05/01/2026
The defense rolled out Dr. Julian Davies yesterday… a clinical professor… pediatric specialist… long résumé… long list of licenses… and an even longer explanation of FASD…
He went through TH’s childhood… prenatal alcohol exposure… mild to moderate brain function issues… past head injuries… lead poisoning… all the medical jargon… all the “here’s why his brain is different” talk…
But the defense kept going… $450 an hour… 30–40 hours of work… maybe 20 more… he reviewed records.. records the defense hand‑picked for him…he admitted he only knows what they gave him… if something was missing… he wouldn’t know…
And the State made sure the jury heard that loud and clear!! Cuz let’s be honest.. James was on fire yesterday!! 🔥 🔥 🔥
He spent 2 hours and 45 minutes with TH in jail… did a medical interview… physical exam… took photos…
Then the State asked the real questions… “What did you actually review about the crime??”
He said he had the truck video and audio… some summaries… some timelines…
But did he watch all of it??
No…
Did he have all five days??
No…
Did he know TH covered the forward‑facing camera before the abduction??
He “recalled” something about that… but wasn’t sure…
So he reviewed “some stills…” “a little material…” and what he reviewed “may be incomplete..”
And this is the expert we’re supposed to believe has a full picture of Tanner Horner’s functioning…
Then the State dismantled the narrative piece by piece.. TH’s IQ is 107.. above average.. all tests were normal except one.. problem‑solving is not one of his deficits.. he used language and planning skills just fine when it benefited him.. he smoked cannabis on video.. but no co***ne.. he lied to cover evidence.. which the doctor admitted is either lying or problem‑solving..
And then came the big one.. malingering..
What is malingering??
Malingering is the intentional fabrication or exaggeration of physical or mental illness symptoms to achieve a specific external goal.. such as avoiding work.. obtaining insurance money., or evading legal responsibility… it is a deliberate.. conscious behavior rather than a mental illness… common examples include faking pain.. exaggerating injuries.. or tampering with medical tests…
The State asked if making up a fake personality after murdering a child to seem “insane” would be malingering…and Dr. Davies said yes… an attempt at malingering that wasn’t effective… which is why we haven’t seen Zero since the initial interrogation videos..
So after all the medical explanations… all the brain talk… all the “he’s impaired..” all the “he struggles..” we end up right back where we started.. that Tanner Horner knew exactly what he was doing… and even tried to fake insanity to get away with it..
This witness proved.. without even meaning to.. that Tanner Horner knew exactly what he was doing when he pulled up to Athena’s home… kidnapped her… s*xually assaulted her… tortured her… murdered her… and then tossed her body like she was nothing…
No Tanner… you ARE nothing…
And Athena… she was EVERYTHING…
A child with a future…with family who adored her… and a life that mattered more than every excuse the defense has dragged into that courtroom…
And this witness confirmed that there was no confusion… no “brain deficit” stopping him… no impairment preventing him from planning.. hiding.. lying.. covering the camera to keep people from seeing what he was doing and how evil he truly is.. and covering up what he did by cleaning the truck.. manipulating everyone around him.. family.. friends.. coworkers.. bosses.. even the loves attendant he manipulated into giving him free cleaning supplies by using an ultimatum..
He knew what he wanted to do.. he chose who he wanted… and then… he acted… this is proof of predatory behavior.. and that he will do it again.. and what do we do with dangerous predators??
