She loved the color pink. She loved to put on beautiful pink princess dresses when she would go outside to play in the dirt.

She called herself the best big sister in the whole entire world and all of her family members.

Her mom especially would agree that she was right.

Her teachers loved her. Her family loved her. Her friends loved her.

Athena Presley-Mun Monroe Strand was seven years old.

She was full of life, full of noise, full of love. And on the last Wednesday of November of

2022, she walked outside of her family's home in rural Texas for the very last time.

What happened in the hours that followed? Sh shook a nation, broke a family apart,

and set in motion a legal reckoning that would take over three years to reach a conclusion.

The story of Athena Strand isn't one that should be defined what happened to her, and if you've

heard her mom talk about

her, you will hear her say that over and over again. She does not want Athena to be remembered by what

happened to her. She wants Athena to be remembered for the little girl that she was. Because before she

crossed paths with the man that would ultimately end her life. She had spent her very short seven years

on this earth knowing nothing but love. If you guys have heard anyone talk about this case lately,

I feel like it's been kind of all over social media again because the trial just took place.

I feel like every single person that I've heard talk about it

says that it's one of the worst cases they've ever heard of because of how gruesome and violent

and just plain evil this whole thing was. So without being said, I feel like I have to give my

usual warning. We are talking about a child. And it's never being said, I feel like I have to give my usual warning. We are talking about

a child. And it's never easy, but I feel like the details of this one specifically, the details that

were revealed during the trial and knowing the information that we now know, it's added hundreds

...