drove Gannon across the country she spend 1 day in solitary confinement. I think that’d take us into 3 or 4 years. After that journey is complete I recommend her sentence be equal to every year she stripped off of Gannon’s life, which for the average male in America is 77, so that would give her 66 more years in addition to the 11 he lived. Lastly for every year of Harley’s life that she abusively manipulated that child, she should have an additional year of prison. That adds 21 years to the total. I think without parole that should suffice. I pray also that Tecia lives the fullest and happiest life that any inmate possibly can live. I also pray that every night before she falls asleep, her last breath before she drifts off sounds just like the breath that she described Gannon breathing as the life left his body and that all through her sleep she dreams of all the fun they had at Disney and other places we went throughout our time together and then every morning as she is about to wake the end of her dream, the last words Gannon spoke or screamed or cried, “Tecia stop! You’re hurting me! Why Tecia!? Daddy, help me! I want my mommy!” [He cries] Why couldn’t you let him just be a momma’s boy? It’s all he wanted to be, he just loved his momma. I wish she would tell me what those words were so I would know. Then as he speaks those words the sound of a gunshot goes off and she wakes. Every day and night I pray she relives just those moments and wakes up to a nice warm and kosher breakfast. In conclusion I would like to share a picture of Gannon in his final state and final resting place and thank everyone that has had a positive impact on my family and I. To everyone who has shared the positive impact Gannon has had on your life, from a proud and broken father, from the bottom of my heart, I thank you. [They put up a photo of Gannon]

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