True Crime With Caledonian Kitty

*Please be aware that I will be sharing some very disturbing details in this post to do with child abuse and brutal torture, murder, animal cruelty and slaughter. I have tried as always, to be as sensitive as I can be with the details without taking away from the facts of the case. If you would like to discuss this post or any of the cases I have covered on this blog, please email me at jocaledoniankitty@gmail.com*

I've received a few emails over the past couple of weeks either asking for me to cover the case of Christa Pike, or to enquire what my thoughts are on the case and do I think she deserves her death sentence? As we fast approach the 30th of September (2026) I thought I should write about the only woman on Tennessee's death row. This case has always divided opinion and if you are unaware of the horrific story, you will see why as we go further into this post. I have to warn you that this case is very brutal and disturbing but to give you a better understanding of the background, I will talk about Christa's appalling childhood and why she is now counting down the days to her execution. 

Even before Christa Gail Pike came into this world, she never stood a chance at any sort of a normal life. Whilst in the womb her mother couldn't have cared less about her wellbeing (and that was no change when she was eventually born). Her parents, Carissa and Emil had a toxic marriage and could hardly spend 5 minutes in a room with each other without arguing or physically fighting. The marriage was a joke, both constantly had extra-marital affairs and alcohol was a huge part of their daily diet. Carissa drank alcohol like it was going out of fashion, not a care in the world about the harmful effect that it could be having on her unborn baby (this selfish act resulted in Christa being born with damage to her frontal lobe). When she was born prematurely on the 10th of March, 1976 in a city in West Virginia known as Beckley, she arrived into a world of daily abuse, neglect, violence, misery, pain and suffering. I just want to be clear before going any further that my description of her childhood is not my attempt to encourage people to get the violins out, I'm just stating the truth, her childhood was utter hell.

The daily turmoil of her parent's marriage became a part of every day life for Christa and her half-sister. As well as the threat of violence and constant neglect, the house was frequently filthy, even the dog was neglected and was just left to defecate all over the house. Christa would end up covered in feces and all other kinds of dirt with nobody to properly take care of her. When her parents split up, her mother had men coming back and forth to the house, there were various attempts at relationships with violent men (her mother married about five times) who were also pedophiles. Christa often found herself the victim of these evil men, their physical violence and she endured multiple incidences where she was sexually abused. She had also witnessed cruelty towards animals at the hands of one of her mother's boyfriends. Animals would be killed and slaughtered in front of her, this was also horrendous to witness no matter the age but for a young child, it was deeply traumatic as you can imagine. 

The only bit of joy that Christa had in her life was her grandmother and after being pushed around from pillar to post she ended up staying with her and for once the young girl could breathe a sigh of relief. With her grandmother there was care, safety, her grandmother was more of a mother to her than Carissa ever was. Just when Christa thought she had escaped her horrific life with her mother, her grandmother sadly passed away and Christa was so devastated that she tried to take her own life again (she had made an attempt in the past). As well as grieving the loss of her beloved gran, she was sexually attacked again and tried to go to her mother for help and support, Carissa just pushed her away and refused to believe her, she just didn't care. Another attacked happened when she was just 17, she went to the hospital and then that was that, nobody bothered doing anything, the perpetrator was never caught. She was in a devastatingly hopeless situation, suffering from all kinds of trauma, PTSD, (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), Bipolar Disorder and then of course the brain damage which caused her to have no impulse control and effected her development. None of these issues were addressed by mental health professionals, nothing was ever addressed, she was just left to rot and try to look after herself. 

No child wants to feel that nobody loves them and that people don't care but this really was the situation for Christa Pike. There was nobody to turn to, nobody to help. Even when she was younger she would be drawing sexually explicit drawings in school and the teachers ignored it. The teachers saw this and noticed her behaviour but chose to do nothing. The pain and anger of so many years of no love and abuse continued just to pile up inside of her and it was only a matter of time before there was an explosion. 

Christa Pike was abused in basically every way that you could possibly abuse someone, that's all she knew. Her life wasn't even a life, it was just non-stop misery. She was so desperate to escape and be loved. At the age of 17 she joined the Knoxville Job Corps Program and had her heart set on becoming a nurse. To think that after all she had been through, the fact that she still attempted to have a dream and a goal in mind demonstrates that she was a strong girl to have survived her life so far. This program was open to young people who had behavioural difficulties and were from impoverished areas. It was for young people who had a tough upbringing and needed some guidance and support to help steer them in the right direction. 

