True Crime With Caledonian Kitty

Yesterday (Tuesday 6th of May 2026) was quite an emotional day and it was the end of a journey in a lot of ways, for the family of little angel, Athena Strand. The legal journey had mostly come to an end but the heartbreak and loss of Athena, will never end. The picture above shows a beautiful little girl, cute as a button with an aura of vivaciousness, a little ball of light to all who knew her and you just knew that through the stories and memories of the people who loved her, this little cutiepie was going to have a bright future ahead of her. 

This picture was taken just days before she was horrifically snatched from her father and step-mother's porch. She is seen in this picture wearing the matching PJ's that she and her family would wear to be extra festive. It was a tradition for her family to wear matching PJ's to the run up to (and at) Christmas time. It was certainly an exciting time for Athena, she couldn't wait to celebrate Christmas with her loved ones.  

Nobody will forget the day that the news broke on the 2nd of December 2022, that a 7 year old girl had been kidnapped by a FedEx delivery driver in broad daylight in Texas, USA. This monster, Tanner Horner was 31 years old at the time and told the terrified youngster that he would harm her if she didn't do what he demanded. 

Athena soon found her self in the back of his delivery truck, terrified, confused with no way to escape. She was a tough little girl who fought with all of her might, against this huge, overweight demon. Before he abused and murdered her, he demanded she take off her shirt to which she replied no! He covered up a camera that was in the truck and then proceeded to carry out the most sickening attack and murder on a 7 year old child. He became frustrated when he couldn't carry out his abuse to the full extent, she fought back despite his efforts to get what he wanted. It took him an hour to kill Athena, she fought and she fought for her life against this pathetic, evil and disgusting monster. Eventually he was able to end her life completely. He drove to a location known very well by locals, the Trinity River near an area known as Bobo's crossing. She was nude. He had kept her trousers, underwear, socks and to this day, he has not revealed where he put her shirt. 

He just dumped this child's body and went about his business like nothing happened. He smoked a cigarette and sang along to 'Jingle Bell Rock' as it played on the radio. He made a phonecall to his boss to ask if he could keep the truck overnight because he had been sick in it and wanted to clean it up! He drove to a gas station where he obtained cleaning supplies and spent almost 30 minutes cleaning the truck. There was vomit, blood and faeces in the back where he had attacked and murdered Athena. Athena had been in so much terror that she lost control of her bowels. The details of what that beautiful little girl went through will haunt me forever. The monster thought that the audio in the truck was faulty as a he had been having issues with it before. He thought by covering up the camera that his sick crime could be hidden. He was soon proved wrong because the horrific nightmare was recorded piece by piece, loud and clear for anyone who was unfortunate enough to listen to it. That very night of Athena's murder he actually slept with his partner. It was a shock to learn that Tanner actually had a relationship and a son. He even used his son in an attempt to get sympathy by saying that he was scared he wouldn't be around to see his son or spend Christmas with him. 

This horrific tape was like a message from beyond the grave from Athena, it told her story, what he did. It showed how evil and sick this monster truly was and what she had gone through at his evil hands. This very tape was played to a packed courtroom a couple of weeks ago in a trial that lasted, almost five weeks. The trial was not to determine whether or not Tanner Horner was guilty, which was already a fact but there was a decision to be made about whether he was to spend the rest of his life in prison or be put to death. After nearly five agonising weeks, a traumatized and exhausted jury decided that Tanner Horner should get the Death Penalty. 

I know it's the same old story in regards to how long will he actually be on death row before the date of his death is finally carried out. We've seen it happen plenty of times where murderers have spent decades waiting for their final date. Others pass away before the final part of their sentence if carried out. We know the streets....and children, are safe with this monster behind bars but I also understand that people want to see proper justice done and don't approve of the fact that this monster is currently living off of tax-payers money. 

The courtroom was full of Athena's loved ones yesterday and even when the final decision was read out, (to which Tanner expressed no emotion, and didn't do throughout the trial) and Tanner was led away in handcuffs, the family stayed behind. There was a mix of shock, celebration and relief. It was some justice for Athena and her family and certainty that no other child could come to harm again at the evil hands of Tanner Horner. 

I don't know if you can ever say that Athena's loving parents, step-parents and family will ever have complete closure. I know it is difficult even when there is DP decision. The fact that he remains alive will bother the family and all who know the full details of this case. When he is finally put to death and the family know that he no longer exists in reality, then it might be the case that they can do some proper healing?

