In a harrowing development, jurors will be forced to listen to the hellish audio recording of a seven-year-old girl being strangled to death by a FedEx driver, despite the perpetrator having already admitted to her murder. The final moments of Athena Strand, captured by a microphone after Tanner Horner covered a camera on his delivery truck, will be presented as evidence during the punishment phase of the trial.
Graphic Evidence to Determine Sentence
Tanner Horner, aged 34, pleaded guilty to capital murder on Tuesday, just before his trial was set to commence in Wise County, Texas. However, prosecutors have warned jurors that they must still endure all the evidence in the case, including a nightmarish dash camera photo showing Athena being driven to her death. This evidence will be crucial as jurors decide whether Horner should receive the death penalty or life in prison.
Prosecutor's Chilling Warning
Wise County District Attorney James Stainton addressed the jury with a stark warning: "You are going to hear what a 250-pound man can do to a 67-pound child. And when I say it's horrible, I mean it." During Wednesday's hearing, jurors will watch video and listen to audio files, including Horner's threat to Strand: "Don't scream or I'll hurt you" as he abducted her.
Stainton emphasised the gravity of the evidence, stating, "I'm going to put you as close as you can be without actually being there that day. We have video of it and we're going to show it now." The abduction occurred in November 2022 in Fort Worth, Texas, after Horner delivered a package containing a Christmas gift—a box of Barbie dolls—to Strand's home.
Contradictory Claims and Forensic Evidence
Horner initially claimed he accidentally struck Strand with his truck, injured her, and then strangled her in a panic before driving away with her body. However, the photo shared with jurors showed the little girl alive in the truck, leading Stainton to brand Horner's excuse "a web of lies." Strand's body was later found dumped seven miles from her home.
The prosecutor revealed that Strand was uninjured when Horner placed her in the vehicle and that she fought back, with Horner's DNA found under her fingernails. Stainton added, "His DNA was found in places where you shouldn't find DNA on a 7-year-old girl." He concluded, "The only truthful thing that Tanner Horner told law enforcement was that he killed her. The pattern and web of lies that he put together, it's going to be hard for y'all to keep up with."
Defense Arguments and Family's Response
Horner pleaded guilty to capital murder of a child under 10 and aggravated kidnapping. His attorney, Steven Goble, asked jurors to sentence him to life in prison, citing Horner's autism, exposure to lead as a child, and various mental illnesses. Goble noted that Horner had 24 times the normal amount of lead in his bones, arguing, "When someone's brain is what's injured, you don't see it."
In contrast, Strand's mother, Maitlyn Gandy, has vehemently supported the death penalty, stating after Horner's indictment that "every breath he takes is one my daughter doesn't." The trial resumes today at 9am local time, with jurors expected to watch hours of footage, including Horner's police interviews, as they deliberate on his fate.