With her dream at becoming a nurse and making an attempt at turning her traumatic life around and working towards a positive future, it demonstrated that underneath all that pain and hurt, she was just a kid who wanted to do good but unfortunately the demon in her was not going to let that happen. At the program she became fixated on a 17 year old boy named Tadaryl Shipp, the pair became close and started dating. Tadaryl and Christa as a couple was a recipe for disaster because he was bad news, his background was all about violence, gangs, drugs, guns and he had previously attempted to throw someone off of a bridge. He thought he was a bit of a hardman and liked the idea of people being scared of him, he talked about wanting to kill someone and was obsessed with Satanism. Christa, almost fangirling over this hoodlum, hung on his every word. She wanted to impress him and decided that she too, was going to become involved in Satanism 

With a combination of extreme anger and trauma pent up inside of her and her obsession with Tadaryl and Satanism, it was only a matter of time before all hell broke loose. She believed that this guy was everything she had been waiting for, that finally she had somebody who was for her, she felt she belonged and that he understood her. He probably saw in her a vulnerable girl who idolized him and that gave his ego a bit of a boost but I don't think it was deeper than that for him. Christa was extremely obsessed with Tadaryl to the point of paranoia, she couldn't bear any other girl to look at him. She was terrified of anyone taking him away from her. In the program there was a pretty 19 year old girl called Colleen Slemmer, for some reason, Christa felt instantly threatened by her. It's unclear if Tadaryl had been looking at Colleen (prompting Christa's Jealously or if she was just imagining it) but Christa believed that Colleen was about to steal Tadaryl away from her. Colleen wasn't interested in any shape or form in Tadaryl but Christa couldn't let it go and there was a bit of an atmosphere caused by Christa's negativity. 

Christa's mind began to spiral and the more she thought about Colleen, the angrier she became, telling a friend that she wanted to kill Colleen. The friend just brushed it off thinking that Christa was just being bitchy. The day after this however, Christa and Tadaryl came up with a plan to take Colleen somewhere and teach her some sort of lesson. On the 12th of January 1995, Christa, Tadaryl and a friend named Shadolla Peterson (18) approached Colleen and asked if she'd like to hang out with them, Christa wanted to make amends and apologised if she seemed a bit off with her. Colleen accepted their invitation to hang out and the four of them left the Job Corps dormitory around 8pm. 

They walked to a wooded area where it was quiet and private, telling Colleen they wanted to smoke some weed. It just seemed like any other evening with a bunch of teenagers hanging out but Colleen was soon to find herself at the end of a horrific attack. Out of nowhere Christa began shouting abuse at Colleen, pushing her and punching her. Colleen was confused, shocked and tried to defend herself but Tadaryl joined in. The pair punching her, dragging her on the ground and kicking her. Shadolla stood back and watched whilst also keeping an eye out for any potential passers-by. Colleen had made various attempts to get up off of the ground but they just kept kicking and punching her. They forced her to remove her top and bra. The whole ordeal lasted about 45 minutes to an hour and the beating soon turned to stabbing and slashing. Armed with a box cutter knife, meat cleaver and rocks, they slashed Colleen's throat six times, slashed her stomach and back. Colleen was still alive whilst all of this was happening and she was begging and pleading with them to stop. 

Colleen told them she would leave the program and they would never see her again if they would just stop. Christa later said that the more Colleen spoke or screamed, the more she cut her because she wanted her to ''just shut up''. Every part of Colleen's body was slashed, there was blood everywhere and it was soon obvious that Colleen was dying, they kicked her face and smashed her skill with a large chunk of asphalt to the point that the front of her face and back of her head were indistinguishable. The monsters finally dragged the poor girl to another part of the wooded area where they carved a pentagram into her chest. Christa sickeningly picked up a piece of Colleen's skull and placed it in her pocket. All three of them walked back to the dormitory. 

Colleen was unbelievably still alive after all of this utter hell but as she lay there in her final heartbreaking moments, she choked on her own blood. Her death was later ruled to be a result of the horrifying head trauma and injuries she endured as well as choking. It was beyond belief, an innocent girl put through an evil, horrifying and brutal attack for no reason at all. Murdered in such a horrifying way, it was evil, it was demonic, it was sick. 

After the three evil demons were back at the dormitory you would think they would be sick to death with what they had just done but no, they were all enjoying themselves. Christa was bragging to her friends about what they had done, they couldn't believe it so she pointed out her shoes and said ''that ain't mud'' and produced a piece of Colleen's skull from her pocket. The friends were shocked and didn't know what to make of it all, there was a mixture of confusion and fear. The friends didn't say a word to the police.

The next day, Colleen's body was found by a Tennessee grounds department employee who must have been utterly horrified. At first glace Colleen's body was mistaken for that of an animal but on closer inspection it was clear that this was the body of a young woman. When investigators arrived at the scene, they couldn't make out any features on Colleen's face, her face and skull had been utterly destroyed, it was a horrific sight. Colleen had to be identified by her dental records.

The pathologist in charge of Colleen's autopsy had his work cut out for him because basically every inch of Colleen's body had been slashed. The list of injuries was endless, in the end he decided that he couldn't possibly list every single one and just focused on the most horrific injuries like the six deep slashes to the throat, the deep slash to the stomach and the back as well as the pentagram carving on the chest. Her death, as I mentioned earlier, was due to choking on her own blood as well as the horrific head injuries. 

