Episode Details

Tanner Horner’s death sentence for murdering seven-year-old Athena Strand is under fire as his attorneys demand a new trial, claiming media frenzy poisoned the courtroom and even scared off potential witnesses. The case, already relocated from Wise County to Tarrant County due to viral social media attention, now faces a judge’s decision on whether to overturn the conviction. Prosecutors fiercely oppose the motion, insisting media coverage doesn’t violate court rules. The jury, swayed by evidence including Horner cleaning his van and fabricating a fake identity, swiftly sentenced him to death after just three hours — rejecting pleas for life based on his autism and troubled past. The case automatically heads to Texas’ highest criminal court for review, while the new trial motion looms as the next critical legal battle.

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