Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

It's been 10 years since the unsolved murder of Missy Beavers at Creekside Church of Christ in Midlothian.

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• Horner trial notes: 
• James Becker / VP Velocitor Solutions appears to be the man responsible for obtaining and safeguarding the critical video footage from inside the Fed Ex truck.  The case would have been very, very different without him. In fact, Horner might have gotten away with it. 
  
  
  
• Kristen Cossota with the Texas DPS Crime Labs confused us all with her testimony.  I'm no DNA expert, but I think the bottom line is this: There was sperm DNA found in Athena's body, but the sample extracted was so weak that a positive ID of Horner could not be made. But he can't be excluded as the source either -- but neither can a significant portion of the population,
  
• The mother of Athena finally testified. 
  
  
  
• It seems very weird to me that sometimes the defense will seem to start asking questions which focuses on the possible civil liability of the subcontracting trucking firm. A relevance objection was even sustained yesterday.  I know FedEx settled with the family, but what about the subcontractor?
• All we know is what is in the headline. 
  
  
  
• The first meeting ever of the North Central Texas Sheriffs Coalition occurred yesterday in Runaway Bay with Gov. Abbott in attendance. The official press release from Abbott just said, "The Governor was joined by Representative Andy Hopper, Representative Shelley Luther, Jack County Sheriff Charles Hauger, sheriffs from across the state, and other state and local officials. "  But the Wise County Sheriff is in that photo, too. (I would love a roster of everyone in that photo. That's a ton of cowboy hats.)
  
  
  
• Dateline New York. I really don't know if this will change anything.  
  
  
  
• Overnight news.
  
   
  
  
  
• Pete Hegseth, who is the most cringe-worthy member of the Trump Administration, went on a bizarre and long rant this morning against the press calling them "unpatriotic" as well as comparing them to the Pharisees in the Bible who discounted Jesus.  "I sat there in church, and I thought: our press are just like these Pharisees." Video. 
  
  
  
• Also Pete Hegseth, Video.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Oh, yeah, that other war of one country invading another is still going on. From yesterday:
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• The Real Estate Second™. The most expensive home in Fort Worth is on the market.  Gift link. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Messenger - Above the Fold