Tanner Horner's Trial: Defense Challenges Psychopath Label

0:00The trial for Tanner Horner kicks off next week in Tarant County, Texas. He's the former delivery driver, charged with kidnapping and murdering seven-year-old Athena Strand back in December 2022. Prosecutors want the death penalty, and the case got moved from Wise County because of heavy media buzz that could sway a jury. Defense lawyers are pushing hard on pre-trial stuff, filing a motion to block experts from using words like psychopath or social path during the punishment phase. They argue those labels are junk science, unreliable and not backed by real experts. A criminal defense attorney, not on the case, Russell Wilson, broke it down like this. Those terms paint scary pictures in people's heads about future. Danger. But they're not always rooted in facts. Still, he says prosecutors got plenty of ways to make their point without them. Earlier moves by the defense tried tossing out Horner's police interviews over Miranda issues and blocking the death penalty since they claim he has. Autism.

1:00They dropped 28 motions total back in January. With the judge set to rule soon, this high stakes showdown heads into court where every word could tip the scales on justice for Athena. From your city, powered by AI, this is Dallas News Today. I'm Cory with the story.