Cell phone records and new clues revealed in day 2 of Thomas Stanko's homicide trial

On the second day of what's expected to be a two-week trial, cell phone records and new clues were revealed in the case against Thomas Stanko, who is charged in the death of Cassandra Gross. 

Stanko was charged with homicide in 2022 after Gross disappeared in 2018. Her car was found burned days after her disappearance, but her body has never been found. 

Prosecutors have been presenting circumstantial evidence during the trial to connect the dots to Stanko.

Cell phone records revealed

On Thursday, cell phone records were revealed along with new clues after investigators found her car burned to nothing but metal and ash.

Cell phone record data from Gross' phone and Stanko's cell phone reveal the final messages and calls between the two before Gross went missing.

On April 7, 2018, a friend of Gross' met her for lunch in South Greensburg, where she testified that Gross appeared to be happy that day but did not mention any plans she may have with Stanko. Cell phone records revealed that during lunch, Gross was texting Stanko a list of ingredients she needed him to pick up for dinner later that night.

The prosecution presented surveillance photos from the Walmart in Latrobe, where Stanko can be seen inside the store before leaving in a white pickup truck.

Gross' son takes the stand

Data shows Gross made six phone calls after lunch. The first was to her son Brandon Diebold, who took the stand first thing Thursday morning.

Diebold reported that his mother had traveled to North Carolina to visit him a week prior. Investigators said data shows Stanko searched and downloaded background check reports on Gross and her son while she was away. The prosecution said data reveals he deleted that search history from his phone before it was seized by police on April 12.

Gross' last phone call was to Stanko

Gross' next call after her lunch was to Stanko. Four total phone calls were made between the two between 3:34 p.m. and 4:05 p.m. Stanko was Gross' last phone call she ever made.

Investigators testified that cell phone records show Gross' last phone location was within a 1.6-mile radius of Stanko's mother's home around 9 p.m. on April 7.

The very next morning, a next-door neighbor testified that he saw Gross' car heading toward Stanko's mother's home but admitted that he could not see who was driving due to the tinted windows. Her car was then followed by Thomas Stanko, in a white pickup truck, who was hauling a trailer with a backhoe loaded on it.

The neighbor testified that shortly after, Gross' car was seen leaving his mother's property and never returned. The witness said he never once saw Gross.

Photos shown of Gross' burnt car

A few hours later, an off-duty trooper testified that he spotted a burned car that was later determined to be less than 2 miles from Stanko's mother's home. Photos presented in court showed the vehicle left only with a metal frame and a pile of ash.

A state police fire marshal then testified that the car was Gross' after finding a VIN number in the vehicle, as her license plate was missing from the back of her car. The fire marshal testified that the origin of the fire was ultimately undetermined.

State police corporal testifies about Stanko interview

During testimony with a state police corporal, he testified that he was the first to arrive at Stanko's home on April 9 to interview him after Gross went missing.

When he arrived, Corporal Benjamin Eaken said he saw Stanko's white pick-up truck prior to knocking on the front door. He read the jurors the license plate on the back of the truck that day. That's when the prosecution pulled up a surveillance photo of Stanko's truck at the Walmart the day before. Eaken confirmed it was the same truck but with a different license plate.

The prosecution also said investigators found tire marks at the scene of Gross' burned car to a tire shop in Mount Pleasant. The owner of that shop told investigators that he sold tires with the same tread to Thomas Stanko prior to April of 2018. Investigators confirmed the tires were those on Gross' car.

Day three of the trial will pick back up at 9 a.m. on Friday.