GUILTY TX - Athena Strand, 8, Abducted & Murdered by FedEx Contract Driver, Tanner Horner, Paradise, 30 November 2022 #2

[tlcya]

honestly, I don't think this witness is the state's strongest witness and we could have done without her. Their case IMO is strong enough without her. I worry about this being a distraction from the nuts and bolts of this case.

ETA we are now hearing her read their FB messages from 2017 about the misa anime. They have a long conversation about anime an upcoming movie blah blah blah. This to me illustrates that while Tanner did have sex with a minor, she was not the traumatized frightened victim the state would prefer we see her as. JMO, she was a troubled teen and continued to associate with him after several instances of SA.

 

[steeltowngirl]

I’m not getting why these convos about movies and anime are relevant.

 

[Megnut]

I’m not getting why these convos about movies and anime are relevant.

These conversations do show that he's not a vulnerable adult, he's not a protected class.

He's just a Neanderthal.

Apologies to Neanderthals.

 

[tlcya]

I think they illustrate that she continued to hang out with and converse amiably with her rapist afterwards for years. This continued until she discovered he has SAd a friend of hers.

 

[tlcya]

she met Tanner through her 21 year old boyfriend who was a bandmate of Tanner's.

 

[tlcya]

Defense on cross is introducing the fact that this witness was involved with older grown men before Tanner and continued to be after him, to include him after the first instance of SA, after the second, etc.

 

[joe jones]

Nothing to be gained from victim blaming, she has accused TH of rape, he is charged with rape, it doesn't matter who she dated pre or post TH, doesn't matter whether she was drinking or taking drugs at any time, she was 16 he was 22, he shouldn't have even been considering dating a 16 year old,

 

[Megnut]

Nothing to be gained from victim blaming, she has accused TH of rape, he is charged with rape, it doesn't matter who she dated pre or post TH, doesn't matter whether she was drinking or taking drugs at any time, she was 16 he was 22, he shouldn't have even been considering dating a 16 year old,

What is the Defense doing?????

Why?????

That will be litigated elsewhere.

But this is such trashy victim blaming.

JMO

 

[tlcya]

again, I don't necessarily agree with what the defense is doing. I think it was a mistake for the state to even include this witness. JMO their case is strong without her and isn't improved much by her involvement. She was a troubled teen hanging out with people she shouldn't have and engaging in adult behavior she should not have been. Doesn't change the fact that she was a minor and vulnerable exactly because she had a troubled life.

to me all of this is wasted time that would have been better spent discussing the case at hand. as others have said THIS witnesses case can and will be adjudicated elsewhere.

 

[joe jones]

honestly, I don't think this witness is the state's strongest witness and we could have done without her. Their case IMO is strong enough without her. I worry about this being a distraction from the nuts and bolts of this case.

ETA we are now hearing her read their FB messages from 2017 about the misa anime. They have a long conversation about anime an upcoming movie blah blah blah. This to me illustrates that while Tanner did have sex with a minor, she was not the traumatized frightened victim the state would prefer we see her as. JMO, she was a troubled teen and continued to associate with him after several instances of SA.

we shall learn more from the trial where he is charged with SA, whether she says either of the rapes were consensual or not they are still statutory rape, I also don't think it has any bearing on his sentencing as he is being sentenced for Athenas murder, but I can see that this would have been important if he had not pled guilty, as it would show his propensity to being sexually interested in young girls, but the defense belaboring that she dated other older men, she chose to drink and do drugs is victim blaming, I did all those things she did as a teen, it doesn't mean she wasn't raped or she consented to sex making it statutory rape,

 

[joe jones]

wow, TH tried to hang himself on Facebook live, according to this witness

 

[Megnut]

Now the Defense is testifying...

About what TH's grandfather lled TH.

Witness didn't recall that but the Defense got it in.

 

[gucci2times]

I just had an AHA moment, albeit a very dark one.

I believe him about having sexual dysfunction side effects from antidepressant medications and I believe this contributed to his already present feelings of inadequacy and worthlessness. His previous involvement with younger underage girls is a pretty classic scenario in which a low self-esteem male feels unskilled and inadequate among same aged potential romantic partners and seeks out younger girls whom he feels he is more able to impress (and manipulate) and to provide him with the ego boost he is seeking.

There was no evidence of rape because there was no rape. The abduction was sexually motivated but he couldn’t get it up. So instead he took out all these past and present frustrations on Athena via rage fueled violence.

 

[tlcya]

did I just hear we would hear from her friend Shaylee (sp?) Moore next? sigh.

 

[Megnut]

Underage girls and a 7 year old girl aren't the same thing.

I don't think they needed these witnesses. TH showed us his nature when he abducted, tortured and murdered Athena. It speaks for itself.

JMO

 

[joe jones]

another girl who has accused TH of rape,

 

[tlcya]

Shay was 14 when she first met Tanner. He had already graduated. She hung out with him and other mutual friends at the park. She spent time with Tanner and his friends. He had a band. She would be picked up and taken to band practice and went to a few of their shows. Her rape occurred in December of 2014 when she was 16 years old.

 

[Megnut]

I just had an AHA moment, albeit a very dark one.

I believe him about having sexual dysfunction side effects from antidepressant medications and I believe this contributed to his already present feelings of inadequacy and worthlessness. His previous involvement with younger underage girls is a pretty classic scenario in which a low self-esteem male feels unskilled and inadequate among same aged potential romantic partners and seeks out younger girls whom he feels he is more able to impress (and manipulate) and to provide him with the ego boost he is seeking.

There was no evidence of rape because there was no rape. The abduction was sexually motivated but he couldn’t get it up. So instead he took out all these past and present frustrations on Athena via rage fueled violence.

Exactly.

Vile.

 

[joe jones]

Underage girls and a 7 year old girl aren't the same thing.

I don't think they needed these witnesses. TH showed us his nature when he abducted, tortured and murdered Athena. It speaks for itself.

JMO

I think this would have been relevant for the trial if he had not pled guilty, and I am not sure what the judges ruling was about how the sentencing was to go, if he said all the witnesses and testimony would be the same as if they were having a trial without a guilty plea, if judge said trial has to be the same as it would have been before plea then everything will be testified to

 

[Megnut]

l can't believe the Defense asked the victim if she "forced older men to date her".

Have we evolved at all?