ATHENA STRAND: Texas vs. Tanner Horner for 2022 kidnapping and capital murder of 7-year-old *JURY SELECTION*

AMBER Alert issued for 7-year-old Wise County girl

An AMBER Alert was issued Thursday afternoon for 7-year-old Athena Strand, even though the sheriff doesn’t have evidence to indicate that she was abducted.

www.fox4news.com

Search for 7-year-old girl who went missing in Wise County​

A number of local law enforcement departments are taking part in a search for a 7-year-old girl who was reported missing on Wednesday night.

A parent called the Wise County Sheriff's Office just after 6:30 p.m. Wednesday saying her daughter, Athena Strand was nowhere to be found.

Wise County Sheriff's Office, DPS, Texas Rangers, Fort Worth PD, Bridgeport PD, local fire departments, Wise County EMS, Search Rescue One and several others searched the area around the 200 block of County Road 3573 in Paradise.

A massive search is underway in Paradise on Thursday morning.

ATHENA STRAND: Missing from Wise County, TX since 30 Nov 2022 - Age 7

Police are searching for Athena Strand after her mother reported her missing from their home Wednesday evening. Authorities believe her health and safety are in danger. Police said Strand was last seen near the 200 block of County Road 3573 in...

www.crimewatchers.net

 

[GrandmaBear]

The Delphi trial had a jury bussed in to Carroll County so I wonder why they couldn't have considered similar rather than moving the trial.

They likely argued for a change of venue too. A judge can go along with just jurors or change of venue as well.

Hard to know what they considered for criteria. Busing and hotels cost too. and are arduous on jurors.

The bright side is there can be no appeal based on it not being moved out of county, as it was moved as they probably requested.

A down side is now investigators, etc. will have to travel and probably sit in court all day awaiting their turn at times. Family will have to travel too.

I wonder what the distance is.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

3 years later: FedEx driver awaiting trial in murder of 7-year-old Athena Strand

November 30 marks 3 years since 7-year-old Athena Strand disappeared from her home in Paradise, Texas.

www.cbsnews.com

3 years later: FedEx driver awaiting trial in murder of 7-year-old Athena Strand​

November 30 marks 3 years since 7-year-old Athena Strand disappeared from her home in Paradise, Texas.

The 7-year-old was abducted from her Wise County driveway and allegedly killed by a FedEx driver. That suspect, Tanner Horner, faces capital murder and kidnapping charges, but he is not expected to stand trial until next spring at the earliest, due to venue changes and other delays.

Since Athena's death, a new law has taken effect in her honor. Athena Alerts now help law enforcement more quickly get out information about missing children to the public.


After delays and a change of venue, jury selection for Horner's trial is scheduled to begin on April 1, 2026. The trial is scheduled for April 7, 2026.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Athena Strand Murder: Judge denies defense motion to delay trial

A judge has denied a request to delay the trial of a former FedEx driver who is accused of kidnapping and killing a 7-year-old girl in Wise County.

www.fox4news.com

Athena Strand Murder: Judge denies defense motion to delay trial​

A judge has denied a request to delay the trial of a former FedEx driver who is accused of kidnapping and killing a 7-year-old girl in Wise County.

Monday was the first of several pretrial hearings for 34-year-old Tanner Horner’s capital murder trial.

Judge George Gallagher is keeping the early case proceedings off-limits to cameras as prosecutors and defense attorneys haggle over the details, including which questions will be used for potential jurors and what evidence and witnesses will be allowed at trial.

On Monday, the judge denied the defense team’s motion to delay the trial but said he might revisit it later. He then agreed to listen to six hours of police interviews to rule on a defense request to suppress all or part of those interviews.

Prosecutors also trimmed their list of 100 witnesses down to 60.

The hearings are expected to continue over the next two weeks. The trial is set for next April.

 

[GrandmaBear]

So a full year and four or five months down the road yet. that's just plain wrong.

I can believe this was three yrs ago already.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

So a full year and four or five months down the road yet. that's just plain wrong.

I can believe this was three yrs ago already.

