Horner's Expert Witnesses: Deep-Rooted Issues & Alter Ego

0:00It's April 20th, from your city to your ears, this is Dallas News today, powered by AI. The Tanner Horner Capital Murder Trial picked back up Monday in Wise County, but without the jury in the room. Horner, the ex-fed ex-driver accused of kidnapping and killing seven-year-old Athena Strand back in 2022, faces the death penalty from prosecutors. Right now, they're in the voire dire phase, where the judge vets defense expert witnesses to decide what the jury can hear later. Defense brought in four medical pros, a psychologist, two docs on environmental toxins, and a pediatrician. They all evaluated Horner and pointed to deep-rooted issues like autism, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, lead poisoning 24 times worse than, normal for kids his age, plus old-head trauma. These conditions, they say, go way back before the crime. Meanwhile, the psychologist dropped some heavy details during her testimony. Horner talked about an alter-ego named Zero, more like an imaginary friend to help him

1:02express stuff he couldn't say straight. She said he confessed to the killing, claiming he grabbed Athena because she caught him using cocaine. Still, in her view, he gets right from wrong. This ain't an insanity defense. Prosecutors fired back hard, grilling the experts on their testing methods to poke holes in the science. The judge's calls here will shape what hits the jury. During his role on Tuesday, with four more witnesses, then full testimony resumes Wednesday. Defense kicks off with Horner's mom as their first witness once the jury's back. This phase could sway everything from penalty to verdict, so eyes stay glued as it unfolds.