Murder In America - EP. 245 - TEXAS: The Murder of Athena Strand

Episode Date: May 15, 2026

"Are you a kidnapper?" Those are some of the last words that Athena Strand ever said. She was just 7 years old, standing in the back of a FedEx van, where an adult had told her she was safe, that things would be okay. But things would never be okay again. The man driving the van was not only a predator... but a killer. And his plans for Athena would be captured on camera, leading to one of the most horrific trials in modern history. A trial that still has everyone asking: How could someone be so evil?  - Sources:https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eTYeCoYyxm58DXXdoFbHQyWHlWbcH9iKGIefFcQToW4/edit?tab=t.y2yayotxnlcb Listen to our new show, "THE CONSPIRACY FILES"!: -Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5IY9nWD2MYDzlSYP48nRPl -Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-conspiracy-files/id1752719844 -Amazon/Audible - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/ab1ade99-740c-46ae-8028-b2cf41eabf58/the-conspiracy-files -Pandora - https://www.pandora.com/podcast/the-conspiracy-files/PC:1001089101 -iHeart - https://iheart.com/podcast/186907423/ -PocketCast - https://pca.st/dpdyrcca -CastBox - https://castbox.fm/channel/id6193084?country=us - Stay Connected: Join the Murder in America fam in our free Facebook Community for a behind-the-scenes look, more insights and current events in the true crime world: https://www.facebook.com/groups/4365229996855701 If you want even more Murder in America bonus content, including ad-free episodes, come join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/murderinamerica Instagram: http://instagram.com/murderinamerica/ Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/people/Murder-in-America-Podcast/100086268848682/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MurderInAmerica TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theparanormalfiles and https://www.tiktok.com/@courtneybrowen Feeling spooky? Follow Colin as he travels state to state (and even country to country!) investigating claims of extreme paranormal activity and visiting famous haunted locations on The Paranormal Files Official Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheParanormalFilesOfficialChannel - (c) BLOOD IN THE SINK PRODUCTIONS 2026 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week's episode is sponsored by The Psychological Horror Nightmare, Return to Silent Hill. When a mysterious letter draws James back to Silent Hill, he finds a town consumed by a terrifying fog. As he searches for the woman he once loved, the streets begin to warp around him, filled with monstrous creatures, impossible visions, and a horrifying revelation that he may not survive. based on the legendary Silent Hill 2 and directed by Christoph Gans. Return to Silent Hill blends haunting psychological horror with surreal, nightmarish imagery that fans of the franchise know all too well. Some truths should stay buried in the fog.

Watch now on Screenbox. Warning, the following podcast is not suitable for all audiences. We go into great detail with every case that we cover and do our best to bring viewers even deep. deeper into the stories by utilizing disturbing audio and sound effects. Trigger warnings from the stories we cover may include violence, rape, murder, and offenses against children. This podcast is not for everyone. You have been warned.

Today's story has been a huge case in the true crime world recently. It involves a little girl named Athena, who disappeared from her dad's house in November of 2022. I have been following it since the crime first occurred. And up until the perpetrator's trial, the story surrounding this case was that a FedEx driver accidentally hit Athena with his truck while making a delivery at her house. Then in a panic, he kidnapped her, not wanting to get in trouble. Now I think I can speak for everyone when I say, we all kind of raised our eyebrows at that. Based on our knowledge of true crime, many of us suspected that there might have been something darker at play, that it wasn't for self-preservation, but possibly a sexual motive.

It wasn't until the perpetrator's trial came around when we learned just how dark this story is. Now, you'll notice this is an extremely long episode, and that's because I originally broke it into two parts. Part one was the story we knew before the trial, and part two is everything we know about this case today. I decided to combine them, so it's a very long episode. But this is the story of Athena Strand. Trigger warning, it is a very hard one to listen to. But I'm Courtney Browne. And I'm Colin Browne.

And you're listening to Murder in America. Paradise, Texas, a rural community located in Wise County, located 40 miles northwest of Fort Worth. Legend has it, the town earned its name when a passing cowboy described the area as a paradise, and the name just stuck. With roughly 700 residents, it's the type of town where everyone knows each other. Schools are good, crime is low, and daily life revolves around football games and church on Sundays. It's peaceful, simple, and removed from the influence of big city life. Economically, the area has long been tied to farming and ranching, though in recent years some residents commute to larger nearby cities for work. Despite that, Paradise has held on to its

rural identity. It's the epitome of small-town America, a place that proudly lives up to its slogan, City of Paradise, yes, it really is. But on November 30, 2020, after winding, down from the Thanksgiving holiday and anticipating the arrival of Christmas, Paradise was about to be confronted with something it had never experienced before, the disappearance of a seven-year-old child. Athena Strand was supposed to be in her bedroom at her father's house, but when her stepmother went to get her for dinner, she was nowhere to be found. What followed were hours of panic, confusion, and a desperate search that would grip the small Texas town. Athena Presley-Menroe Stran was born on May 23, 2015, in Duncan, Oklahoma.