Investigators wasted no time interviewing everyone on campus, when it was the turn of Christa and Tadaryl to be interviewed, the police noticed that the pair were wearing pentagram necklaces. When Christa was asked if she knew what had happened to Colleen Slemmer, she sat proudly and confidently declared that she had murdered Colleen, She told them everything including that she had ate her cereal using a part of Colleen's skull. There was not a shred of remorse, she was heartless and saw the whole horrific set of circumstances as a laugh. It was pure evil. 

At her trial, Christa was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. Her execution is set to take place on the 30th of September 2026. She is currently 50 years old. In 2001, she had shown that she hadn't changed her colours because she tried to murder a fellow inmate by attempting to strangle her with a shoestring. The victim recovered and Christa had an additional 25 years added on to her sentence. 

Tadaryl Shipp managed to escape the death penalty due to him being 17 at the time of the murder. He was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole. In October of last year (2025) he was denied parole but could be up again in a couple of years. Let's hope that he is never released. Christa has expressed her anger on a number of occasions in interviews (still showing no remorse for anything she has done) that Tadaryl and Shadolla escaped the death penalty. 

Shadolla Peterson got the easy road. During interviews with the investigators she offered to tell them everything even though they already had all of the details from Christa. She operated fully with the authorities and managed to receive no jail time whatsoever, she just got 6 years probation. There is no evidence that she physically harmed Colleen but she was part of the planning to trick Colleen into joining them and she stood there and did nothing whilst these monsters tortured and murdered this innocent girl. She could have put a stop to it, could have ran away and got help. I find it difficult to understand how she stood there and watched them repeatedly slash, kick and punch Colleen and still chose to do nothing and was able to basically get away with it. That was a miscarriage of justice. 

So as it stands at the time of me writing this post, Christa Pike is about to meet her maker, some people would call that Satan! This case is such a mind twister because there's sympathy for Christa's past but that doesn't excuse what she did to Colleen. The way she tortured Colleen over and over and over again, then walked away like it was nothing, Taking a piece of Colleen's skull, bragging about the whole sick ordeal and then having the horrendous audacity to brag about using the piece of Colleen's skull to eat cereal. Days after the murder she continue to brag about it and even in prison, she wrote a letter to Tadaryl telling him she missed him and was angry that she had to spend time in prison because of Colleen's death. She blasted Colleen and spoke about her in a disrespectful manner saying that Colleen was lucky that she killed her the way that she did. There was no remorse from her, she was just completely evil. 

Now we have campaigners who are painting her as a child of abuse who didn't know any better, emailing me and wanting petitions signed. The trouble is, that this was not just an act of someone who just lost control in a moment of madness, she planned this, kept it going and continued to brag and be proud of what she had done. How can anyone have sympathy for someone who does that? 

So many people survive horrific childhoods and don't go on to commit such horrific crimes like Christa Pike. All she is bothered about is the fact that Tadaryl might get out of prison at some point and Shadolla managed to get away with it. I suppose she has a point because I believe that all three of them should have been given the same sentence. Each of them had a part to play in this and each of them could have put a stop to it. 

Do I think Christa deserves the death penalty? You want my honest opinion and I mean this in no disrespect to Colleen or her family. I think that she should have been placed in some sort of psychiatric unit and then moved to a prison to spend life without parole. The first 18 years of her life were beyond horrific, to be constantly raped, abused, shown no love, neglected, beaten etc, that will kill someone's soul. Christa Pike was dead inside and she has brain damage which has been officially diagnosed by a Doctor. So there is other factors to consider here when making a final decision. It's been a long time that she's been on death row and she is 50 years old. I don't think she should ever be released from prison if her sentence is changed at the last minute. Right now the execution is all set to go ahead. 

I will be keeping an eye on this case and I'm sure as we get closer to the 30th of September, the campaigns will step up even more and the story will be all over the media. What are your thoughts on this case? Please leave your comments below or email me in confidence at jocaledoniankitty@gmail.com

RIP Colleen, an innocent, beautiful girl who's life was cruelly taken from her in the most horrific way. My thoughts are with her family as I know this must be incredibly difficult for them. 

There is an online memorial for Colleen, please leave some virtual flowers and nice comments for her and her family here

Further Reading & Sources:

- Christa Pike: Article | WSMV

- Christa Pike: Article | Knoxville News Sentinel

- Christa Gail Pike vs. State of Tennessee

- Christa Pike | Wikipedia

- Christa Pike | Reddit Discussion

- Colleen Slemmer Murder: Article | T Libraries

- Christa Pike: News Report Segment | WATE 6

I believe in everyone's right to their opinion so I have included the link here to the Mercy For Christa petition. It's up to my readers what their views are on this case. 

