Prosecutors Allege Man and His Mother Used Backhoe to Conceal Girlfriend’s Death

New developments have emerged in the Pennsylvania case involving a man suspected of murdering his girlfriend, concealing her remains, and setting her car on fire.

Thomas Stanko, aged 55, faces charges of criminal homicide related to the suspected death of 51-year-old Cassandra Gross, as indicated by court documents. He is also accused of reckless burning, evidence tampering, and corpse abuse.

This week, Stanko’s trial commenced in the Westmoreland County courtroom. Although Gross’s remains have not been discovered, prosecutors argue that Stanko took her life in the spring of 2018 and subsequently attempted to erase all traces of his alleged actions. He has entered a plea of not guilty.

According to previous reports by Law&Crime, Gross was last seen on April 7, 2018, in Greensburg. Her burned-out vehicle was located the next day roughly five miles away in Unity Township, while her dog—who is blind and diabetic—was found nearby, wandering alone.

Stanko was taken into custody a few days after Gross’s disappearance, yet he wasn’t officially charged in connection to the case until October 2022. Despite this, he has remained incarcerated since his 2018 arrest, currently serving a federal sentence for firearms offenses, as reported by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

Since neither Gross’ body nor a murder weapon has been found, prosecutors are relying on circumstantial evidence, including witness testimony, photos, and text messages. They have painted a picture of a threatening man, according to local ABC affiliate WTAE.

Voicemails were played in court, with one from October 2017 reportedly containing Stanko asking Gross where she was. “You’re a cheater,” he allegedly said after cursing. “A liar. I’m done.”

Harry Berkey took the stand, saying he lived between Stanko and Stanko’s mother and that in 2018 as he was preparing his house to move in, the defendant came up to him and said “I just want to warn you. I run this area. You’re going to have to play by my rules.”

The neighbor added that he knew Gross’ red Mitsubishi SUV because she would often visit her boyfriend, the TV station reported. She was set to meet him at his home on April 7, 2018, the day she was last seen, authorities contend.

Berkey apparently also recalled that, on April 8, 2018, he saw the red SUV pull up to Stanko’s mother’s residence, though he couldn’t make out who was driving. About 20 minutes later, Stanko’s white pickup truck came by with a backhoe attached to a trailer.

The Mitsubishi then left the defendant’s mother’s house slowly, Berkey said, per WTAE, and the mother and son returned home later that day. Authorities believe Stanko killed Gross and then disposed of her body with the help of his mother, who has since died.

Gross’ mother, Kathe Gross, also took the stand this week, and she said her daughter’s relationship with Stanko began after the missing woman found a note on her apartment door from him stating, “If you want a friend, call this number,” according to local CBS affiliate KDKA.

According to Kathe Gross, her daughter called her multiple times crying and upset, saying Stanko was ringing her doorbell, standing at her kitchen window, or pounding at the home to get in. “If anything happens to me, make sure b knows how much I love him,” Cassandra Gross reportedly wrote to her friend, referencing her son.

The defense has argued that prosecutors have no evidence, with Stanko’s attorney reportedly stating his client had “no motivation” to kill Cassandra Gross.

The trial is expected to last two weeks.