Tanner Horner hasn't shown a shred of remorse since the day that he was caught, he tried every lie and excuse in the book to try and lessen the punishment for his evil crimes. One minute he claimed that he was taking cocaine on the day that he abducted Athena, then he claimed to have ran her over with his truck by mistake and ofcourse, he claimed that he his actions were the result of him being Autistic and then another excuse that he had an alter ego named 'Zero'. I thought his Asperger's syndrome excuse was also appalling and a real disrespect to those who suffer from it. Asperger's syndrome does not cause someone to become a predator of children and a cold calculated murderer. He knew what he was going to do, he planned it, carried it out without breaking a sweat and then tried to cover it up whilst lying through his teeth time and time again. Not long after the murder he actually drove back to the area where he had abducted Athena just hours earlier and saw that there was a huge public and police presence. He had the cold and even more disturbing nerve to ask people what had happened and pretended that he was just an innocent delivery driver going about his every day business. 

His level of callousness was off the scale and luckily there was all this evidence there to show him up for who he really was. It won't surprise you to know that Tanner was a bad seed, from before he was even born there was severe problems in his family to do with sexual abuse and neglect. His own mother was abused as a young child by her step-father continuously and actually begged, not only him to stop but also begged and pleaded with her own mother to stop him. She even resorted to putting notices up on her bedroom door begging him not to come into her room at night. Despite the horrendous suffering of her own daughter, his grandmother accused the child of lying and married this paedophile instead. The sexual abuse had begun before their marriage and continued through their marriage, an utterly horrendous situation. So he was from that kind of family where there was no love, empathy or protection especially when it came to children. 

With such a messed up home life and the realization that his mother worked as a stripper and sex worker as well as everything else, it was never going to be easy street for Tanner. His mother had no real love for him and all of this caused him to be withdrawn. He claimed to have had Asperger's Syndrome but a lot of his behaviours that he was demonstrating at the time fitted in with more of a child who was being abused at home. His mother's choice of relationships didn't not fare too well for Tanner either and were said to have been violent. Tanner had been sexually abused by older men and he would also go on to sexually abuse young children he knew. There was a lot of disturbing behaviour and trauma before the horrific murder of Athena but that's no excuse. 

Athena's Uncle Elijah gave a powerful impact statement in court yesterday where the brave man, through tears, told Tanner Horner exactly what his evil actions had done to himself and his family. Tanner sat there, no emotion as usual, stared at Elijah and didn't even blink. Nobody else spoke. I think everyone was so exhausted and completely drained after so many years of hell that they just wanted to see that monster put back in handcuffs and sent to meet his maker which certainly isn't God (and that's my opinion). That was another tactic Tanner was trying to play with, he claimed to have found Jesus in prison. 

I do wish that these types of death penalty cases were carried out pretty quickly, as long as we know 100% that the person is guilty. My stance on this is, if it is without any doubt and the forensic evidence is there that a person is guilty of a horrific murder then it should go ahead without question and they should be denied appeals! If there is no solid evidence or any doubt then it should be looked at again. I also think that child killers who's DNA matches evidence found, that they should face an automatic death sentence no matter what state they are in, they should make an allowance for that. People can argue day and night about capital punishment but the do-gooders who are against monsters being executed have nothing to say when it comes to the horrendous abuse and murder of a child and they shouldn't. The murder of innocent people is bad enough but when it's a young child, that level of evil cannot be excused away and whoever has done such a thing does not deserve any type of sympathy or human rights. Child killers do not deserve even the basic of human rights. 

So, the most important person in all of this in this heartbreaking story, is Athena who will never get the chance to grow up, she'll never get the chance to play with those Barbie dolls that her step-mother bought her for Christmas. She'll never get to go to high school, attend her prom or pick a university and have her first dance at her wedding. Her life has been cut short in the most horrific way. As an adult, the idea of being held captive in the back of someone's truck and utterly terrorized is something that none of us dare think about, a 7 year old little girl actually went through all of that and the jury plus everyone in that courtroom had to sit there for an hour (can you imagine....A WHOLE HOUR OF HELL) listening to Athena beg and plead for her life as well as scream in horrendous pain whilst he shouted at the terrified child and called her disgusting names. Nobody can convince me that this monster did not deserve the death penalty and if it were up to me, I would ask for the most painful execution there is...why should he be comfortable on his way out of this world? Why does he deserve mercy? Why are there people out there who actually care about this monster's feelings? Those people don't live on the same planet as me obviously because all I can think abut is Athena and her family and what they've been going through. 

Tanner Horner will face the lethal injection and a date for this to be carried out is yet to be determined. I will update this post as soon as I have any new information on this case. 