Next April is just under four months away.

 

[Mel70]

Athena Strand Murder: Judge denies defense motion to delay trial

A judge has denied a request to delay the trial of a former FedEx driver who is accused of kidnapping and killing a 7-year-old girl in Wise County.

www.fox4news.com

Athena Strand Murder: Judge denies defense motion to delay trial​

A judge has denied a request to delay the trial of a former FedEx driver who is accused of kidnapping and killing a 7-year-old girl in Wise County.

Monday was the first of several pretrial hearings for 34-year-old Tanner Horner’s capital murder trial.

Judge George Gallagher is keeping the early case proceedings off-limits to cameras as prosecutors and defense attorneys haggle over the details, including which questions will be used for potential jurors and what evidence and witnesses will be allowed at trial.

On Monday, the judge denied the defense team’s motion to delay the trial but said he might revisit it later. He then agreed to listen to six hours of police interviews to rule on a defense request to suppress all or part of those interviews.

Prosecutors also trimmed their list of 100 witnesses down to 60.

The hearings are expected to continue over the next two weeks. The trial is set for next April.

Good. Finally a case not allowed a delay.

 

[GrandmaBear]

Next April is just under four months away.

haven't got 2026 into my head yet i guess lol. thank you. been a bit of an "off" week for me, not real with it. that's my excuse and i'm sticking to it lol.

it took three years for us and at the time we felt that was ridiculous, and it was frustrating as heck. since then i've really become aware of how long some take to go to trial, even longer than that with some. this one is on three years and will be past, at least from the date of her death. i do seem to recall he was arrested pretty quickly though.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Athena Strand Murder: Defense claims suspect has autism, shouldn’t face death penalty

Defense lawyers for Tanner Horner have asked for the death penalty to be taken off the table because they say he has autism. Horner is accused of kidnapping and strangling 7-year-old Athena Strand in Wise County in 2022.

www.fox4news.com

Athena Strand Murder: Defense claims suspect has autism, shouldn’t face death penalty​

Defense lawyers on the Athena Strand murder have asked for the death penalty to be taken off the table because the suspect has autism.

Tanner Horner’s defense team filed 28 new motions on Wednesday morning.

Most notably, there is a motion to preclude the death penalty because Horner has autism.

The motion states that the court has "categorically prohibited the imposition of the death penalty where a particular characteristic of the defendant renders him less culpable, negates the retributive and deterrent aims of capital punishment, or creates a risk of an erroneous death sentence."

It goes on to say that people with Autism Spectrum Disorder exhibit nearly all the same impairments as those with intellectual disabilities. Because it is unconstitutional for people with intellectual disabilities to be sentenced to death, the court must strike the death penalty option in this case.

The motion also mentions the Robert Roberson case as an example of another high-profile case where attorneys have argued that the defendant’s ASD led to his "wrongful conviction." In October, an appeals court halted Roberson’s execution and sent his case back down to a lower court.


Other motions filed on Wednesday accuse the prosecution of being constitutionally vague in its charges and accuse the Wise County District Attorney of prosecutorial misconduct.

There’s also one that aims to keep video of both jurors and witnesses during the trial off limits.

"It’s kind of a First Amendment issue between the public right to know, freedom of the press, particular witnesses, and privacy concerns to the extent that they have them," Wilson explained.

At this point, the judge hasn’t ruled on any of the motions.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/crime/article314390917.html

FedEx driver accused of killing Athena Strand appears in Tarrant County court
Tanner Horner, the FedEx driver accused of kidnapping and killing North Texas girl Athena Strand, appeared in a Tarrant County criminal court Tuesday and Wednesday for pre-trial hearings leading up to jury selection for his trial.


On Tuesday, presiding Judge George Gallagher ruled on several motions from the defense. Attorney Susan Anderson argued that prosecutors improperly used the grand jury to subpoena records that had no bearing on the accusations against Horner.

“Justice can’t be done when the defendant’s rights are violated,” Anderson told the court.

