Recenty, a forensic psychologist discussed some issues in the Tanner Horner case. If you don’t know, Horner faces possible execution for the murder of 7-year-old Athena Strand. Well, the death penalty often comes down to one question: Is the killer a monster or a human being? Read on for more about what it means for a jury to decide if a suspect in true crime is a monster.
The Monster Question
Dr. John Matthias, a criminal psychologist, addressed the topic on the Hidden True Crime YouTube channel. The channel’s run by “a forensic psychologist and journalist, who are husband and wife, delving into the psychological facets of unthinkable crimes.”
Dr. Matthias put the death penalty in easily understandable terms. “One of the reasons” for capital punishment, he said, is that “we designate human beings to be like monsters that cannot live or function in the community and that don’t deserve to continue living.” Then, he compared it to “back in the old days slaying the monster.”
The defense team knows this. “They’re trying to humanize him,” Dr. Matthias explained. “They’re trying to paint him as a human and not a monster.” If the jury sees Horner as human, they might let him live in a cage. But, if they see a monster, they lean toward death.
The Big Bad Wolf Comparison
To understand the monster label, Dr. Matthias turned to a fairy tale. He compared Horner to the Big Bad Wolf from Little Red Riding Hood. Remember that?
“The big bad wolf is deceptive,” he said. Then he reminded true crime followers about the story. The wolf met the child on the trail, then dressed up as the harmless grandmother, and he waited in the bed. Notably, there’s “this element of deception hiding within the context of this ordinary kind of social encounter.”
Deceptive FedEx Driver
Horner did the same thing. By now, true crime followers probably know that Tanner Horner worked as a FedEx driver. Naturally, most people trust delivery drivers. Perhaps they were vetted, and they don’t seem like scary folks.
When the prosection described Horner as “the idea of Santa Claus” showing up with a gift, that injected the similarity to “the big bad wolf,” Dr. Matthias said. The facts involve the claims that Athena Strand’s parents ordered some barbie dolls for her for Christmas, but instead she end up in a horror story.
Shattering Safety
The wolf also represents the collapse of safe environment. Dr. Matthias noted, “The home” is supposed to be “a place of protection and safety.” Therefore, like grandma’s home in the fairy tale, “Tanner Horner does the same thing” as the wolf by violating that trust.
At a deeper psychological level, the big bad wolf represents “aggression, unrestrained sexuality, danger, deceit, and engulfment all at the same time.” But the simplest term is hunger. “Hunger that can never be satisfied,” he said, noting the suspect acted with aggression and stepped over boundaries.
Unable To Grasp Deep Malice
The most disturbing part of the Horner case connects directly to the fairy tale. Dr. Matthias explained why the wolf is a monster. When the wolf encounters the child, “the child is confronted with an experience that’s too confusing and terrifying for the child to directly grasp.” Obviously, an innoccent kid can’t understand that sort of malice.
He added :
The child doesn’t understand the idea that the world contains minds and human beings that want to overpower them and maybe exploit them, harm them, and in the extreme case like the wolf, consume them.
What Happened In The van
Explaining more, the expert in true crime noted a standout moment in the Athena Strand case. He called it “one of the most terrifying moments that I have ever seen in true crime.” In fact, he was talking about the moment of recognition: Like Little Red Riding Hood asking, “My what big eyes you have. My what big teeth you have. My what big hands you have.”
Dr. Matthias added, “That is the moment when everything transforms: the moment of terror and horror.”
For Athena, that moment came when she realized the man in the delivery truck wasn’t Santa. Tanner Horner wasn’t safe, and was actually the wolf. Plus, it can’t be easy for the jury who had to listen to that.
Viewers React
In the comments section, it became obvious that many true crime followers couldn’t believe the big bad wolf was dumb enough to commit a crime with the camera in the truck. Notably, though, it helped them understand the big bad wolf concept.
One of them commented, “There’s a camera in the truck. Who could ever imagine someone would do this on the clock with a camera watching?”
Here are a few more reactions from the discussion:
- As soon as I saw the horrific details during this trial, I immediately knew we needed Dr John to help us all.
- So true when you said “we don’t give it much thought when the delivery drivers come “
- I can’t imagine how this will haunt the jury for life. They will never want anyone they know to be on a jury ever.
- Athena confronts a devil, her beautiful nature and light. Her voice got him caught. She’s been a giant global light to the darkness children are facing everyday…
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