If you have made it this far in this post I appreciate it. I know that this was another difficult case to get through with a lot of horrifying details. I do hope you have come away from this post with more knowledge of what happened that horrific night back in 1995. There's a lot of people who are against the death penalty and sometimes these same people will protest about a particular criminal, but they won't tell you the full details of what that criminal did to be given the death penalty in the first place. I think it's important to give people the full facts, no holds barred when sharing these cases, it's up to people to make up their own minds based on case evidence on what punishment they feel would better fit the crime. I always find it interesting to hear other people's opinions. 

I can understand campaigning about a death penalty case where there is not enough evidence and a lot of doubts. I can understand campaigning about the death penalty if there is a lot of factors involved for example the accused's proven psychological disabilities or severe abuse and childhood trauma. This is why I think that Christa Pike should not be given the death penalty as evil as she is. I'm not a Doctor or Psychologist but I do believe her childhood destroyed any chance of her leading a normal life. I think her approach to every day situations was difficult for her and she didn't know how to behave or respond appropriately. She was impulsive, desperate to be loved and accepted by anyone but carried an enormous amount of trauma and pent up anger. She should have been in Psychiatric care as soon as her school teachers noticed the signs (ie the distant behaviour, the sexually explicit drawings). It wasn't just her parents who failed her, it was the system too. Christa was able to develop more and more into a horrific monster and an innocent young woman paid the price. 

I hope you will join me in my next post. In the meantime, I hope to see you on my socials

Take care of yourselves, stay safe...until next time x 

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. 

(Martha Rendell. Picture credit: executedtoday)

*Please be aware that I will be talking about some sensitive details to do with child abuse in this post. I always aim to be as sensitive as I can be when sharing the details without taking away from the facts of the case. Please feel free to email me at jocaledoniankitty@gmail.com if you have any questions about this post*

There's women in this world who are naturally maternal and have the ability to provide a loving, caring, safe and nurturing home to their children but there is also the not-so maternal kind, the women who shouldn't be allowed anywhere near children. This case is decades old but still very much a shocking moment in Australia's criminal history. This story is one that you may have heard about before but just in-case it's new to you I have included it here on my blog to finish off this trio of posts that I have written over the past few weeks, to do with women who have used poison as their method of murder. 

In my previous two posts, I shared the shocking stories of Blanche Taylor Moore and Velma Barfield who both poisoned their husbands and lovers as well as being suspected of the sudden deaths of many others, In this post I will be talking about a woman who was so obsessed with her partner that she murdered three of his children whilst also trying to murder a fourth child who managed to escape. Martha Rendell was her name and I'm sure if any of you hail from the gorgeous country of Australia, you will probably be familiar with that name and the case. For those who don't know the story, I hope you will find this post to be informative.

So let's get into it....With this case being decades ago, trying to track down details of Martha's childhood has been a challenge but what we do know is that she was born in Adelaide, Australia on the 10th of August 1871. She left her family home at the age of just 16 and lived a rebellious lifestyle which resulted in her being a single parent of three children. She struggled as a parent and wasn't really cut out for the role, she also had a bit of a bad reputation as it was frowned upon back in those days to have children out of wedlock. With no clear direction in life and feeling tied down as a young mother, she found excitement in a married man named Thomas Morris. 

Call it 'Daddy Issues' or whatever but Martha couldn't keep herself away from this married man who was not only living with his wife but his children too. Thomas encouraged and enjoyed the attention from Martha and the pair went on to have a full blown affair which soon caught the attention of the locals. Martha already had an unsavory reputation as it was and knowledge that she was seeing a married man just made things worse, especially in those days. Thomas decided it was time to move out of town because he had a job offer elsewhere and he wanted to get away from being the subject of local gossip. Thomas and Martha fell in love and he asked her to leave with him. Thomas left his wife and Martha left her three children behind and they moved out of town.

Thomas, Martha and his children all lived in a house together and Thomas was often away working whilst it was Martha's role to take care of the children. Before Thomas left his wife, Martha would dream of the day that she would finally have Thomas all to herself and when he did leave his wife (who he wasn't divorced it was quite difficult to set up a divorce back then so Thomas and his former wife just remained separated) it wasn't quite how she imagined. First of all it was bad enough that she wouldn't be able to marry him as he was still technically married to his first wife on paper, there was also the issue of his children that Martha had a love/hate relationship with. It seemed that the children were never fully comfortable with Martha and she didn't have the patience for them either, she just wanted to be with Thomas.

The children missed their mother and felt some animosity towards Martha as if they felt that she was to blame for the break-up of their parents marriage. Martha didn't have the time, patience or mothering persona that the children experienced previously with their own mother. With Thomas being away working a lot of the time, the children and Martha were together quite a lot and money was tight, it could often be quite miserable and hard to get by. 