Anderson alleges that Horner’s due-process rights were violated by the prosecutors’ investigation and requested that the judge dismiss the indictment, disqualify the District Attorney’s Office or preclude the death penalty as a sentencing option. Gallagher denied the motion, as well as another motion to suppress data retrieved from Horner’s cell phone.

He granted a motion that the jurors not be filmed during the upcoming trial.

On Wednesday, the judge was scheduled to hear the defense’s motion to preclude the death penalty due to the suspect’s autism.


The trial is scheduled to begin April 7 in the 297th District Court. Jury selection will begin Jan. 29.

 

[Guess Who]

Athena Strand Murder: Defense claims suspect has autism, shouldn’t face death penalty

Defense lawyers for Tanner Horner have asked for the death penalty to be taken off the table because they say he has autism. Horner is accused of kidnapping and strangling 7-year-old Athena Strand in Wise County in 2022.

www.fox4news.com

Athena Strand Murder: Defense claims suspect has autism, shouldn’t face death penalty​

Defense lawyers on the Athena Strand murder have asked for the death penalty to be taken off the table because the suspect has autism.

Tanner Horner’s defense team filed 28 new motions on Wednesday morning.

Most notably, there is a motion to preclude the death penalty because Horner has autism.

The motion states that the court has "categorically prohibited the imposition of the death penalty where a particular characteristic of the defendant renders him less culpable, negates the retributive and deterrent aims of capital punishment, or creates a risk of an erroneous death sentence."

It goes on to say that people with Autism Spectrum Disorder exhibit nearly all the same impairments as those with intellectual disabilities. Because it is unconstitutional for people with intellectual disabilities to be sentenced to death, the court must strike the death penalty option in this case.

The motion also mentions the Robert Roberson case as an example of another high-profile case where attorneys have argued that the defendant’s ASD led to his "wrongful conviction." In October, an appeals court halted Roberson’s execution and sent his case back down to a lower court.


Other motions filed on Wednesday accuse the prosecution of being constitutionally vague in its charges and accuse the Wise County District Attorney of prosecutorial misconduct.

There’s also one that aims to keep video of both jurors and witnesses during the trial off limits.

"It’s kind of a First Amendment issue between the public right to know, freedom of the press, particular witnesses, and privacy concerns to the extent that they have them," Wilson explained.

At this point, the judge hasn’t ruled on any of the motions.

He was capable of holding down a job that requires a lot of a person and seemed to function well at it until this incident, so I'm not seeing his autism being any valid defense for him.

 

[GrandmaBear]

https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/crime/article314390917.html

FedEx driver accused of killing Athena Strand appears in Tarrant County court
Tanner Horner, the FedEx driver accused of kidnapping and killing North Texas girl Athena Strand, appeared in a Tarrant County criminal court Tuesday and Wednesday for pre-trial hearings leading up to jury selection for his trial.


On Tuesday, presiding Judge George Gallagher ruled on several motions from the defense. Attorney Susan Anderson argued that prosecutors improperly used the grand jury to subpoena records that had no bearing on the accusations against Horner.

“Justice can’t be done when the defendant’s rights are violated,” Anderson told the court.

Anderson alleges that Horner’s due-process rights were violated by the prosecutors’ investigation and requested that the judge dismiss the indictment, disqualify the District Attorney’s Office or preclude the death penalty as a sentencing option. Gallagher denied the motion, as well as another motion to suppress data retrieved from Horner’s cell phone.

He granted a motion that the jurors not be filmed during the upcoming trial.

On Wednesday, the judge was scheduled to hear the defense’s motion to preclude the death penalty due to the suspect’s autism.


The trial is scheduled to begin April 7 in the 297th District Court. Jury selection will begin Jan. 29.

Jury selection in late January for an April trial... That isn't very common...

 

[GrandmaBear]

He was capable of holding down a job that requires a lot of a person and seemed to function well at it until this incident, so I'm not seeing his autism being any valid defense for him.

There likely always has been but there seems to be a bigger yet even push these days to think alcohol, drugs, mental illness or a disorder/condition, etc. is an excuse for murder and I agree it's not.

