A judge has denied Thomas Stanko’s appeal in the murder of Cassandra Gross.
Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Michael Stewart upheld Stanko’s conviction and life sentence, the district attorney’s office said Wednesday.
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Gross went missing in April 2018. Her body was never found, and she was declared legally dead nearly a year later.
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Investigators did find Gross’ belongings, including a pair of glasses, in a burn barrel on Stanko’s property, the DA’s office says. Her burned-out vehicle was found in a remote part of Hempfield Township.
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Judge Stewart rejected Stanko’s appeal for acquittal, reconsideration for the admission of evidence and motion seeking a new trial.
Per the DA’s office, Stewart wrote in his 44-page opinion:
“The Commonwealth proved step-by-step, and piece-by-piece, that Cassandra was murdered, that Defendant knowingly and intentionally caused the death Cassandra, and that he intentionally set a fire to her vehicle which caused its nearly complete destruction. And although defendant testified to the contrary, the jury, having heard all the evidence, clearly rejected his testimony, which they are free to do,” Judge Stewart wrote.
Stanko now has 30 days to appeal to the Pennsylvania Superior Court.
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