Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Tyler Robinson Judge Unseals 'Inconclusive' ATF Report | Crime Alert 04.17.26

Episode Date: April 17, 2026

An unsealed ATF report reveals a bullet fragment could not be conclusively matched to Tyler Robinson's gun due to damage sustained in Charlie Kirk's shooting. Athena Strand's mother took the stand in the second week of sentencing for FedEx driver who admitted to kidnapping and murdering the young girl. Ohio firefighter accused of responding to blaze he set to conceal the murder of a family friend. Sydney Silvagni reports.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed human. Crime alert, hourly update. Breaking Crime News now. I'm Sydney Silvani. We begin in Utah, where a judge has unsealed a ballistics report in the high-profile assassination case of Tyler Robinson. Robinson is accused of gunning down Charlie Kirk

during a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University in September 2025, allegedly perched on a rooftop where he fired a six. single fatal shot from his grandfather's Mouser Rifle into a crowd of 3,000 people. Oh my God. Go, run, run! The unsealed ATF report clarifies that while physical damage to a recovered bullet fragment prevented a conclusive match to the rifle's barrel, a spent 30-06 cartridge case found on that rooftop was positively identified as having been fired from Robinson's weapon.

Investigators also noted prone position impressions in the gravel where the shooter allegedly laid in weight. Furthermore, separate testing reportedly found Robinson's DNA on the weapon, a towel, and several rounds of ammunition. Perhaps most chilling are the inscriptions found on those rounds. During a press conference, Governor Spencer Cox read the messages that investigators say were engraved on the casings. Investigators noted inscriptions that had been engraved on casings found with the rifle. Inscriptions on a fired casing read, Notices, Bulges, capital O-W-O, what's this question mark? Inscriptions on the three unfired casings read,

Hey, Fascist, exclamation point, catch, exclamation point. Up arrow symbol, right arrow, and three down arrow symbols. A second, unfired casing read, Oh, Bella Chow, Bella Chow, Chow, Chow, and a third unfired casing red, if you read this, you are gay, L-M-A-O. While the defense argues the inconclusive ballistics on the bullet fragment shows a weakness in the case,

experts say it's simply a result of the bullet hitting bone and breaking on impact. Robinson is due back in court today for a hearing on his motion to bar cameras from future proceedings. He faces the death penalty if convicted of aggravated murder. More crime and justice news after this. In Texas, the sentencing phase for Tanner Horner has entered its second emotional week. Horner, a former FedEx driver, pleaded guilty to the 2022 kidnapping in capital murder of seven-year-old

Athena Strand just as the trial began, leaving the jury to decide his punishment. The details of the crime are haunting. Horner was delivering a Barbie doll intended as a Christmas gift for Athena when he struck her with his van. He told investigators that although she wasn't seriously in, injured by the vehicle, he panicked and strangled her to death in his van to keep her from telling her father or stepmother. Following Athena's murder, Horner wrote a letter to Athena's family, in which he claimed he could no longer stay silent despite his legal team's advice. Horner wrote, So many were affected by my breakdown, not just your family, but my own as well. He admitted

to countless nights of being unable to sleep, writing that he prays for the family but acknowledges the permanent void he created. Quote, you'll never get to see your baby girl grow up, and I'm sorry. And I will make sure that every person in this world knows that she was loved and that she wanted to live. And we want her in our lives. And I'm very sorry. On Wednesday, Athena's mother, Maitland Gandy took the stand. Gandy described the physical pain of the loss, stating it felt like she was having a heart attack when she first heard her daughter was missing. She revealed the heartbreaking toll on her family, admitting she lied to Athena's three-year-old sister for over a year, telling her Athena was staying with her father and couldn't

come to the phone because she was sleeping or at school, incapable of finding words to explain what happened. When asked if she had watched the video of Horner killing her daughter, Gandy said she could only stomach a few minutes, sharing her sympathy for the jury who had to watch it, telling them no one, especially Athena, asked for what happened in those final moments. All of the innocent people that do have to watch that, I am so sorry. I'm sorry to you, and I'm sorry to y'all too, because none of us, not Athena, not me, not anyone in this room, besides Tanner Horner asked for what's on that video.

And Athena, definitely didn't. In Ansonio, Ohio, a volunteer firefighter is behind bars on a $5 million bond, accused of a betrayal that has stunned the community. Peyton Beam is charged with arson and the aggravated murder of 50-year-old Erica Kramer, a varsity cheerleading coach, whom Beam reportedly described as his second mother. Prosecutors alleged that on April 10th, Beam executed Kramer by shooting her twice in the back and twice in the head. He then allegedly drenched her body in gasoline and set her home on fire. fire. In a truly twisted turn, Beam then reportedly responded to the emergency call in his official capacity as a firefighter, arriving at the scene he is accused of creating. While his defense team has asked for evidence beyond inference, the local school district is mourning the loss of a woman

described in her obituary as the kind of person who would give the shirt off her back. For the latest crime injustice breaking news, be sure to tune in Monday on your favorite podcast app. With this crime alert, I'm Sidney Silver. This is an I-Heart podcast, guaranteed human.