Case against Unity man charged with murder of missing girlfriend on hold for 2 months

Kathe Gross has waited more than seven years to see justice for her daughter.

Following a court hearing Tuesday, Gross learned she will have to continue to wait as a trial for the Unity man charged with her daughter’s murder was delayed yet again.

Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Michael Stewart II put the criminal homicide case against Thomas Stanko, who prosecutors claim killed his former girlfriend, 52-year-old Cassandra Gross in April 2018, on hold for another two months.

“It’s just been too many years,” Kathe Gross said outside the courtroom. “My husband died two years ago and I’m truly on my own and it’s hard. It gets harder as time passes. This should have come to trial years ago.”

Cassandra Gross was last seen on April 7, 2018. Two days later, her burned-out vehicle was discovered near Twin Lakes Park, a short distance from where her diabetic dog was found unattended by a motorist.

Police almost immediately suspected foul play and identified her boyfriend, Thomas Stanko, as a suspect in her disappearance and eventual murder. Gross was declared dead in early 2019 by a county judge.

Her remains have never been found and Stanko has denied any involvement in her killing.

In court documents, Stanko argued his case should be dismissed because there is no evidence Gross is dead and that a crime was committed.

Stewart rejected that argument. He ruled that enough circumstantial evidence exists to allow prosecutors to continue the case against Stanko.

Prosecutors say Stanko, 54, stalked and killed Gross sometime over four-day period ending April 13, 2018. In his opinion, the judge noted prosecution evidence based on testimony from Gross’ family members that she was missing and did not report as scheduled for work.

Stewart also referred testimony from Kathe Gross, in which she described an incident that occurred about a month before her daughter’s disappearance. She said her daughter feared for her safety as Stanko pursued her vehicle before she drove to her parents’ home and greeted him with a baseball bat in hand. Stanko issued a threat as he drove off, she testified.

The judge noted that prosecution evidence also includes Cassandra Gross’ charred possessions found in a burn barrel on Stanko’s property, including pieces of her eye glasses, clothing and the tip of an insulin bottle she was likely to have possessed while caring for her dog.

According to court records, Stanko also discarded a bag of burned items as he fled from police as they attempted to arrest him in an unrelated case on April 13, 2018.

In his ruling, the judge said prosecutors will be allowed to tell jurors that Stanko had a history of domestic threats, including allegations that Gross was stalked and threatened by him as well as previous allegations of threats and violence made against other women in previous relationships.

“The court finds it more probative than prejudicial that defendant is alleged to have made repeated threats of murder, coupled with threats that the victim would never be found, which are direct statements made by defendant and would be suggestive of his intent to terrorize and/or kill his victims,” Stewart wrote.

Stanko has been in custody since 2018 and is serving a seven-year federal prison sentence for gun offenses related to weapons found on his property during ongoing searches in connection with Gross’ disappearance.

The judge said he needs more time to dispense a handful of remaining pretrial issues.

A date to begin Stanko’s murder trial has not been scheduled.