Her parents were Jacob Strand and Maitland Gandy. Athena grew up in Comanche, Oklahoma. She was described as, quote, innocent, beautiful, kind, intelligent, and just the brightest, happiest soul you could ever meet, end quote. Athena was the type of child who never met a stranger. She loved horseback riding, and she made friends everywhere she went. Now her parents had been together since 2012. They separated in 2017 when Athena was two years old. Her mother, Maitland, stayed in Comanche,

and her father, Jacob, relocated to Paradise, Texas. In the first few years of Athena's life, she lived primarily with her mother in Oklahoma. But she and her mom would often travel the 100 miles so she could visit and spend time with her father. Athena and her dad were close. She was always a daddy's girl. She was the perfect mixture of me and Jacob.

She loved to wear her pretty princess dresses, but at the same time, she would play in the dirt in those same pretty princess dresses. And she was just, she was free and she was wild and she was bright and she was loving. She wanted to be loved and to give love and that's it. Athena loved everything. She loved life. We like to watch movies together. It was very common for us to have movie nights, popcorn and candy.

It was very common for her to want to ride her horse with her Aunt Keith. It was very common for her to want to do anything outdoors with her father, so long as her father was around. She would, she watched him. Butcher animals, she watched him clear property. As long as daddy was around, she was great with being dirty and being outside. Co-parenting wasn't always easy, but at the forefront of Maitland and Jacob's mind was their daughter. No matter what differences they faced, they never wanted it interfering with Athena's well-being.

Maitland later said, quote, there were rough moments, but we always had an agreement that those rough moments didn't need to enter our children's lives. We co-parented, in my opinion, pretty dang well, because as long as Athena's needs were met and she was happy, that was important to him and I, end quote. Athena shared a close bond with everyone in her family, her grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. She often stayed with her grandmother while her mother worked. Maitland later said, next to me, I'm pretty positive my mom loved her more than anyone else in this world. But in December of 2018, when Athena was only three and a half years old, tragedy would strike. Just days before the New Year, while Athena and her grandma were home alone,

Maitland's mother died unexpectedly at her house. She just died. But Athena, being Athena, I don't know how she knew. I didn't train her, I didn't teach her what death was. She hadn't had death in her life, but she ran out to my Nana's house, which would be her great-grandmother, and about an acre away. Each of these houses are on about an acre. And she went and got help. And the only reason we know that is because there's a ring camera outside of the house. and she just kept telling my nana, Granny's dead. My nana being my nana didn't grab her phone

before she left the house and couldn't get into my mom's phone because it had a code on it. So she sent Athena another acre away in the opposite direction to get more help. She was only three and a half. Even at a young age,

Athena knew that something was wrong and she wanted to do whatever she could to help. It showed her natural sense of kindness, love, and concern. Now, one year later in December of 2019, Maitland gave birth to Athena's younger sister, Rylan Don Gandhi. Athena was thrilled and slipped into the role of Big Sister naturally. For over a year, she had been begging her mother to give her a sibling, and her wish finally came true. Athena adored Rylan.

Pictures showed the two grinning ear to ear, holding hands and wearing matching Halloween in Christmas pajamas, an annual tradition at Maitland's house. For a while, life was perfect, at least until 2000. 2022. Tragically, Maitland started experiencing health complications. She was in and out of doctor's offices, undergoing tests and procedures in an effort to determine a diagnosis. Caring for two young children became difficult, and she made the hard decision to send Athena to live with her father in paradise until everything was resolved. From there, Jacob and Maitland continued to co-parent their daughter, and she settled into her

new living arrangement, seeing her mother and young sister on the weekends. By this point, Jacob Strand had remarried a woman named Ashley. The two had settled on six acres of land in Paradise, Texas. By the time Athena came to live with them, the couple had just welcomed a daughter of their own in 2021. Jacob's oldest daughter, Alice, from a previous relationship, lived with them too. But Athena seemed to fit right in. They were a tight, close-knit, loving family. And for Athena, Paradise, Texas was the perfect location for her to roam and explore.

