Prosecutor Speaks on Death Sentence for 7-year-old Athena Strand’s Killer

About this episode

James Stainton discusses the pursuit of justice for Athena Strand and the implications of capital punishment in her case.

James Stainton spent years working to bring Tanner Horner to justice for abusing and killing a beloved child before callously discarding her remains in rural Texas on November 30, 2022. On this episode, Stainton shares with The Trial: USA’s Kayla Brantley what it was like to shoulder the task of seeking justice for Athena Strand and her devastated family. He also discusses capital punishment and why, as he argued at trial, Horner's actions are why the death penalty exists. Horner was sentenced to execution by lethal injection on May 5 after a five-week jury trial held to determine his fate. He’d previously pleaded guilty to murder and kidnapping the first-grader, who was abducted from her family’s sprawling property in Paradise, Texas. Athena’s death devastated her family, friends and community. She inspired a law that enables law enforcement to employ quicker responses to missing children calls by issuing what has become known as an “Athena Alert.” Her family also started a charity in her honor in an effort to share the little girl’s legacy. Athena’s Army: https://asarmy.com/ Email us: thetrial@dailymail.com   WhatsApp us: +44 7796 657512 Start your message with Trial…

People in this episode

Host: Kayla Brantley

Guest: James Stainton

Topics covered

• justice
• capital punishment
• missing children
• child advocacy
• murder case
• community impact

Keywords

• Athena Strand
• Tanner Horner
• death penalty
• justice
• missing children
• Texas
• murder
• capital punishment

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Athena’s Army, DailyMail

Places: Texas

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