Athena’s Alert: Athena Strand and her parents’ brave advocacy

About this episode

The episode discusses the trial and sentencing of Tanner Horner for the murder of Athena Strand and the implications of AMBER Alert criteria.

When the statutory criteria for an AMBER Alert forces police to wait, minutes can mean the difference between life and death. Today, we look at the trial and sentencing of Tanner Horner for the capital murder of Athena Strand. We analyze the failed defense strategies presented by his legal team in the spring of 2026—including mitigating pleas regarding autism spectrum disorder and childhood trauma—and explore why the jury rejected a life sentence. Crucially, we dive into how Athena's mother t...

People in this episode

Hosts: Jeannine Anderson, Natalie Halcomb

Topics covered

• AMBER Alert
• capital murder
• trial
• advocacy
• autism spectrum disorder
• jury decision

Keywords

• Athena Strand
• Tanner Horner
• AMBER Alert
• capital murder
• autism spectrum disorder
• jury
• advocacy

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