u/honest_0owl

Seeing the public defenders smiling and laughing with Tanner Horner during such a heartbreaking case was beyond heartbreaking. This is about a child who was murdered and dumped in a river naked, and it felt painful and disrespectful to see moments that looked casual or lighthearted in that courtroom.

Tanner Horner’s defense is being funded by taxpayers through the court system. What’s frustrating is that the defense keeps bringing in experts, even from out of state, and taxpayers are stuck paying for their hourly rates, travel time, flight time, hotels, meals, and testimony.

Some of these experts are charging hundreds of dollars an hour — anywhere from around $250 to $700 an hour. Watching all of that money go toward building this defense narrative is ridiculous and heartbreaking.

He has some high reasoning scores, so he is not intellectually disabled across the board, and he had enough cognitive ability to understand right from wrong.

His Executive function is relatively higher than average.

That is important because it helps a person stop and think before acting; control impulses; understand consequences; shift away from a bad idea; regulate emotions; plan behavior; monitor themselves; and choose a lawful or appropriate action even when stressed, angry, excited, scared, or overwhelmed.

Prosecution point: high reasoning can suggest strong capacity and awareness.

Defense point: low adaptive/neuropsych scores can still show some impairment.

The expert testimony may explain parts of his day-to-day functioning, like low adaptive functioning or motor issues, but those are not the strongest points for the act itself. When it comes to thinking, planning, and knowing what he was doing, the chart appears to show average IQ, higher reasoning, and relatively strong executive functioning.

So I don’t think this testimony or the psychiatrist’s testimony changes the outcome.

This clown is not impaired and very likely getting the death penalty.