For now, I hold the Strand family in my prayers as well as Athena. They are a strong family, the courageous way in which Athena fought for her life in her last moments was part of who she was, where she came from, her blood, her upbringing. Her parents did and amazing job raising her because everybody loved that little girl and to those of us who were not fortunate to have known her, the stories, the memories, the photographs that Athena's loved ones were so kind enough to share, really gave us an insight into who she truly was. A little 7 year old girl with bags of personality, a right little character and when her mother (who demonstrated such amazing strength on the stand whilst facing that monster....she didn't flinch, she stared him right in his face and told him what she thought of him. It was a very empowering moment and you could see clearly where Athena got her strength from) told the court about the heartbreaking day that Athena's grandmother passed away, she spoke of how Athena ran to get help. From a young age Athena was a very caring and bright child, she had everything she needed to go on and live a happy, successful life. Sadly we will never know what could have been but what we do know is that this little doll-like person was taken into all of our hearts and that is where she'll stay along with all the other angels: Amber Hagerman, Jessica Lunsford, Cherish Perrywinkle and so many others. They will never be forgotten. 

RIP Athena x

Please leave a nice message if you can, on Athenas's memorial page here! I think it would be a nice comfort for the family if they see all the love that is out here for them and Athena. 

Further Reading & Sources:

- Athena Strand: Article | Sky News

- Athena Strand | Find A Grave: Memorial

- Amber Alert | Wikipedia

- Elijah Strand: Article | People Magazine

- Tanner Horner: Trial Playlist | WFAA YouTube

- Tanner Horner: Discussion Thread | Reddit

- Tanner Horner: Article | CBS News

- Tanner Horner: Article | BBC News

- Tanner Horner: Article | The Independent

This post wasn't planned, I'm currently working on another case as we speak but I had to say something about this heartbreaking story. I have been following the case for quite some time and I know that everyone else who knows the case well, is still trying to get back to normal after yesterday's conclusion. It's been a very long, traumatic journey for Athena's family and my heart goes out to them. I appreciate (as always) the fact that you've taken the time to read this post, if you are new here or a regular reader, I just hope you know that you are appreciated and I hope you'll return for my next post as well as come and say hi on any of my socials.

As always, please take care & stay safe...until next time. 

As you may know, if you've been following the news or have read my previous post about Wade Wilson, then you will be aware that he has been found guilty of the murders of 35 year old Kristine Melton and 43 year old Diane Ruiz. He was supposed to find out his sentence last week but his lawyers have had this pushed back to the 27th of August. The push back of the date was due to his lawyers requesting further examination of his brain. I had spoken previously in my post about an MRI scan being more useful than just the endless CT scans that he has been subjected to, due to giving more of a detailed examination of the brain. 

Right now, none of us know which way this is going to go, death sentence or life imprisonment? Whatever is the outcome he won't be walking the streets again. This case has created a divide and the argument over the death penalty for any crime is still a debate. There's a lot of people who are against the death penalty and others are supportive of it if the evidence against the accused is 100% fact. In the case of Wade Wilson, the evidence is there but his 'fans' and some other members of the public believe that he should not be given the death penalty because they believe that he has brain damage and mental illness. 

As we are fast approaching the final decision in Wade Wilson's fate, I have been shocked at the number of people who don't actually know the facts of this case, they're supporting him but they don't have a clue what he's done, in fact some of them believe he was framed and as I mentioned in my previous post, some just don't seem to care ''cause he's hot''. 

I re-watched some of the key moments of the trial and it was interesting to see Wade's behaviour throughout. There was no remorse but on a second glance I did notice a reaction to some of the testimony. I mentioned previously about seeing a flicker of emotion when his biological father was speaking. This time the reaction to his ex-girlfriend and (Clinical and Forensic Neuropsychologist) Dr. Michael Herkov was different, the anger was obvious to see. There seemed to be a lot of animosity towards his ex-girlfriend Mila despite the fact that she was a surviving victim of his, he'd admitted that she would have been another victim if he'd have had it his way. He couldn't hide his seething when Dr Herkov got straight to the point and said that he believed there was nothing psychologically wrong with Wade. It seemed that Wade was not happy at hearing the truth about himself as he's used to being able to pull the wool over people's eyes, especially vulnerable women who can't see past his looks. 

Side note: it was amazing to see Mila and how strong she was to sit there and speak her truth. She came across as an incredible woman who grew from the pain and became even stronger. It was also nice to hear that she had since married which is a nice thing to hear after all the hell she had been through with Wade Wilson. 

So, enough if me waffling on, let's get to some more shocking facts about Wade Wilson (don't forget to check out my previous post on him - I am also updating that particular post with any news and updates as it becomes available):

• Wade Steven Wilson (currently 30 years old) was adopted by the Wilson family when he was around 6 months old. This was due to his parents being young teenagers and his mother's severe drug dependency and mental health issues. 

