The Trial: USA

Justice for a joyful little girl who was abducted outside her rural Texas home and murdered by a stranger driving a delivery truck.
MaryAnn Martinez, the Daily Mail’s Texas bureau chief, was in the courtroom as a jury sealed the fate of 7-year-old Athena Strand’s killer, Tanner Horner.
Athena, a first-grader with an affinity for the outdoors and the color pink, was abused and tortured by Horner, a FedEx driver, before he killed her and callously discarded her tiny frame in a nearby creek on Nov. 30, 2022.
A frantic, multi-day search for Athena ensued. The child’s death traumatized her rural community.
Horner pleaded guilty to murder and kidnapping in April but a jury still had to determine his fate, which in Texas included the possibility of the death penalty. After a five-week trial,
Athena’s family watched as the panel found that Horner should be executed by lethal injection.
On this episode, Martinez discusses the case with host Kayla Brantley and takes us inside the courtroom for the dramatic last moments of the proceeding.
We also learn what is expected to happen next as Horner waits on death row.

Email us: [email protected]
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Presenter: Kayla Brantley
Producers: Shayna Jacobs and Lucy Robson
Editor: Chelsey Ranore
Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham
Executive Producer: Jamie East

Help shape the Crime Desk by taking our quick, listener survey. It takes just five minutes, and you could win a £50 Amazon voucher.

Terms and conditions

Open to UK residents aged 18 or over.
Enter between 00:01 BST on 23rd April 2026 and 23:59 BST on 23rd May 2026, inclusive
The Promotion is free to enter by visiting, completing the online survey and providing your contact details (including email address).
There will be one (1) winner.
The winner will win £50 Amazon Voucher
Amazon Vouchers are subject to Amazon’s T&Cs found here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/
Full T&Cs apply, click here to read them.

Follow us on TikTok: @DailyMailCrime
Email us: [email protected]
WhatsApp us: +44 7796 657512 Start your message with Trial

Presenter: Kayla Brantley
Producer: Lucy Robson
Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham
Executive Producer: Jamie East

Click here to sign up to The Crime Desk's weekly newsletter.
It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After two years of legal mudslinging between “Gossip Girl” actress Blake Lively and actor-director Justin Baldoni, a civil trial was set to unfold in New York.

The “It Ends With Us” co-stars instead capped their bitter dispute with a settlement deal that ended an ugly and costly two-year public ordeal that battered their reputations.

The Trial: USA this week examines the history of the litigation and explains why a last-minute settlement was a likely outcome. Kayla Brantley interviews entertainment and sports attorney Thomas H. Herndon Jr. about the legal drama.

In this episode, Herndon Jr. breaks down the legal strategies at play and weighs in on what a trial may have looked like.

Help shape the Crime Desk by taking our quick, listener survey. It takes just five minutes, and you could win a £50 Amazon voucher.

Terms and conditions

Open to UK residents aged 18 or over.
Enter between 00:01 BST on 23rd April 2026 and 23:59 BST on 23rd May 2026, inclusive
The Promotion is free to enter by visiting, completing the online survey and providing your contact details (including email address).
There will be one (1) winner.
The winner will win £50 Amazon Voucher
Amazon Vouchers are subject to Amazon’s T&Cs found here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/
Full T&Cs apply, click here to read them.

Email us: [email protected]
WhatsApp us: +44 7796 657512 Start your message with Trial
Presenter: Kayla Brantley
Producer: Lucy Robson
Editor: Chelsey Ranore
Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham
Executive Producer: Jamie East
Follow us on TikTok: @DailyMailCrime
Email us: [email protected]
WhatsApp us: +44 7796 657512 Start your message with Trial

Presenter: Kayla Brantley
Producer: Lucy Robson
Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham
Executive Producer: Jamie East

Click here to sign up to The Crime Desk's weekly newsletter.
It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shots rang out at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner — just yards from the President of the United States.

At one table sat FBI Director Kash Patel.

On this episode of The Trial: USA, Kayla Brantley and Daily Mail Associate Editor Wills take you inside the room as the shooting unfolded — including what happened at their table in the moments the chaos began.

They walk through the night step by step — from the first sounds of gunfire, to the Secret Service response, to the confusion inside one of Washington’s most high-profile events.

We also break down the case against Cole Tomas Allen, who has now appeared in court facing federal charges including the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump.

What do we know about his motive?

What was revealed in court?

And how did he get so close?

This is what it was like inside the room.

Help shape the Crime Desk by taking our quick, listener survey. It takes just five minutes, and you could win a £50 Amazon voucher.

