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

[joe jones]

Do we know what was tested for this finding? "TH cannot be excluded".... oral swabs?

she did YSTR testing on oral, vaginal and anal swabs from Athena, YSTR means she extracted the male DNA only, and found TH or his male relatives could not be excluded from all 3 swabs, she also testified to finding sperm cells (or semen didn't hear it clearly) in the vaginal swab

 

[Megnut]

Spoiler: These findings aren't surprising they're just horrid.

No way to be delicate here, given his issues, there were no findings of physical trauma because he couldn't achieve or maintain an election. These findings show his sperm was present in all cavity swabs. How can people like him even exist?????

 

[joe jones]

AS and TH DNA was found in stain on his Fed Ex shirt found in the shed (you all remember shed) this was skin cells, sperm was also found in stain this was TH, no AS

 

[browneyes]

Again, thanks for all the updates! I’m going to catch up later!

 

[joe jones]

Fed Ex truck swabs, passenger side, cargo area, mixture of 3, very strong support for TH and moderate support for AS DNA,

driver side wheels well swabs, mixture of 3, TH and AS included in mixture - strong support for both

 

[joe jones]

right hand fingernail clippings from AS, YSTR testing done, TH cannot be excluded, (plus all his male relatives)

left hand fingernail clipping no results mentioned

 

[Megnut]

Defense is off in the reeds. Purposeful misdirection IMO.

No one is distracted from what the evidence shows.

And what it shows is that TH is utterly despicable.

JMO

 

[Megnut]

Athena's mom is on the stand.

Describing Athena's grin in an adorable photo -- she was hiding an orange in her mouth.

 

[Megnut]

Such a beautiful child.

So cruel that Athena saw the ugliest of humanity.

 

[steeltowngirl]

she did YSTR testing on oral, vaginal and anal swabs from Athena, YSTR means she extracted the male DNA only, and found TH or his male relatives could not be excluded from all 3 swabs, she also testified to finding sperm cells (or semen didn't hear it clearly) in the vaginal swab

Then there had to be contact, if not penetration and statute lists “contact”.

But I understand the prosecution has to prove with certainty.

Texas Constitution and Statutes

statutes.capitol.texas.gov

 

[Megnut]

Oh, my heart.

Athena was being babysat by her grandma who died. Little Athena ran to two houses to get help, at age 3.

 

[tlcya]

just getting back into the office and found Athena's mom is on the stand describing seeing Athena after her death. Her ears are messed up, her chin was scraped up and there were incision marks. I searched her body hoping to find any reason that that wasn't my baby but could find none. we put some makeup on her so that Jacob (dad) wouldn't have to see her like that.

ETA later she wandered around Walmart trying to find a pretty dress or several to pick from so that we could put Athena in one. And I wanted to make sure she had a bow. She was always in bows. There was a running joke about placing big bows on little girls bow almost bigger than their heads and Athena adopted that and never really stopped wearing such bows.

 

[Megnut]

She is describing viewing Athena, dressed her in a hospital gown, did make up so her daddy wouldn't see how bad she was.

Jesus wept.

 

[Megnut]

The Prosecutor is so gentle.

 

[tlcya]

Athena's mom from the stand: She is not just some number, she is not just some picture from a headline, she was real, she had a life, she wanted to live and no one can take that from her. I will be her voice. I will make sure every person in this world knows she was loved and she wanted to live. And we want her in our lives.

 

[Megnut]

"I had to cover up handprints around her neck."

"I am here to be her voice... she was loved and she wanted to live."

 

[steeltowngirl]

“She wanted to live and no one can take that from her.
I will be her voice.”

Powerful, heartbreaking words from Athena’s mom.

 

[tlcya]

When she read the autopsy what struck her was that there were no personal items with her. That the only things on her were the bags placed on her hands to preserve evidence and so her mother knew that she had come into the morgue with nothing, not a thing, she was naked.

That broke her. She didn't want to believe that. She told herself that she must be wrong that things must just be done different in Texas, she would have rather been wrong about that than have been right about her child having been naked when found.

She has viewed the videos in this case. She could only watch a minute or two, she just couldn't she can't and she is very sorry for all those people who have and will have to watch that, she is sad for the jury that will have to see it. not one person in this room aside for Tanner Horner asked for what is on that video, Athena certainly didn't.

oh this is heartbreaking testimony.

 

[Megnut]

"I was there when she took her first breath...I wasn't there when she took her last breath."

 

[tlcya]

She is weeping, she wants Tanner to tell her where is Athena's shirt and when did she draw her last breath. She was there for her first, there for her first words, but she wasn't there for that last breath.