However, things like this can play in as mitigating when it comes to the DP which is how it sounds they are trying to use it here. Of course there is also a major push against the DP these days and for a long time now as well.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/crime/article314497383.html

Jury selection begins in capital murder trial of Athena Strand’s accused killer
Jury selection in the capital murder trial of Tanner Horner, the FedEx driver accused of kidnapping and killing North Texas girl Athena Strand, began Thursday morning.

“Capital murder is the most serious crime that can be committed in Texas,” presiding Judge George Gallagher told the group, before sharing basic details about Horner’s alleged crime.


Jury selection in a trial that involves a potential death penalty requires a more rigorous process than for other crimes.

Around 1,300 Tarrant County residents were originally summoned for the jury, according to jury bailiff Paula Morales. Only 314 of them qualified, and that number was whittled down to 300 shortly after they arrived at the Tim Curry Criminal Justice Center early Thursday. None of the individuals knew what case they’d been summoned for until they heard it from Gallagher.

Around 120 individuals said they already knew something about the case, and 57 of them were dismissed after indicating they’d already made up their mind about Horner’s innocence or guilt. Those who made the cut will return Friday and fill out an 18-page questionnaire.

Individual interviews will be conducted with prospective jurors starting Feb. 10 ahead of the April 7 trial date.

 

[GrandmaBear]

Still a bit unusual that jury selection is two months ahead of trial.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/crime/article314648882.html

Death penalty is focus in jury selection for Athena Strand’s accused killer
Tanner Horner, the FedEx driver accused of kidnapping and killing 7-year-old North Texas girl Athena Strand, appeared in a Tarrant County criminal court Tuesday as the jury selection process continues for his upcoming capital murder trial.

Horner’s attorneys and a team of prosecutors with the Wise County District Attorney’s Office conducted one-on-one interviews with prospective jurors on their fitness to serve.

“There are no wrong answers, only honest ones,” defense attorney Susan Anderson told one of the potential jurors.

About 57 individuals out of a pool of 300 were omitted Jan. 29 after indicating they’d already made up their minds about Horner’s innocence or guilt. The 243 who made the cut filled out an 18-page questionnaire, which attorneys used Tuesday as the basis for their examination.

Horner, 34, faces a death sentence or life in prison without parole if convicted of capital murder in Athena’s death. Several of the attorneys’ questions for the prospective jurors centered on their thoughts about the death penalty.

This phase of the selection process is expected to take several days. Presiding Judge George Gallagher said they will narrow down the jury pool to around 55 people, who will return March 31 for the final selection.


The trial is scheduled to begin April 7 in the 297th District Court.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/crime/article315248029.html

Defense seeks to ban the word ‘psychopath’ in Texas trial of accused child killer
Defense attorneys who represent a man who is to go to trial in Tarrant County in seven days in the strangling of a 7-year-old girl are looking ahead to the scope of testimony in the punishment phase of the death penalty case if he is found guilty.

In a motion filed last week, the office of the regional public defender for capital cases asked Judge George Gallagher to order that experts refrain from using two terms, psychopath and sociopath, in reference to the defendant, Tanner Horner, who is accused of killing Athena Strand inside his FedEx truck in Wise County.

 

[Mel70]

https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/crime/article315248029.html

Defense seeks to ban the word ‘psychopath’ in Texas trial of accused child killer
Defense attorneys who represent a man who is to go to trial in Tarrant County in seven days in the strangling of a 7-year-old girl are looking ahead to the scope of testimony in the punishment phase of the death penalty case if he is found guilty.

In a motion filed last week, the office of the regional public defender for capital cases asked Judge George Gallagher to order that experts refrain from using two terms, psychopath and sociopath, in reference to the defendant, Tanner Horner, who is accused of killing Athena Strand inside his FedEx truck in Wise County.

Really?! If someone is diagnosed as one. I'm so sick of all of these words you're not supposed to say. It's gotten ridiculous. Has anyone ever screamed at someone "I'm going to unalive you!? Go sit with the kids.