• The Wilson couple already had two biological daughters and up util the age of 13, Wade was reportedly fine with the family and blended in well. 

• During his trial it was revealed that Wade's mother had been using drugs heavily throughout her pregnancy with him. It is believed by some Doctors that his addiction to drugs could be hereditary. 

• In combination with what might be hereditary in terms of mental illness and addiction to substances. It was also mentioned that Wade had suffered a series of head injuries. The severity of the head injuries was debated and opinions differed between Doctors but none of the CT scans had shown anything to raise flags in terms of actual injury such as bleeding. An MRI scan would be more detailed and tell us more and that's what's supposed to be taking place these coming weeks. The results of this MRI scan will determine if Wade gets life imprisonment or the death penalty. 

• Wade has been writing to several women during incarceration and this continues to grow. He is sent money and explicit photographs on a regular basis (although some of these pictures are discarded if they're too graphic). Apparently he sells a lot of the pictures he is sent to other inmates (the other thing that alarms me about that is that these misguided women might be leaving their personal details on these letters and photographs and Lord knows who's looking at them. It's bad enough that it might be Wade but can you imagine the horrendous individuals in there?) 

• Wade is like a sugarbaby, a scrub and his fans will hate me saying that but it's the truth, he lives off of women and that was the case when he was outside of prison too. Those suits that he was flouncing into the courtroom in....all paid for by the latest Sugar Momma. 

• Tik Tok has continued to get worse with the fan pages and videos, there's thousands and not one have I seen where there is a tribute to the victims. If there is any tributes to Kristine and Diane, please let me know cause I have yet to see them.

• There's currently four petitions online in support of Wade which I have been sent by his fans. I have been sent two and I had a look at both of them, read through the comments and watched the videos. There's also fundraising pages to 'help get Wade the help he needs', these fundraising pages (which they claim to be with his blessing) are supposed to be for him to get psychiatric help, medications, vitamins and new lawyers. When I see these women and I read their comments, I feel like I'm watching cult members trying to save their 'leader'. Video after video, comment after comment about how beautiful he is and that God wouldn't have made him so beautiful if he didn't want him to have a beautiful life. There's poems dedicated to him and marriage proposals. 

• I think the women who are taking part in this bizarre cult-like behaviour are indeed infatuated with him (and their fantasy of him has just got out of control) but also believe that he will see these videos. There's women (who've seen better days, no offence) draped across beds and sofas with their boobs practically out and saying nonsense in a seductive manner. One woman seems to turn up everywhere online when I've been doing my research. she's really obsessed with him. I don't know what's going to happen to these woman when he's no longer in the news, will they get depressed? move on to another murderer to be obsessed with? who knows. 

Chris Watts popped up again in my YouTube recommended videos, apparently he's been talking in prison recently and has been trying to dump all of the blame on his ex-mistress. Chris was another murderer (of his heavily pregnant wife and two daughters) who had a cult following. What's interesting about this is that there were some similarities with misguided women blaming his wife for 'nagging him too much' and making excuses for him. These women also banged on about his 'looks and body'. Fast forward to today and Chris doesn't have access to the fancy protein shakes, sunbeds, continuous workouts, his late wife's/victim's wholesome cooking and now he looks like a pale, saggy old man (he's only 39 years old). It seemed that as soon as his 'fans' saw the picture of him online, sat in his prison clothes, no longer looking muscular and tanned, they dropped him like a bad habit. Maybe the same will happen with Wade? 

If Wade is sentenced to death then I can imagine the 'campaigns' will continue for a while. I don't know if his fans will get fed up if he is sentenced to life because (unless some drama behind bars happens) they won't be seeing much of him, maybe the odd picture or letter posted online? They'll get bored and move on. I actually do hope that these women find proper happiness in their lives with a great guy so the fixation with 'handsome' murderers can end. 

I'm not going to predict the outcome with Wade but it will be interesting to see where this goes next. Once again, RIP to the victims, Kristine and Diane. I'm also thinking of Mila and Kelly, who went through hell with him but thankfully survived. 

So that's my thoughts, what are yours? Do you believe that he should get the death penalty or life imprisonment? Leave comments below or email me at jocaledoniankitty@gmail.com (all emails are treated with the strictest of confidence).

Don't forget to follow my post on Wade's life, background, crimes & fans for regular updates. I have also recently updated my previous post on Wade in regards to learning his sentence and his prison phone calls. 

