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

[joe jones]

Struggling to understand the point though of defense cross exam etc, when he already pleaded guilty?

I can understand audio being played for jury etc to put DP on table, and defense drawing it out on trying to establish sympathy for TH's childhood yada yada

But why are they going through each and every step like evidence collection ....

Why is it that the 'alter egos' of these killers are never do-gooders ?

I think the judge said that this is how it is to be done, plus I also think that a jury would need to have learned about all the evidence to be able to decide on the death penalty, being convinced of his guilt will help them to decide what punishment he should get, I am opposed to DP so I hope we have a few jurors who think like me, but as a previous poster stated we are in Texas

 

[LovesPeace2]

Thanks you all for updating about the trial. I personally can't watch much more without thoughts of throwing my coffee cup threw the tv. What he did to Athena and all the lies he said how can he not get the death penalty. I am glad the jurors can hear this all and give the proper verdict. I can't find one redeeming quality to not have the dp just my opinion .

 

[tlcya]

we are back, got distracted by work, new witness on the stand. Sgt. Brett Yaro w Sheriff's dept. He oversees the crime lab. He is a certified fingerprint expert in the state of Texas. He was there for the processing of the vehicles referred to as van no. 1 and van no. 2

 

[joe jones]

I also think his defense were prepared for the fight, there was some discussion in court that they had not got the personnel file of one of the LE, and even though he has pled guilty they reminded judge they hadn't got it, good defense attys leave no stone unturned, and personnel files are often very revealing,

I wonder when and why he chose to plead guilty, his attys and he must have known it was highly likely he would be found guilty, but he at some point made the decision, if he pled guilty to try to not get the DP it isn't working, as the court is proceeding with all the evidence they would have shown during the penalty phase, and the jury is seeing and hearing everything he did, so his guilty plea may not be much of a factor in deliberations,

 

[Ontario Mom]

Thanks you all for updating about the trial. I personally can't watch much more without thoughts of throwing my coffee cup threw the tv. What he did to Athena and all the lies he said how can he not get the death penalty. I am glad the jurors can hear this all and give the proper verdict. I can't find one redeeming quality to not have the dp just my opinion .

I'll add my thanks as well. I really thought I could watch this but I want to crawl through the screen and exact justice myself. Crimes against children get harder to follow all the time. Seeing the image of her in the truck was heartbreaking.

 

[joe jones]

what was that strawberry ? in a bottle from his backpack?

 

[joe jones]

he never cleaned the mud off his shoes from putting Athena in the water, and could be blood on shoes

 

[tlcya]

what was that strawberry ? in a bottle from his backpack?

the strawberry cream "coastal Clouds" bottle of premium vapor in state's exhibit 192 would be a product to go in the vape pen previously described by the witness.

 

[Megnut]

Nooooooo, testing the treadmill pattern of his shoes to the marks on her face.

Jesus can't stop weeping.

 

[steeltowngirl]

Nooooooo, testing the treadmill pattern of his shoes to the marks on her face.

Jesus can't stop weeping.

I had to rewind to make sure that’s what I heard. I didn’t want to believe it. Monster.

 

[tlcya]

states exhibit 207 is the side door of the van with instep featuring diamond pate pattern. 209 is the floorboard of the van between the seats in the cab with a textured rubber floor. 210 is a different angle of that same area. 211 is the texture of the floor in the body of the back of the van. All of these photos were taken for comparison purposes just like the pattern from the bottom of Horner's shoes.

exhibit 225 from the state is the shoes and is admitted.

states exhibit 230 is the buccal swabs from suspect.

220, 221 and 222 are photos of his clothing at the time of Horner's arrest.

eta 216 is Horner's underwear, 217 is the seminal stain visible within them. Defense objects to that description and we are now at sidebar.

 

[BUF]

Seminal fluid in his underwear

Although objected to, this photo stays up on screen all through sidebar

 

[Megnut]

I didn't want to see his underwear. Or consider what that means.

 

[joe jones]

I didn't need to see picture of his boxers,

 

[tlcya]

Defense is suggesting the items of clothing from Horner were taken on December 2nd, several days after the murder on Nov 30th.

Bad move on their part. They just called attention to the seminal fluid in his underwear. they object stating the clothing cannot be proven to be the same clothing Horner wore on the date the murder occurred. the judge overrules. The witness never said they were. He simply stated they were the ones Horner was wearing at time of his arrest.

 

[browneyes]

The jury knows he pled guilty, right? TIA

 

[tlcya]

State's 224 is the whiteboard from the interview room where Horner wrote in red ink "hes going to hurt me. please help"

UGG just got a really bad loud static over the audio making it hard to hear.

 

[joe jones]

The jury knows he pled guilty, right? TIA

yes, they know this is sentencing phase,

 

[steeltowngirl]

The Barbie dolls.

 

[tlcya]

this next exhibit is the barbies that Horner delivered the day of the abductions. the ones meant for Athena at Christmas.

The state opening that evidence box and holding the package high was theatre for the jury and I am here for it. A sad reminder of how the state began, describing modern day Santa bringing the Christmas gifts and how very wrong it is what the defendant did to a 7 year old girl without having to speak a word.