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On the day after becoming the presumptive Republican nominee.
- As almost everyone predicted, Tanner Horner received the death penalty yesterday from the jury after a month long punishment trial.
- The Wise County courthouse was bathed in pink overnight. I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like this before.
- The Star-Telegram has a detailed, old-school story about yesterday. Gift link.
- WFAA's online coverage didn't even try to be objective. Yesterday, the moderator came dressed in pink and the two legal "experts" didn't hide their personal feelings either. Those feelings are certainly understandable, but its odd to see it for "news coverage."
- Quick trial thoughts:
- The DA's office did a fantastic job. It was just a business-like presentation from start to finish, and they never played to the cameras.
- I never understood the defense lawyers' case. There was no theme. And there was no attempt to connect with the jury. Look, there was basically no way they were going to save Horner's life, but their only chance was to admit that the case involved one of the most horrible crimes ever committed, but attempt to show there is at least something about Horner and his background that makes him "different." Then maybe, just maybe, life in prison without parole would be justice. Their chances were one in a million, but at least that gives you a chance.
- But they just pretended the crime didn't happen. Sheesh. Horner admitted it to it. Accept it. Embrace it. That at least gives you some jury credibility.
- And mitigation evidence (Horner being "different") is not evidence of an excuse or justification. The defense never made that clear and that was their most important job.
- Defense summed up: When the stepmom, who was in the home during the abduction, was cross-examined, the defense lawyers pulled out a picture of an outdoor shower which was on the property and asked her to identify it. Why? What are you doing?
- Not to mention making a strange NBA analogy on opening statement, trying to sell the "Athena saw him doing cocaine story" on closing, and taking Athena's picture down off the easel. I don't get it.
- One thing I would have done as the defense lawyer?: I would have played the "demon" card. Truly. That is, the facts of this crime are so horrible and so insane and so unexplainable (which every universally agrees upon), that there must be something going on here that is supernatural. There is no question that half or more of the jurors believe in literal demons on earth (it's certainly Biblical), so why not argue that we may have actually found one? "Do you have a reasonable doubt as to whether there may be a literal demon in this room? If so, let's leave it up to God on how to ultimately deal with him." (All you need is one juror to agree.)
- And that theme just piggybacks off the State's opening statement when the prosecutor said this::
- Hey, even with the demon argument, Horner was still going to get the death penalty. But at least your odds go from a million to one to 100,000 to one.
- Random photos:
- There was definitely a bomb threat yesterday, but this is the only account I've seen that said it was Tanner Horner related. And the threat concerned the wrong courthouse.
- On a Tuesday night, no less?
- Quick hits on the war from yesterday:
- In the morning: "Project Freedom," the escorting ships through the strait, is full speed ahead!
- Marco Rubio in the afternoon:
- Uh, oh. Hit the brakes!!!!! Trump at 5:00 p.m.:
- And this morning:
- It's both war and peace at the same time!
- Iran's response:
- Ballroom news from Fox:
- Do we really want the government controlling the content of AI?
- Baptist private schools are OK. So are Church of Christ private schools. As are Methodist, Catholic, and on and on. So what's the problem with private Muslim schools in freedom-of-religion based America?
- New video of the plane clipping the truck in New Jersey. You can see the landing gear hit the top of the truck.
- Story
- It will always be the craziest case in Wise County history . . .
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