In Martha's mind she felt that the children were a burden and a barrier between herself and Thomas, there was no privacy and she didn't want to share him with his children. In the space of just 14 months, three of the children had fallen seriously ill out of nowhere and died. Annie was just seven years old when she passed away after being declared as suffering from 'Diphtheria' which is a serious bacterial infection that causes extreme coughing, sore throat, fever, swollen glands and exhaustion. When the family Doctor was at the house, Martha played the part of the caring stepmother and said that she had been trying to nurse Annie back to health. When the second child died (Seven year old Olive) just a few months later, the Doctor returned and gave the same diagnosis and put it down to just a heartbreaking coincidence. However, when Arthur passed away (Arthur was slightly older than the girls, having been 14) the Doctor became suspicious of what was going on. 

With the Doctor's suspicions and then the revelation that a fourth child, George had fled the house because he believed that Martha was trying to kill him, Martha was taken into custody. George survived but spoke of how Martha had been swabbing the children's throats with Hydrochloric acid and this was causing the children's throats to swell up and for them to exhibit the symptoms that had been seen on the days and weeks leading up to their deaths. On the day that George ran away, Martha had tried to swab his throat with the acid but he was lucky to have survived and got away. 

An investigation was conducted and it was found that Martha had indeed poisoned the children and attempted to poison George also, with Hydrochloric acid. Initially Thomas was arrested alongside Martha because he had been noted as purchasing some of the acid but after some investigation was done, authorities believed Thomas to have been completely unaware of what had been going on. 

Martha Rendell stood trial and was sentenced to death, She was to hang for her despicable crimes and in those days, they didn't mess about. She had initially been arrested in July of 1909 and by October the 6th 1909 she was deceased. Her time of death was noted at 8am and took place at Freemantle prison (which is now a tourist attraction, I'll leave a link to it at the end of this post). There was no tears, no regret and not a shred of remorse, she was buried in Freemantle Cemetery and was the last woman to be put to death in the state of Western Australia. Martha was 38 years old at the time of her death.

Another disturbing bit of trivia about this story is that another serial killer by the name of Eric Edgar Cooke was also placed in the plot where Martha's remains were placed decades before. He was placed there in 1964, so the two monsters share the same grave in Freemantle Cemetery. 

RIP to Annie, Olive and Arthur.

What a shocking story no matter how long ago that it took place, some things in history are so terrible that it's hard to ever forget them and it's important that we don't forget, for the sake of the innocent victims. I hope you have found this post to be informative and do take a look at some of the links I have included about Freemantle prison and the cemetery, so much history and with the prison in particular....can you imagine if the walls could talk? some people believe that Martha haunts the prison and that there is an illusion on one of the prison window's that can only be seen from the outside, people believe that it is the face of Martha Rendell but who know's? If anyone has seen it leave a comment below, I love all things paranormal too. 

Australia is definitely a place I would love to visit one day and I would very much like to visit the Freemantle prison and cemetery. 

Further reading & sources:

- Martha Rendell: Article | Executed Today

- Martha Rendell | Wikipedia

- Eric Edgar Cooke | Wikipedia

- Freemantle Cemetery | Official Website

- Freemantle Prison | Official Website

- Diphtheria: Article | Mayo Clinic

- The Big Book of Serial Killers | Book by Jack Rosewood & Rebecca Lo

- Martha Rendell: Article | WA Police History

Thank you for taking the time to read my latest post, if you would like to help support my work or follow me elsewhere on social media, all of my links can be found here

Stay safe & I hope you will join me in my next post x 

(Velma Barfield in her prison cell. Picture credit: Fayobserver)

*Please be aware that I will be sharing some sensitive details in this post which will include discussion of childhood trauma and abuse as well as mental health issues. I will, as always, aim to be as sensitive as I can be with the details without taking away from the details of the case.*

Velma Barfield (born Margie Velma Bullard on the 29th of October 1932 in Eastover, North Carolina) was known not only as 'Death Row Granny' but also as the first woman to die from lethal injection in the United States. Those familiar with the history of death row cases and specifically executions will know Velma's story very well. On the outside she looked like she could be anyone's auntie or grandmother but behind the friendly and soft spoken persona was a psychopath who was reportedly suffering from Dissociative Identity Disorder, with an alter ego that she referred to as 'Billy'.

As is not surprising especially with the diagnosis of Dissociative Identity Disorder, Velma's childhood was quite a difficult one at the hands of her father. My last post featured the Blanche Taylor Moore case which is quite similar to Velma's story as both came from similar backgrounds and committed similar crimes. Velma's father was physically abusive and there was nobody to go to for comfort, her mother allowed the physical and emotional abuse to continue and Velma had to continue to endure many years of suffering before she left home. 

