Trial date set for man charged in Unity woman's murder

A Westmoreland County judge has set a February trial for a Unity man accused in the suspected murder of his girlfriend more than seven years ago.

Cassandra Gross was last seen in April 2018, and authorities almost immediately named her boyfriend, Thomas Stanko, as a person of interest in her disappearance. In 2022, police charged Stanko with criminal homicide even though Gross’ remains have yet to be discovered. She was declared dead by the courts a year after her disappearance.

“It’s been a long time, so this is at least a step forward. It will be eight years in April, and every single day I have been pushing to get him to trial,” Cassandra Gross’ mother, Kathe, said Monday following a court hearing. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Michael Stewart II ordered that jury selection for the trial begin in early February.

Kathe Gross’ then 52-year-old daughter last was seen 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.

Prosecutors claim Stanko stalked and killed Cassandra Gross following a yearslong relationship witnesses described as violent.

According to court records, police allege Stanko killed Gross and then burned her remains. Investigators found a burn barrel on Stanko’s property that contained charred remains determined to be pieces of Gross’ eyeglasses, clothing and the tip of an insulin pencil she likely used to care for her dog.

Police said Stanko discarded a bag of burned items as he fled from police while they attempted to arrest him in an unrelated case six days after Gross’ disappearance.

Defense attorney Marc Daffner has said Stanko maintains his innocence and has challenged the legality of the prosecution’s evidence. He previously argued the case should not be allowed to proceed because Gross’ body was never discovered.

On Monday, Daffner renewed a request that jurors not be told about Stanko’s prior arrests, including a case that involved allegations of a stolen ATV.

Prosecutors say Stanko, while being pursued on that charge, discarded evidence related to the alleged homicide.

“Mr. Stanko was discarding items because he believed he was being arrested for this homicide,” Assistant District Attorney Jim Lazar said.

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.