Thomas G. Stanko continued to maintain his innocence Wednesday as he appeals a jury’s guilty verdict and subsequent life prison sentence in the first-degree murder of Cassandra Gross. “I do not feel it was a fair trial because it was built on speculation,” Stanko told Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Michael Stewart II Wednesday. Prosecutors claimed Stanko killed Gross, then hid or destroyed her remains, which have never been found. Gross’ friends and family members testified Stanko previously acted violently toward Gross and that she at times feared for her safety. She testified Stanko also threatened to burn her remains and her vehicle.