Determined to put her traumatic childhood behind her and begin a new life, she met and married a man named Thomas Burke. With Thomas Velma was eager to start a family and try to rebuild her life, they had two children together and it looked as though Velma had gotten the family life that she had always dreamed of, but soon cracks began to appear. When she began suffering terrible pain during her monthly cycle she contacted a Doctor and examinations were carried out that determined that Velma would be best to have a hysterectomy. It was a difficult situation for her to go through but she was in so much pain that she felt she had no choice. Nowadays in this type of situation there are a number of things that can be considered before having to commit to a full hysterectomy but times were different back then.

Going through the procedure and having the task of trying to heal her body, Velma assumed that all of her pain issues would be no more but for some reason she was still suffering and this led to sleepless nights and irritability. Thomas and Velma would have aggressive arguments and thought it would be best for Velma to try some sort of painkiller medication which seemed to help at first but she became addictive and this affected her personality too. 

With all the stress that had been going on in the marriage, Thomas found himself addicted to alcohol. It was clear that the pair were not happy in the relationship. Anyone else would've just called it a day and got a divorce but that never happened because on the 4th of April 1969, tragedy struck (or shall we say....alleged tragedy struck). Velma took the children out for the day to run some errands, Thomas stayed at home. When Velma and the kids returned they were greeted with the horrific sight of their beloved family home in flames with the devastating knowledge that Thomas was trapped inside. 

Everyone was heartbroken for Velma and the children, they'd lost both a husband and a father and people rallied around them to support them the best they could, especially Velma's mother Lillian. Velma and the children were able to find another home but under strange circumstances, that home also just happened to mysteriously end up in flames, luckily the kids and Velma were not harmed but it sure was a horrible 'coincidence'.

With the shocking trauma of having two homes burned down and the tragic loss of her husband, the father of her children, you would have thought that Velma would be taking some time for herself to try to come to terms with so much devastation in such a short space of time but no, she had another man on the scene the very next year. 

The money that Velma had received on the insurances with the houses and of course the horrible loss of Thomas, was able to help her and the children get by, but in her personal life, she decided it was time to start dating again. With things moving so quick there were a few raised eyebrows but some people put it down to trauma and Velma just needing someone to lean on and some company. Things moved super fast with her new man, Jennings Barfield, it was a sort of 'blink and you'd miss it' sort of situation. Practically within a short space of time and meeting they were married and living together and it hadn't even been a year.

More tragedy fell on Velma's shoulders when Jennings suddenly passed away from a heart attack, they'd not even been married a year. It just seemed as though poor Velma could not catch a break. 

With the devastating loss of two husbands and two homes, Velma must have been mentally and physically exhausted with all of the grief so it wasn't surprising that she took some time to live with her mother Lillian. 

Lillian had become a rock to Velma despite the difficulties of the past when Velma felt that her mother didn't care about what was happening to her at the hands of her abusive father. Things seemed to be fine for a while and Velma and the children seemed to have gotten their spark back having Lillian around. But.....as you'll probably guess, things took another tragic turn when Lillian suddenly took very ill with some sort of mysterious illness. She managed to recover within days and everyone breathed a sigh of relief but the mysterious illness later returned and she was admitted into hospital where she sadly passed away on the 30th of December, 1974.

Whatever strange and tragic events that were happening around Velma in those years at least there was the positive knowledge that the children never came to harm although they were heartbroken at the sudden loss of both their father and grandmother. 

Velma decided that she wanted to become a carer for elderly and vulnerable people. In 1976 she grew close to an elderly couple by the names of Dollie and Montgomery (Edwards) who saw her as like the daughter they never had. Velma would run errands for the couple, take them to Doctors appointments, cook and clean the house etc. It wasn't long before Montgomery suddenly fell ill and passed away, with his heartbroken devoted wife Dollie passing away a short time later of the exact same mysterious illness. It was clear that Velma was responsible for the deaths of this couple and no doubt the previous sudden deaths from years before. 

Instead of alarm bells being raised, Velma continued going about her every day business and befriended another elderly couple, Rec and John Henry who met a similar fate to the Edwards couple. The last unfortunate soul to end up crossing paths with Venomous Velma (that's just a nickname I've given her, not an 'official' nickname) was Rowland Taylor and this relationship was a romantic one, not that romantic though because this poor chap ended up deceased within a year of meeting Velma and she stole quite a large sum of money from him. Rowland had passed away on the 3rd of February 1978 and this time people were not buying the 'tragic Velma' story, an autopsy was performed on Rowland and there it was in all it's glory, evidence of rat poison. 

The game was up for Velma and she was arrested and charged with murder. Surprisingly when questioned about the mysterious deaths of people close to her in the past she didn't hold back. Velma confessed to everything and this was acknowledged that she was indeed responsible for the murders. She had confessed to poisoning everyone including Rowland, her previous two husbands and her mother. She was convicted of Rowland's murder and sentenced to death. Due to the full confession of all murders and the abundance of evidence that she was responsible for the death of Rowland, it was decided that exhuming the other victims would not be necessary. 

