Medical Examiner Exposed What Horner Did to Athena Strand's Body in Murder Trial | Pt. 16

Video Description

The chief medical examiner of Dallas County just told twelve jurors what a 256-pound man did to a 67-pound girl. Every area of her body had injuries. Dr. Jessica Dwyer is a triple board-certified forensic pathologist who has performed thousands of autopsies. She performed this one at 7:30 AM on December 3, 2022, eleven hours after Athena's body was pulled from the Trinity River. Athena was received naked, hands in brown paper bags, covered in dirt and vegetation. From the moment Dwyer opened that body bag, the damage was visible. Congestion from the neck up. Blood pooling where it should not be. And injuries that covered nearly every surface of a seven-year-old's body. Watch what happens when the prosecution holds the shoe tread photograph next to the autopsy photo of Athena's face. And pay attention to the defense cross. It is brief, but every question Anderson asks is building something for closing arguments. --- WATCH WITH JUSTICE 0:22 to 11:52 - Dwyer walks through her credentials and the autopsy process. Evidence collection included fingernail clippings, a blood card for DNA, and a sexual activity kit. Four autopsy documents admitted into evidence. Foundation for everything that follows. 11:52 to 30:00 - The external examination begins. Athena weighed 67 pounds and stood 4 feet 4 inches. Received naked. No clothing. Hands bagged. The first thing Dwyer noticed was generalized congestion from the neck up. Blood had pooled in the head and face. That observation sets up the entire cause of death analysis. 30:00 to 52:59 - This is the testimony that will define this trial. Dwyer catalogs every injury on Athena's head and face. Zigzag tread-like patterned abrasions across her forehead, both eyes, her entire nose, her cheeks, and her lips. Bite marks on her own tongue from clamping down during the attack. Every injury was antemortem. She was alive for all of it. 52:59 to 1:22:26 - The injuries continue through the trunk and extremities. The same tread patterns on her neck and upper chest. Postmortem abrasions on her back consistent with dragging. Dwyer walks through the evidence of smothering and strangulation, then delivers the cause of death: blunt force injuries with smothering and strangulation. Manner of death: homicide. 1:22:26 to 1:42:17 - The prosecution asks if Athena suffered. The defense objects. The judge overrules. Dwyer says yes. Then the shoe tread comparison goes to the jury. Side by side. The pattern on Athena's face and the tread on Horner's shoe. 1:47:05 to 1:50:49 - Defense cross lasts two minutes. Anderson confirms no genital trauma, no fractures anywhere, hyoid bone intact, no broken fingernails. Every absence documented. The prosecution's redirect closes with one answer: the lack of trauma does not mean contact did not occur. --- COMPLETE CASE COVERAGE justiceisaprocess.com SUBSCRIBE for daily trial coverage and hit the notification bell so you never miss testimony. JOIN to unlock the Case Notebook powered by NotebookLM, where you can chat with the evidence, ask questions about the testimony, and go deeper than any comment section allows. CASE BACKGROUND REPORT: https://www.justiceisaprocess.com/tx-v-horner-case-background Complete case overview including charges, timeline, key players, and legal analysis for the capital murder trial of Tanner Lynn Horner in the death of Athena Strand. PLAYLISTS AND RESOURCES Website: https://www.justiceisaprocess.com/coverage-horner Full Trial Live Broadcasts: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLM7CqGppYvXdajMiz1FVTI3UIHyk9Nb3I No Breaks Edition: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLM7CqGppYvXdlKOcI9UIxLtg_7s1_J3ch Trial Analysis Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLM7CqGppYvXc040Z3COsh0vEsLi6y0AZl Key Moments and Testimony: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLM7CqGppYvXfTAbu1lh4BnDMEQdRtYIW5 Subscribe for Daily Coverage: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOyS97z2Kium7iDV6wwctUg FAIR USE AND EDUCATIONAL PURPOSE This content is produced under Fair Use (17 U.S.C. 107) for news reporting, criticism, and educational purposes. We provide transformative commentary on public court proceedings, advancing public understanding of the judicial process through timestamps, analysis, and educational context. #JusticeIsAProcess #AthenaStrand #TannerHorner