A former FedEx driver who kidnapped and killed 7-year-old Athena Strand while delivering a package to her father’s Texas home has pleaded guilty to capital murder, and the evidence that has since emerged during the trial’s penalty phase has left courtroom observers shaken.
Tanner Horner pleaded guilty to capital murder and aggravated kidnapping on April 7, 2026, just as his criminal trial was set to start. A jury is now tasked with determining whether Horner should be sentenced to death or life in prison.
Here is everything to know about the case.
What Happened to Athena Strand?
Strand was kidnapped from her Paradise, Texas, driveway on November 30, 2022, after Horner delivered a package to her father’s home stuffed with Christmas presents intended for her. The package contained Barbies for Strand, according to authorities.
Horner told law enforcement that he strangled Strand after hitting her with his FedEx truck in Wise County, according to his arrest warrant affidavit obtained by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He maintained that he abducted and strangled her to prevent her from telling her father about the collision.
Strand’s naked body was discovered in the Trinity River within 10 miles from her father’s home on December 2, 2022 — two days after she was kidnapped.
Horner was indicted in February 2023 on charges of aggravated kidnapping and capital murder in connection with Strand’s death.
What Did the Prosecution Argue?
Wise County District Attorney James Stainton accused Horner of lying about striking Strand with his FedEx truck, arguing instead that he abducted her without her being harmed from a collision.
“The only truthful thing that Tanner Horner told law enforcement was that he killed her,” Stainton said in his opening statement at Horner’s trial, according to the Washington Post.
“The pattern and web of lies that he put together, it’s going to be hard for y’all to keep up with. It is lie upon lie upon lie upon lie,” Stainton added.
Stainton also described the moment Horner took the child. “The first thing Tanner Horner says to Strand when he picks her up and puts her in that truck, he leans down and he says: ‘Don’t scream or I’ll hurt you.’ He says that twice,” Stainton said, the Washington Post reported.
Prosecutors have also accused Horner of lying about strangling Strand to avoid arrest.
Security Footage Captured Athena Strand’s Final Moments
During the penalty phase of the trial, jurors were presented with video and audio evidence from security cameras inside Horner’s FedEx truck that captured Strand’s final moments.
The state showed footage of Horner pulling up to the house and walking back to the truck with the girl. He opened the door and lifted her into the truck.
“Are you a kidnapper?” asked Strand, seemingly realizing she might be in danger, NBC DFW reports. “Where are you taking me?”
Strand was told by Horner to sit down and not to scream, or he’d hurt her, according to NBC DFW.
Horner then covered up the security camera’s lens with a sticky note just prior to the killing, leaving only audio of the kidnapping and murder. At one point, Horner told the 7-year-old, “You’re really pretty, you know that?” Later, audio was played of the killer ordering her to undress, and her asking for her mother in response.
Before killing the girl, Horner asked Strand to take off her shirt. She told him her mother taught her to say “no” to such requests, according to WFAA. Strand also asked Horner why this was happening, and he responded by telling her she’s pretty.
Horner Sang ‘Jingle Bell Rock’ During the Murder
In one of the trial’s most chilling revelations, jurors learned that the holiday song “Jingle Bell Rock” played on the truck’s radio during Strand’s murder.
According to WFAA, who had reporters inside the closed courtroom, audio captured by the truck’s security camera was played for the jury. In the audio, Horner can be heard singing along to the tune, but is drowned out by the girl’s screams. He eventually yells at the girl to “Shut up!”
Prosecutors have insisted Strand was not sexually assaulted, but the audio seems to indicate otherwise, WFAA reporters insisted. They added there was no question that something sexual was going on. Additionally, there was male DNA found a rape kit performed on Strand.
The footage of Horner driving the FedEx truck after the killing showed him enjoying a cigarette.
Security footage from inside the work truck also showed the killer cleaning up his delivery vehicle after Strand’s murder. The footage showed Horner sifting through the 7-year-old slain girl’s backpack and talking his way through a checkpoint that had been set up soon after Strand’s abduction.
Jurors were seen sobbing as the audio of the girl’s screams played inside the courtroom on April 16, 2026.
Prior to the footage being shown, Judge George Gallagher warned the courtroom: “If you think you cannot watch it or listen to it, leave now,” WFAA reported.
Several of the girl’s relatives excused themselves during this portion of the penalty phase.
The Defense’s Argument in Athena Strand’s Trial
Horner’s attorney, Steven Goble, asked jurors to consider a life sentence for Horner instead of a death sentence, the Washington Post reported.
Goble said that based on the evidence, what Horner did was “overwhelming” and “terrible,” according to the newspaper. The attorney added that Horner has Autism and has experienced “various mental illnesses throughout his life.”
“When someone’s brain is what’s injured, you don’t see it,” Goble said in the courtroom.
Sgt. Job Espinoza, the lead investigator in the case, testified that Horner revealed he had an alter ego named “Zero” while being interviewed by authorities. At one point, Horner wrote on a whiteboard when investigators stepped away and said that “Zero” did it, according to CBS News.
Espinoza testified that Horner gave more answers when he was directly addressed as “Zero.”
“His demeanor, physical demeanor changes,” Espinoza said during the trial, per the outlet. “His head goes into a sideways motion. His eyes roll into the back of the head, and he pretends to turn it to ‘Zero.'”
While speaking to authorities, Horner claimed that he accidentally hit Strand with the vehicle. He grew scared that he would lose his job, so he “listened to a little voice” and decided to grab her and leave.
What Happens Next?
The prosecution rested its case April 17, 2026, after showing the disturbing videos to the jury. On April 22, 2026, the proceedings were set to resume with the start of the defense’s case.
Now that Horner has pleaded guilty, he could face the death penalty. His sentencing hearing has not yet been announced.
This story was compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists.