I hope you will join me in my next post, stay safe x 

 (Superstition Mountains. Picture credit: viator)

Continued from parts one and two. Please be aware as with the first two parts of this case, some of the details shared in this post will be disturbing. 

The two evil monsters decided that they'd had enough of Suzanne after hours of raping, assaulting, torturing and robbing the poor young woman, they'd had their sick fun and now it was time to get rid of her in their minds. Their plan of action was to throw her off a cliff. Suzanne begged for her life but the monsters overpowered her and she fell. 

They thought the job was done but they were to be mistaken, Suzanne was still alive but in incredible pain for she had landed on some rock on the left side of her body which crushed her face and knocked out her left eye from the socket. They overheard her whimpering in pain and they both panicked and tried to get down the cliff with a flashlight. 

Once they found Suzanne she looked up at the two men whilst blood was pouring from her face and said ''Let's go home and I'll cook you a meal''. One wonders if Suzanne said this as a way to try and save her life or if it was the result of having such a traumatic blow to the head. Either way it just breaks your heart. 

At this point Jesse and Michael both argued over who was going to kill her, they thought it was going to be easy, that she would just go over the cliff and be gone but for some reason they argued about who was going to be the one to end her life. 

As they argued, Suzanne was laying there in agony and begged them to leave her, she told them that she was dying anyway. As evil as they were all the way through (and from the day they were born) their ice cold hearts showed no mercy with Jesse declaring ''You damn right you are, you b****'' with Michael pathetically explaining that he was ''Sorry but this was how it had to be'' 

They pushed her again hoping that this time it would work but Suzanne defied them, her body put up an incredible fight and despite the horrific injuries, she was still alive and the pair of them were frustrated and angry. Michael shouted at Jesse to ''KILL THE B****'' 

Jesse picked up a heavy rock and proceeded to strike Suzanne over and over again but she was still breathing and he became more and more angry as he continued to strike her shouting ''WH***, B****''

Eventually when he grew tired, Jesse stopped and the pair decided to cover Suzanne's body with rocks because they didn't have a shovel and there was no dirt around that area even if they had decided to dig a grave. 

Without a shred of remorse or feeling for the beautiful young and talented woman they just murdered, they both sat there smoking cigarettes whist they gathered their breath to climb back up the cliff. 

Afterwards they made it up the cliff and continued to use Suzanne's car and drove to a cafe for breakfast still wearing the filthy, blood splattered clothes. They were both at odds with what to do next but they continued to use the car and spend the money they stole from Suzanne's apartment. 

Suzanne's parents had not given up trying to get the police to do something, they went over to her apartment to find that the place had been ransacked and there was some drug paraphernalia on the floor. Despite this the police were still dragging their heels and it was very frustrating for Suzanne's family and friends.

Louise was worried sick that her husband was going to collapse with all the worry due to his fragile health, they were doing everything they could to try and get help from the police and find Suzanne even going so far as to talk to a psychic. The psychic knew none of the details of the case or what Suzanne looked like beforehand but told Louise and Peter that Suzanne had been kidnapped and raped by two evil men who had been in prison. The Psychic later said that she couldn't bring herself to tell Suzanne's family that she knew Suzanne was deceased. 

After what happened, Jesse couldn't keep his mouth shut and bragged to anyone who would listen about what happened to Suzanne, he acted as if the whole thing was a laugh. The cops soon did their job and caught up with the murderous, evil pair and both of them started to blame each other for who did what and who actually delivered the final blow to Suzanne. Jesse even asked an investigator ''What do they do to you in Arizona when they put you to death?'' The investigator replied that it would be the gas chamber to which Jesse responded ''All that just for killing that b****''

Michael David Logan struck a deal with the cops that he would lead them to where Suzanne was and give his side of the story in exchange for the death penalty to be dropped in his case. He was given a life sentence with a minimum of 25 years. I'm happy to report that Michael Logan never left prison and actually passed away behind bars recently in 2021. I was worried in my research that I was going to find that he had been released but luckily he never was, the sad thing is, he should have suffered the way Suzanne was made to suffer, I feel that he had an easy 'punishment'. Monsters like him should suffer.

As for the one who was allegedly 'The Leader' in the whole thing, Jesse James Gillies, he was sentenced to death but of course he did what most of these sadistic killers do and put appeals in to try and stretch the time out as much as possible. It took until 1999 for him to finally get what was coming to him and he was put to death by lethal injection, a small price to pay for all of the pain and suffering that Suzanne had to endure that horrifying night of January the 28th 1981. 