Velma did appeal and when that was obviously thrown out she gave up and accepted her fate. As the years went on (Velma also served her sentence in the very same prison facility as Blanche Taylor Moore), Velma opened up about her past and despite knowing there was no way she'd be released from prison and that her fate was decided, she apparently demonstrated great remorse for all that she had done. She turned to Christianity and fully devoted herself to helping other prisoners and her reputation for being a shoulder to cry on and a great support to others became well known. Even the guards of the prison took a liking to Velma which may sound bizarre to us but some people believed that she truly turned her life around in prison because of finding faith and getting the much needed psychological help that she should have received many years before. 

It was clear that Velma was either a genius at manipulating people or she was genuinely sorry for what she had done. As I mentioned earlier she was diagnosed with a mental illness and one can believe that she either faked this illness or that she genuinely was psychologically ill. The motive for the murders she could not explain because to her these murders were carried out by her alter ego who she called 'Billy'. It is not uncommon for abused children to develop psychological illness as a result of past trauma. It's not uncommon for abused children to invent 'imaginary friends' or suffer some sort of episode where they believe they are someone else. Velma did suffer terribly at the hands of her father when she was a child and the fact that her mother didn't intervene would have no doubt left her with feelings of betrayal and abandonment. 

I'm not down-playing what Velma did because innocent people lost their lives and she caused her own children trauma due to her heartless actions, but her ability to develop fully was disturbed as a child causing her to have a split personality. She had difficulty feeling love because her parents did not demonstrate love to her, so she grew up cold. 

With so much time in prison and professionals there to listen, Velma's past was put under the microscope and she faced a lot of things and reportedly tried to make good in some sort of way by helping others. 

With endless appeals, some prisoners who are 100% guilty will try to play the system whilst they serve their time on death row, resulting on many of them dying before any sort of execution is served. The appeals prolong time and can take years. Velma's time for her sentence to be completed was fast approaching and that date was to be the 2nd of November, 1984. 

Taking everything into consideration, Velma's case was watched closely by human rights campaigners as well as fellow prisoners who claimed that she was like a grandmother to them. Due to the fact that she had been considered a model prisoner and her mental health difficulties there were people who believed that she did not deserve to be put to death, they thought it more appropriate that her sentence be changed to life imprisonment. Velma was aware of the support she had both inside and outside of the prison but no matter what other people's opinions of her situation may have been, the fact is that she took lives, not one, not two but reportedly as many as seven whilst also benefiting financially from those deaths. 

On the 2nd of November 1984, Velma was dressed in pink pyjamas and blue slippers as she was walked towards the room where she was to be given the lethal injection. She was 52 years old. Just hours before she had refused the option of a 'last meal' and instead opted for a soda and a packet of 'Cheeze Doodlez' (which I think is the American version of the UK's cheesy Wotsits). This option combined with the fact that she was dressed in pink pyjamas gives (in my opinion) a very child-like vibe to the whole situation as disturbing as it was. 

Sixteen people were reportedly present at Velma's last moments and before the deadly drug was administered, Velma was given the chance to have some final words, she said: 

''I know that everybody has gone through a lot of pain, all the families connected, and I am sorry, and I want to thank everybody who have been supporting me these past six years,'' 

Velma had reportedly told friends, family members and supporters that she was prepared to meet her maker with as much degree of dignity as the system would allow. She said that she also saw her execution as her ''Gateway to heaven.''

Just hours before her scheduled execution, during and afterwards, there were protests both inside and outside of the prison. Some people were satisfied at what they saw as justice being done and other people were upset because they believed that she didn't deserve to be executed. 

When Velma was officially declared deceased, her body was taken straight away to a nearby hospital where some of her organs were removed as it was her wish to have them donated to those who were on the transplant register as well as medical science. The rest of her remains were prepared for burial in Fayetteville. 

In a lot of death row cases, convicted murderers are often buried elsewhere in unmarked graves but in another strange twist and some may say, quite disturbing, Velma was buried in Parkton Cemetery near her first husband Thomas Burke as arranged by her son. Velma had kept in regular contact with her children whilst she was serving her sentence. 

RIP to the victims of Velma Barfield. 

Further Reading & Sources:

- Velma Barfield: Article | Fayetteville Observer

- The Death Row Granny | Book by Jack Smith

- The Big Book of Serial Killers | Book by Jack Rosewood & Rebecca Lo

- Velma Barfield | Wikipedia

- Velma Barfield: Article | The New York Times

- Lethal Injection | Wikipedia

So, what are your thoughts on this disturbing and interesting case? Some unusual details included, do you think it's possible that people can turn their lives around serving their sentences or do you think it is all an act in an attempt at a change a sentence or possible early release? Do you believe that Velma was psychologically ill or was it all just pure manipulation? A strange story indeed and I appreciate you taking the time to come through through this case with me all the way to the end. 

I would love to hear your thoughts either below or by email: jocaledoniankitty@gmail.com

In the meantime, as always, I hope to see you on my Socials. 

