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

[Megnut]

Defense is trying to derail the Prosecution's trajectory. Objecting to this witness, testifying about the audio/video.

Investigator back on the stand.

 

[tlcya]

oh wow, he has covered up the video front facing camera in the truck before the day he abducted Athena. This wasn't a one off, he covers the camera prior when going down Athena's road which is also the Huffman family's road.

 

[Megnut]

Wow, the day he stole Athena wasn't the only time he covered the front facing camera.

He also did that the day he covered a package at the neighbors' house, with the two little girls.

Chilling.

 

[Megnut]

Video of him TR putting Athena's pants and panties in a backpack.

 

[tlcya]

Tanner was observed on the truck camera placing Athena's clothing into his back pack, the same backpack and clothing that was later found at his shed property. He is also observed cleaning up the fedex truck/van when he has once more turned the camera on. Jury is watching this now

 

[Megnut]

When TH, finally removes the cover from the cam, he's cleaning it.

 

[RaspberryMama]

Poor daddy. He is so soft spoken, but that tear running down his cheek spoke volumes.

 

[tlcya]

first noted Tanner covering the camera was on November 26th (several days prior to Athena's abduction

 

[Megnut]

Major premeditation-- both times, he covered the forward cam approximately 1.5 hours before arriving at homes with little girls.

Demon.

 

[tlcya]

on November 29 he is again observed covering the front facing camera, it was off when he pulled up to the Huffman house with the two young girls (7 and 10) playing outdoors.

 

[Megnut]

Predator.

Used his job to gain access to little girls.

 

[Megnut]

Gives context to his call-out to the set of little girls, about needing an adult to give the packages to (so as not to spoil any Christmas surprises, he said).

No, he was testing to see how close the parents were.

 

[Megnut]

Distracted TH forgot to close the back gate.

Turned the forward camera right back on.

Clear what he had hoped to do.

 

[tlcya]

November 30 he again turns off the front facing camera a short time before Athena's abduction. On December 1st, as Athena was still missing and searchers were frantically looking for her, at least three times TH had been driving past the area. Defense objects on the grounds of hearsay and it is overruled.

Defense requests sidebar

 

[browneyes]

Gives context to his call-out to the set of little girls, about needing an adult to give the packages to (so as not to spoil any Christmas surprises, he said).

No, he was testing to see how close the parents were.

I agree. Watching that made my stomach hurt. The poor jury has a rough day coming up.

 

[CHEL]

When was the video of him singing? After the murder?

 

[tlcya]

do we know, had Horner delivered to the Strand property before or was that his first time on the day of the abduction? Athena's stepmother testified their house sits a ways back from the road and some distance had to be driven to reach the property.

Speculation: I almost wonder if his intention on the 30th when turning off his camera was that he would again be in the vicinity of the Huffman home and hoping he might encounter one of their girls outdoors without a grown up around. And then perhaps Athena was encountered and she fit the bill as good as any 7-8 year old victim in Tanner's eyes.

 

[tlcya]

we were back - five seconds of video played and now we are back at a sidebar.

 

[Megnut]

Defense is hot with objections.

So far, mostly sustained.

They don't want any of this, period.

Just now, it's audio/video of dispatch calling TH telling him there's an amber alert along his route.

 

[Megnut]

When was the video of him singing? After the murder?

It was after the delivery at the home with the two little girls.

Singing off steam IMO.

I wish we could grab the lyrics.