[I just want to add in here that I apologise for the lack of pictures in these posts, there are no pictures of Michael David Logan available, only one of Jesse James Gillies exists that I know of and that's the one you see above and Suzanne's parents were very private about their daughter's pictures and even asked the author of the book 'Evil Intentions' not to include pictures in his book]

The two evil men (I don't even want to call them men) who did this are no longer on this earth but unfortunately Peter never got to see the day when these two monsters were no more, he sadly passed away in 1992, Peter was an amazing man and you could see how Suzanne got a lot of her strength from her parents, both were incredible people. Peter was 75 when he passed away and after all of his health struggles over the years combined with the heartbreak of losing Suzanne and the battle with the police (Peter and Louise sued the police department for their conduct during the beginning of the investigation) it's a miracle that he even made it to 75. Louise was also incredible, she passed away sadly in 2014 at the age of 93, she lived to see at least one of the murderers put to death. 

(Peter and Louise Rossetti sharing their daughter's heartbreaking story. Screenshot taken from YouTube. Clip is included below)

Now Suzanne is with both of her parents and they are all survived by Suzanne's sister, brother and all of their children. The Rossetti's were always an amazingly strong and close family and they continued to grow after the sad deaths of Suzanne and Peter. 

This case was very hard to get through and I thank you if you have made it to this point, It's very hard to get your head around such pure evilness. I will never forget this case or Suzanne, I think that anyone who has read this story will feel the same.

RIP Suzanne, Peter and Louise 

'I will lift up my eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. - Psalm 121.

Further Reading & Sources:

- Suzanne Maria Rossetti | Memorial/Find A Grave

- Jesse James Gillies: Article | The Courier (1984)

- State Vs Gillies | Court Documents

- Evil Intentions | Book By Ronald J Watkins

- Jesse James Gillies | Murderpedia

- Michael David Logan | Inmate Death Notification

- Executions Since 1992 | AZ Central

- Peter & Louise Rossetti | Video Clip

- Peter & Louise Rossetti | Video Clip

- Peter Rossetti | Memorial/Find A Grave

- Louise Rossetti | Memorial/Find A Grave

Thank you for taking the time to read this part three series of this case. I hope you will join me in my next post x 

 (Suzanne Rossetti. Picture credits: findagrave)

Continued from part one Please be aware that I will be sharing some disturbing details in this post. 

Jesse and Michael were originally planning to do a raid but when they saw Suzanne they quickly changed their minds and talked about possibly taking money from her. Once Suzanne had finished in the store she went outside to find that she accidentally locked herself out of her car so she went back inside the store and asked the clerk if he could help her. 

The clerk behind the register explained to her that he was sorry but he wasn't allowed to leave the store. Suzanne went back outside and paced around for a bit just trying to figure out what to do. The whole time she was unknowingly being watched by Jesse and Michael. They could sense that she was alone and vulnerable and swooped in, approaching her they asked if there was anything they could do to help. 

Suzanne explained what had happened and seemed a bit embarrassed about the situation. The two men were a lot taller than her too but they were so friendly to her and agreed to help. Suzanne was so innocent in her thinking that she just thought these two men were doing her a good turn, being good samaritains just like she would have been if the situation had been different. Jesse and Michael were putting on the act of being the perfect gentlemen and told Suzanne that they worked with horses at a ranch. They finally got the car open and she was so happy because meeting her parents at the time promised was very important to her and she didn't want to keep them waiting any longer.

The store clerk was aware of what was happening and could clearly see Jesse and Michael with Suzanne. Being grateful and thankful to who she thought were two kind men, she asked them if there was anything she could do. They asked for some beer so she brought that out to them and went to get into her car when they asked if they could have a ride to the ranch. At this point Suzanne must have felt a bit uneasy, placed in a difficult position because these two men had just helped her. At this point it is unclear whether Jesse and Michael forced Suzanne into the car or if she agreed to give them a ride. Suzanne was always careful to keep herself safe and was not the sort of person who would give rides to strangers especially two men. 

Once at the ranch and the car stopped, Jesse violently struck Suzanne twice so loudly that it apparently startled Michael. Jesse then proceeded to push Suzanne out of the car and followed after her. Whist Jesse tore away at Suzanne's clothes and raped her, Michael went through her purse and searched her car for valuables. Once Jesse was finished with Suzanne he tried to encourage Michael to do the same but he wanted to drive to another location as he was concerned that someone might see what was happening. 

The sick pair forced Suzanne to put her trousers back on and tied up her hands with some towels they found in the car. They forced her into the back of the vehicle and covered her with a blanket. Jesse got into the front and drove the car whilst Michael sat in the back holding Suzanne down and threatening her with worse to come if she dare make a sound. 