Stay safe, until next time x

So this case which I'm focusing on in this post took place in the early 90s and was only solved in recent times thanks to DNA technology. The murders of two beautiful young women just 10 months apart in Phoenix, Arizona in the timeline of 1992 and 1993 had shocked and horrified anyone who had watched the news and read the papers. Angela Brosso was just about to turn 22 years old the very next day when she decided that she would take her usual bike ride along the beautiful scenic route by Cave Creek Park the night before. This activity was a regular occurrence for Angela but she always had her boyfriend with her. On this rare occasion her boyfriend decided to stay home and continue planning her birthday celebrations as well as making her a cake. Obviously a young woman going for a bike ride late at night would concern a lot of people but because it was a regular routine and there had been times in the past where she'd been on her own and all was fine, she must have thought that this time would be ok too. 

Unfortunately this time, Angela did not return home and panic set in. She was reported missing but the reality of what had happened was quickly apparent. Someone had cruelly murdered Angela in the most gruesome and cold-blooded way. Her remains had been found within hours on the day of her birthday, she had been decapitated and disemboweled, it was a crime scene so sickening that investigators believed the murder to be the work of a serial killer. Whoever murdered Angela had obviously been lying in wait and could possibly have been watching her and her boyfriend cycling previously so knew her routine. The murder looked like that of a fast, frenzied, aggressive attack with a sharp, ragged object. When Angela's remains were originally found, her head was missing. Her head was later found on the 20th of November, nearly two weeks later. With no clue as to who was responsible, the investigators tried to work with the evidence that they had but DNA techniques were still in their infancy at that point. The case remained opened.

Just 10 months after Angela's gruesome murder, a 17 year old girl by the name of Melanie Bernas had been found murdered at the same location where Angela's head at been found. Melanie had not been disemboweled or decapitated like Angela but both had been sexually assaulted before they were murdered or after the fact. Melanie had also had the letters WSC carved into her chest by the unknown killer. DNA evidence found at the scene connected both murders to the same culprit. Both girls had been out riding their bikes at the beauty spot near the Arizona Canal when they were attacked and murdered, the media dubbed the killings ''The Canal Murders''. Both of the bikes have never been found but the DNA collected was kept on file and later entered into the national database. 

As I mentioned before, investigators believed the murders of both Angela and Melanie to be the actions of an unidentified serial killer. The evidence collected together with the perpetrator's DNA sample was kept on file and on the database but for decades there was no match. 

For years the case went unsolved but a big break came in 2015 when investigators discovered a match on the national database. A man named Bryan Patrick Miller came to their attention and he was promptly brought in for questioning and later charged. All of the DNA evidence matched up to him and it turned out that Bryan had quite the background of violence towards women. During his trial (which took years to get up and running due to a series of delays, especially with the covid pandemic) details emerged of his difficult and abusive childhood, he had an addiction to violent porn and BDSM. At the time of the murders (of which he was just 20 years old at the time of the killings) he had been fantasizing bout abducting, sexually assaulting and mutilating women and had written about his fantasies. In later years he went on to marry and have a daughter. 

During his trial his lawyer tried to plead his case trying to gain some sympathy for his client who was clearly a sexual sadist. They were trying to paint him as an abuse survivor who wasn't in his correct frame of mind at the time of the killings due to severe PTSD. Looking at the evidence presented and the gruesome reality of the crimes, it was clear that he had planned these murders and had written about violent fantasies involving sexually assaulting and murdering women since his teens. It was clear he had been a ticking time bomb. The fact he was able to just move on with his life after the murders and start a family shows just how callous he was. He continued on with his life whilst the families and friends of Angela and Melanie suffered. One wonders what it must have been like for Angela's boyfriend who must have felt a huge amount of guilt (even though he wasn't to have known what would happen that night) as well as devastation at what had happened. 

After decades Bryan Patrick Miller was finally found guilty and was given two death sentences. As the murders of Angela and Melanie occurred when he was 20 years old and he wasn't caught until 2015 one wonders if he was connected to any other murders. Some investigators believe he could have started killing in his teen years. Investigators are still looking into other cases that he may have been responsible for. 

I know this was a difficult post to get through and I appreciate that you have made it this far. 

RIP to Angela, Melanie and to any other unknown victims of Bryan Patrick Miller. 

Further Reading & Sources:

- Bryan Patrick Miller: Article | AZ Central

- Angela & Melanie: Article | The Sun

- The Encyclopedia of Unsolved Crimes | Book by Michael Newton

- Bryan Patrick Miller: Article | The Mirror

- Bryan Patrick Miller: Article | AZ Central

- Bryan Patrick Miller: Article | CBS News

- Angela & Melanie: Article | The US Sun

Thank you for taking the time to read my latest case and I hope that you will join me next time. In the meanwhile I hope to see you on my socials. Take care and stay safe x