Terms and conditions

Open to UK residents aged 18 or over.
Enter between 00:01 BST on 23rd April 2026 and 23:59 BST on 23rd May 2026, inclusive
The Promotion is free to enter by visiting, completing the online survey and providing your contact details (including email address).
There will be one (1) winner.
The winner will win £50 Amazon Voucher
Amazon Vouchers are subject to Amazon’s T&Cs found here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/
Full T&Cs apply, click here to read them.

Email us: [email protected]
WhatsApp us: +44 7796 657512 Start your message with Trial
Presenter: Kayla Brantley
Producer: Lucy Robson
Editor: Chelsey Ranore
Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham
Executive Producer: Jamie East

Follow us on TikTok: @DailyMailCrime
Email us: [email protected]
WhatsApp us: +44 7796 657512 Start your message with Trial

Presenter: Kayla Brantley
Producer: Lucy Robson
Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham
Executive Producer: Jamie East

Click here to sign up to The Crime Desk's weekly newsletter.
It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A rising music star is now facing one of the most serious charges in the US justice system.

D4vd (real name David Anthony Burke) has been charged with the murder of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez.

Prosecutors allege the two were in a relationship - and claim he killed her to protect his career, after fears their connection could be exposed. Her remains were later discovered inside a Tesla linked to Burke, months after she was last seen.

He now faces first-degree murder charges with special circumstances, including allegations of financial gain and killing a potential witness, meaning he could face life without parole, or even the death penalty if convicted.

Burke has pleaded not guilty, and his defense team says he is not responsible for her death.

In this episode, we take you back to the beginning of the case - who D4vd is, who Celeste was, and what investigators say happened.

Plus, Luke Kenton joins us to break down the latest developments from inside the courtroom, the evidence prosecutors are building - and what happens next.

Help shape the Crime Desk by taking our quick, listener survey. It takes just five minutes, and you could win a £50 Amazon voucher.

Terms and conditions

Open to UK residents aged 18 or over.
Enter between 00:01 BST on 23rd April 2026 and 23:59 BST on 23rd May 2026, inclusive
The Promotion is free to enter by visiting, completing the online survey and providing your contact details (including email address).
There will be one (1) winner.
The winner will win £50 Amazon Voucher
Amazon Vouchers are subject to Amazon’s T&Cs found here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/
Full T&Cs apply, click here to read them.

Email us: [email protected]
WhatsApp us: +44 7796 657512 Start your message with Trial
Presenter: Kayla Brantley
Producer: Lucy Robson
Editor: Chelsey Ranore
Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham
Executive Producer: Jamie East
Follow us on TikTok: @DailyMailCrime
Email us: [email protected]
WhatsApp us: +44 7796 657512 Start your message with Trial

Presenter: Kayla Brantley
Producer: Lucy Robson
Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham
Executive Producer: Jamie East

Click here to sign up to The Crime Desk's weekly newsletter.
It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After decades of silence, the man accused of the Gilgo Beach murders has finally spoken — and what he said inside that courtroom stunned everyone.

Rex Heuermann has pleaded guilty to killing eight women, bringing a chilling chapter in one of America’s most notorious serial killer cases closer to an end.

In this episode of The Trial: USA, we take you inside the courtroom on the day many thought would never come.

From the moment Heuermann entered the room… to the haunting detail he repeated again and again as he described how his victims died… to the raw, emotional reactions from families who have waited decades for answers.

Daily Mail Senior Crime Correspondent Rachel Sharp was there, sitting just feet away, and joins us to break down exactly what happened - and what it means now.

Help shape the Crime Desk by taking our quick, listener survey. It takes just five minutes, and you could win a £50 Amazon voucher.

Terms and conditions

Open to UK residents aged 18 or over.
Enter between 00:01 BST on 23rd April 2026 and 23:59 BST on 23rd May 2026, inclusive
The Promotion is free to enter by visiting, completing the online survey and providing your contact details (including email address).
There will be one (1) winner.
The winner will win £50 Amazon Voucher
Amazon Vouchers are subject to Amazon’s T&Cs found here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/
Full T&Cs apply, click here to read them.

Email us: [email protected]
WhatsApp us: +44 7796 657512 Start your message with Trial
Presenter: Kayla Brantley
Producer: Lucy Robson
Editor: Chelsey Ranore
Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham
Executive Producer: Jamie East
Follow us on TikTok: @DailyMailCrime
Email us: [email protected]
WhatsApp us: +44 7796 657512 Start your message with Trial

Presenter: Kayla Brantley
Producer: Lucy Robson
Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham
Executive Producer: Jamie East

Click here to sign up to The Crime Desk's weekly newsletter.
It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.