To try and imagine what must have been going through Suzanne's mind whilst all of this horror was going on is impossible. The monsters put the radio on and turned the volume way up whilst drinking beer and smoking weed as if the whole sickening thing was a party. They even stopped at one point to buy more alcohol with Suzanne's money. 

At one point they decided since they'd run out of beer and money that they would go to Suzanne's apartment and see what they could find there. They forced Suzanne to give directions. It was on this journey that Suzanne's parents, Peter and Louise spotted Suzanne's car driving past as they were waiting for her and becoming very concerned. At the time they weren't sure that it was Suzanne's car because there was two men in the front seat and what looked like a child sat in between the middle of them (Louise would later say that this moment haunted her for the rest of her life because she remembered the look on this girl or woman's face and it was a look of sheer sorrow that she didn't even recognise that the person was Suzanne).

Once in Suzanne's apartment, Jesse raped her again whilst Michael went through her drawers and cupboards looking for money and valuables, smoking and listening to loud rock & roll music as he did so. During the raid of Suzanne's apartment he found her ATM card. 

When Jesse was finished assaulting Suzanne he called for Michael to come to the room that they were in and a discussion about the ATM card ensued. They wanted to know exactly how much money Suzanne had and she tried to tell them. Jesse ordered Michael to rape Suzanne and he followed through with the order. Jesse then took over the raid of Suzanne's apartment so see what else he could find and stuffed two hundred dollars into a pillowcase. Once this horrific act was over they forced Suzanne to put her clothes on and they decided to leave the apartment. They left Suzanne's apartment at 12:47 am.

Around the same time that Suzanne's horrendous ordeal was taking place at her apartment, her parents were on the phone to the Phoenix police department and were told that they couldn't report Suzanne missing because it hadn't been 24 hours. 

By 2:10 am Jesse and Michael were driving around trying to use Suzanne's ATM card, they managed to get $200 but were struggling to withdraw more money. Their images were captured by a camera on the cash machines. They were trying to decided what to do next with Suzanne, they wanted the money from the ATM card so badly as Suzanne had told them that her account had $4.000 in it. She was still tied up in the car and they didn't want to let her go because they knew that they'd both be going back to jail for even longer this time. 

The monsters decided to drive to a popular mountain range known as the 'Superstition Mountains' and once there they pulled Suzanne out of the car. Suzanne was by now exhausted, filthy with cuts and bruises and said to the two vile creatures stood before her ''I guess you are going to kill me now?'

In these horrific moments you get a sense that Suzanne was beyond caring, she had gone through a nightmare, a living hell and come to a point where she just did not care and who could blame her, they had numbed her of not only the feeling in her arms and legs from being bound but from the pain, the terror because at that point she was beyond it. When I've researched horrific cases previously where someone has been tortured over a number of hours and put through sheer hell (but by some miracle later escaped) they often say a point comes where you welcome death, you just want it all over with and you become fearless because you just want the suffering to stop. Death is peace, death is like escape. 

I wish I could find the most evil of names to call Jesse James Gillies and Michael David Logan but how I feel about them cannot be put into words. I have a deep hatred and anger mixed with disgust and sheer disbelief when it comes to the pair of them. 

Suzanne was stood there in front of these monsters in the middle of nowhere and it was freezing cold. She knew they were going to kill her but was not going to go down without a fight. What a brave, amazing woman she truly was. 

They both took turns raping her again and then told her to move because they were going for a hike. Suzanne turned to them and said ''I'm not going anywhere with you''. Jesse responded to her by slapping her across the face and saying ''Yes you are, you're going hiking'' 

Continued in part three..

Further reading and sources are included in part three of this case series. 

 I've covered quite a lot of murder cases on this blog and each one has been difficult to put from paper to screen, I always feel a sense of loss and sorrow for the victims and their families and in my latest case this week, I felt a profound sadness and anger at what happened to a young 26 year old girl who had a heart of gold. I was surprised that this horrendous case had not been covered by other blogs or others in the true crime community but hopefully my piece will inspire others to write about Suzanne and the monsters who took her life in the most evil and unimaginable way. 

This is such a horrible story to tell but it's part of my job to bring you these cases, the ones you may know about and the ones you might not know about. I feel we don't get enough credit in the true crime community, yes, there are those who have jumped on the true crime bandwagon to make money and then there's people like me who just want to make a difference, all I've ever wanted is my own books on the book shelves, not my name up in lights. It is us in the true crime community (the serious content creators) that bring awareness to these cases, we blow the dust of the case files, we remind the world what these killers have done and we remind the world of the beautiful lives they stole. We care about the victims and their families and if it had been one of our relatives that had been so cruelly taken, you best believe that we would not want that to be forgotten....ever. The police move on to another case and the world moves on, time moves on but for the families and friends of victims, their sorrow continues and their loved one or loved ones can never be brought back. 

