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Burned Items and Injury Testimony Mark Day 3 in Thomas Stanko Homicide Trial

Prosecutors focus on digital traces alongside burn-site findings to connect the missing woman's last movements to her ex-boyfriend.

Overview

  • Investigators displayed photos of charred items from a fire pit and burn barrel at Stanko's home, including Coach eyeglass arms, a glass container with lid, and a Cosmopolitan magazine labeled to Cassandra Gross.
  • Records from LensCrafters showed Gross bought Coach glasses a month before she vanished, and prior testimony noted a vet-provided insulin vial consistent with her dog's treatment.
  • A 2019 follow-up search recovered bags of cosmetics under a bathroom sink with a Walmart receipt dated April 9, 2018 that matched items in the bags, along with burn pads and scar treatment gel.
  • A family medicine doctor who treated Stanko on April 13, 2018 testified his facial and hand scratches were inconsistent with a tree fall and that his facial redness could be a burn, while a trooper said Stanko earlier attributed the injuries to an ATV crash.
  • Earlier testimony outlined phone data showing Gross' last call was to Stanko and her phone last pinged near his mother's home, Walmart surveillance of his white pickup with a different plate, and tire-mark evidence tied to tires sold to him.