Tanner Horner Trial In Fort Worth Over Death Of 7-Year-Old Athena Strand

Tanner Horner is on trial in Fort Worth, Texas, as jurors weigh whether he will face the death penalty or life in prison without parole after he pleaded guilty to capital murder and aggravated kidnapping in the November 2022 death of 7-year-old Athena Strand.

The case centers on Horner’s actions after he kidnapped Strand from outside her home in Paradise, Texas, and then strangled her, stripped her, and dumped her body in a creek 10 miles from her home, according to the New York Post’s account of the timeline.

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Reuters and other reporting in the record describe that Horner abducted Strand while delivering a package to her Wise County home on Nov. 30, 2022, and that prosecutors showed jurors video from inside his FedEx delivery truck.

In court, Judge George Gallagher warned the courtroom that it would be graphic and paused so that anyone who chose not to hear it could leave, telling the room, “If you think you cannot watch it or listen to it, leave now. Now’s your time to get out,” as quoted by the New York Post.

The punishment phase included jurors being shown “graphic evidence of the final moments of 7-year-old Athena Strand’s life,” according to FOX 4 News Dallas-Fort Worth.

Jurors also heard audio of Horner strangling the child inside his delivery van, and the audio was not included in the court’s public livestream, FOX 4 reported.

The trial is scheduled to resume Wednesday morning after a pause, with FOX 4 stating, “The sentencing trial for Tanner Horner will pause Friday, with court proceedings scheduled to resume Wednesday morning.”

During the punishment phase, prosecutors played surveillance and in-truck recordings that showed Horner’s movements before and during the killing.

CBS News reported that prosecutors showed “new video Thursday from inside Horner's FedEx delivery truck” captured on surveillance cameras installed in the truck on the afternoon of Dec. 1, 2022, when Strand had been missing for less than 24 hours.

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In that video, Horner is shown driving along a residential country road making deliveries, with the road lined with vehicles on both sides as a massive search operation was underway, CBS News said.

When a vehicle blocked the road, CBS News reported that Horner became frustrated, honked his horn, and complained, “I can't get through, there's people in the way.”

CBS News also quoted the exchange with a woman approaching his window, including Horner’s reply, “Are you serious?” after she said, “there's been a kidnapping, so it's all blocked off. So you'll have to just pull up and ask them if they'll let you through, but a 7-year-old was taken.”

The New York Post described security footage taken from Horner’s van on Dec. 1, 2022, the day after Strand’s kidnapping, where Horner told the woman he had more packages to deliver and replied “Are you serious?” to the kidnapping news.

FOX 4 News Dallas-Fort Worth said Thursday marked the most emotional day as jurors listened to audio of Horner strangling the child inside his delivery van, and it described that the judge issued a stern warning before the recording was played.

As jurors weighed punishment, People reported that two accusers testified during the sentencing phase that Horner sexually assaulted them as teenagers years before he pleaded guilty to the kidnapping and murder of Athena Strand.

One woman told jurors she was 16 years old when she met Horner through mutual friends in 2013, when he was in his early 20s, and she said he assaulted her twice that summer after she had been drinking and was too intoxicated to consent, according to People’s description of testimony reported by CBS Texas, WFAA, and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

People quoted the woman’s statement in court: “I have felt guilt, due to the fact that if I had reported, things may not have happened to other people as they are accused,” as reported by WFAA.

People also reported that the woman testified Horner knew she was underage and instructed her to tell his grandmother she was 18 if asked, as the Star-Telegram reported.

A second woman testified that she was a teenager when Horner assaulted her after she fell asleep following a gathering, and People quoted her words: “I completely froze, shut down, did not know what to do and just let it happen,” as reported by the outlet.

People said both women testified they did not report the alleged assaults to law enforcement until after Horner was arrested in Athena Strand’s killing, and it noted that the Star-Telegram reported Horner has since been indicted in Tarrant County on charges of sexual assault of a child tied to those allegations.

People also said prosecutors introduced the women’s testimony as part of their case during the sentencing phase, while the defense challenged their credibility, per CBS.

Multiple outlets described the courtroom’s handling of graphic evidence and the emotional impact on jurors and family members.

The New York Post said Judge George Gallagher warned the courtroom that it would be graphic and paused so that anyone who chose not to hear it could leave, quoting him: “If you think you cannot watch it or listen to it, leave now. Now’s your time to get out,”.

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FOX 4 News Dallas-Fort Worth similarly described that before the recording was played, the judge issued a stern warning regarding its graphic nature, and it said the audio was not included in the court’s public livestream.

FOX 4 reported that Athena’s family chose to leave the courtroom before the video was played, while several jurors were seen weeping as the room was silent.

The Sun, a tabloid outlet, said “JURORS sobbed in court on Thursday as the chilling audio of Athena Strand’s last moments were played,” and it described that at least one local outlet cut its feed due to the content.

Daily Mail likewise reported that Judge George Gallagher warned people in the courtroom to leave if they did not wish to see it and quoted him: “If you think you cannot watch it or listen to it, leave now. Now’s your time to get out,”.

Court TV described emotions running high as Athena’s parents testified and said the media were ordered to stop recording when prosecutors began to play a recording from inside the FedEx van that captured Athena’s final moments.

Court TV reported that Athena’s mother, Maitlyn Gandy, testified about her loss and described what she said to her daughter before the disappearance.

Court TV said Horner, 35, pleaded guilty to kidnapping and capital murder in the death of Athena Strand, who was taken from outside her father’s home on Nov. 30, 2022, and it described that Horner faces a potential death sentence as a jury hears testimony on whether he lives or dies.

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Court TV quoted Gandy’s testimony that she told Athena, “I told her that I loved her and that I would see her on Friday,” and it said Gandy described a “quick drop off” because Athena’s Daddy was going to take her to Christmas lights that night.

Court TV also quoted Gandy describing the drive after learning of the disappearance, saying, “I felt like I was dying,” and “I couldn’t breathe, but I knew I had to keep going.”

Court TV reported that Athena’s body was found days later, naked and beneath a pool of water at a river crossing, and it quoted Gandy refusing to believe the news when she first heard it from the sheriff, saying, “I asked him if I could confirm that that was my daughter, and he told me, ‘No, because she looks too bad.'”

Court TV described Gandy’s access to see her daughter’s body on Dec. 6, 2022, and it quoted her describing what she saw: “Her ears were messed up, and she had incision lines and her chin was scraped up,”.

Court TV also quoted Gandy’s statement about her daughter being more than a headline and reported that she said the single piece of evidence that stood out to her remains missing, quoting her: “I want to know where my daughter’s shirt is. I want to”.