This case took me a while to put together because I had to get a lot of information from America including books and other materials. I managed to get a copy of Ronald J Watkin's incredibly harrowing and moving book 'Evil Intentions' (which I could only get ordered in second hand from America) which has been invaluable in my research in this case. 

This story is going to be a heartbreaking journey for the reader as it has been for me as the writer. I have to warn you that the details are very harrowing and you will experience a mixture of emotions along the way from sadness to anger to shock to sadness again. As I always try my best to do in my posts, I will try to be as sensitive as possible without shying away from the facts of the case. So please be aware that I will be sharing disturbing details in the following posts. 

I want to start by talking about Suzanne, who she was and give you a flavour of what she was like as a person. Suzanne was born on the 3rd of May 1954 in Saugus, Massachusetts (USA) to the most amazing parents anybody could ask for, Peter and Louise. She had a brother (Peter Jr) and a sister (Donna) and the family were very down to earth, hardworking and independent. The Rossetti's were very academically focused and believed in hard work. Suzanne and her siblings would focus on their studies but also took part in any housework that needed done. The family had the perfect balance of work and praise, when the kids did well at school or did their chores as asked, Peter and Louise would take them out for ice cream as a reward. They were strict but fair and it was all done in a very loving, encouraging and nurturing way. 

All of Suzanne's guidance from her parents worked wonderfully because she shone at school from being incredibly gifted at her school work, making the honour roll as well a being a cheerleader and into other sports, she was well liked and popular. The future looked bright for Suzanne. 

As the years rolled on, Suzanne was turning into a very beautiful, talented woman even though she was often shy when receiving compliments and didn't think of herself as pretty. She was not conceited in any way. Her friends and family would affectionately nickname her 'Suz'. Despite all of her achievements and looks, Suzanne never really knew her worth and much preferred to big up the achievements of others, she certainly took on that humble, down to earth and kind-natured approach that her parents often had. 

So that was the kind of person that Suzanne was, caring, focused, kind-hearted and an achiever. She'd graduated with flying colours and by the time January 1980 rolled around she found herself at a happy place in life, sure she wanted to start a family and told friends that she wasn't sure if she would ever meet the right man for her but apart from that, she was up for a promotion for the Pharmaceutical company that she'd been working for in Phoenix, Arizona where she was now living at this point. She had an amazing social calendar and a tight group of friends. She was active with sports as she always had been and regularly attended church. Life couldn't have been better in Phoenix for 26 year old Suzanne Rossetti. She was extremely proud of her parents and family and they were extremely proud of her. Suzanne was always so supportive of her parents and always kept in contact with them especially as her father, Peter had suffered with his health over the years. 

It was on the cold. dark Wednesday night of January the 28th in 1981 that Suzanne was getting ready to meet her parents but decided to stop off at a convenient store to get some chewing gum. Little did she or anyone know what lay ahead of her was a horrific nightmare that nobody could have foreseen. 

Whilst Suzanne was in the store, two men by the names of Jesse James Gillies (20) and Michael David Logan (27) were outside watching. Both were from the wrong side of the tracks, both were the worst type of guys that you would wish to meet on a cold, dark night or any night for that matter. 

Jesse James Gillies was evil personified and had quite the criminal career despite only being 20 years old. His mother made it clear from the day that he was born that he was an unwanted child, she just couldn't bring herself to love him. Jesse had caused sheer hell to everyone around him since childhood with his erratic behaviour, petty crimes and utter disrespect towards his mother and grandparents. During his childhood he was moved from place to the other because nobody could handle him. He'd spent time in Juvenile Hall and stole a car all before the age of 12. He was in and out of prison and now here he was in 1981, out of prison yet again but on the promise that he would finally turn over a new leaf and work on a ranch and that is where he met Michael David Logan.

It was like the friendship from hell because Michael David Logan was also bad news in a big way, he was an escaped convict and like Jesse, he had a long list of trouble and convictions behind him. He was from a rough background and was a racist who drank heavily. He was also involved in petty crime and these two forged an alliance and it was a very dangerous one indeed. 

These two men were going nowhere in life despite their young ages, they'd already left a trail of destruction behind them and now here they were on the night of the 28th of January 1981, watching the beautiful, young and promising Suzanne Rossetti with nothing but evil intentions in their minds. 

Continued in part two & three....

Further Reading & Sources are included in part three of this case series.