Her stepmom Ashley had family who lived next door, so Athena had a good circle of people who looked out for her. She and her older sister Alice frequently played with their cousins on their property. They had a favorite tree, a fruitless pear tree, that they loved to climb and decorate with ornaments. Their days were often spent riding four-wheelers, playing hide-and-seek, and splashing around in the family pond. Athena loved unicorns, mermaids, Barbies, the color pink,

and of course the animated Disney movie Frozen. Athena's father said that she was the most adventurous little girl in the world. And although she was a girly girl, wearing dresses and playing with makeup, she had no problem going outside and getting dirty. He later described a memory that always made him smile. He said it was springtime, it was still cold out. Athena was running around outside wearing a dress in cowboy boots. Jacob walked over and he found her sitting in the horse trough,

playing with her barbies in the container of water. Her dress was soaking wet, but she was having the time of her life. That summer, Jacob and Athena went camping and hiking together. She followed him around on the property, no matter what he was doing, just to spend as much time with him as she could. But towards the end of that summer,

Athena was really excited. She was set to start first grade at Paradise Elementary School, and she couldn't wait. On her first day, She wore a blue dress adorned with pink flowers and a light pink backpack. Her dad snapped a picture of her that morning, smiling happily at the family's front door. Here is what her teacher Miss Lindsay Thompson had to say about her. The first time I met Athena was at Meet the Teacher Night.

Her stepmom brought her in, and I vividly remember her coming in. She had all of her supplies. She was so excited about being at school. I can just still remember her just standing there just excited. to be there. And that was the first time that I met Athena. I adored Athena. She was so much fun. She was a free spirit. She loved drawing. She loved to write. She loved a color. She was just your typical, you know, seven-year-old little girl that just loved life. She would come in with, you know, stickers on her hands. She loved to dress up. Like, she truly was a free spirit. Like, there's no other

word to describe her. Like, she definitely was a true gym. Ms. Thompson said that Athena was a really special girl. Everyone loved her. She made friends easily. She said, quote, she's the one that would stand up for herself, and she would speak her mind when she wanted to. She loved to talk and socialize with her friends, but that just made her who she was,

end quote. There was also a special needs boy in her classroom, and Athena was the first one who made an effort to be friends with him. She played with him on the playground and helped make him feel welcomed and accepted. Ms. Thompson said, quote, she opened her arms to him. She had a big heart. That's just who she was. End quote.

In October of 2022, as Halloween approached, Paradise Elementary School celebrated with Red Ribbon Week. Athena's teacher explained, we focused on making good choices, whether it be who we interact with or things we put in our body. It's around Halloween, so we talk a lot about, you know, the candy that you have in your basket. Make sure that your parent checks that before, but it's really about safety and being aware of your surroundings. Athena understood the concept of stranger danger, and in her homework lesson at the end of the week, she wrote in a journal about what she had learned. Be aware of your surroundings and don't talk to strangers. As Halloween approached, Athena grew excited. She enjoyed dressing up,

and when the day arrived, she wore a hocus pocus shirt to celebrate. In late November 2022, Athena enjoyed the Thanksgiving holiday with her family. She even went back to Comanche, Oklahoma, to spend the weekend with her mother and little sister. When it was finally time to go back home to Paradise, Texas. She didn't want to. Not because she didn't love her father or her life in Texas. She just really missed her mom.

Now, Maitland still saw Athena every weekend, so it would only be a few more days until they were reunited. Yet, as a little kid, a few days can feel like in eternity. But from there on Sunday, November 27th, Maitland and Jacob met up at a convenience store in Bally, Texas. Athena hopped in her dad's car. Maitland leaned inside and told Athena, I love you. I'll see you on Friday. And with that, she shut the door.

Maitland said their goodbye was rushed. Apparently, Jacob planned on taking the girls to see Christmas lights that night, and they were in a hurry. She said, quote, it's not the goodbye that I would have wanted, end quote. Of course, she never knew. as she drove away from the convenience store, that she would never see her daughter again. The following day, Monday, November 28th, Athena returned to Paradise Elementary.

That week was chaotic, her teacher admitted, with all of the children winding down from break and preparing for the Christmas holiday ahead. Well, at the end of November, we are getting ready for Christmas, so it's a little bit chaotic, but everyone is super excited about Christmas coming, so we're doing Christmas crafts,

writing Santa letters, just all the fun things that bring magic. I'm the first graders back at school. At the Strand family home, things were also a bit chaotic. Jacob had been working hard on renovations. Athena and her older step-sister, Alice, were temporarily sleeping in a small storage shed that had been converted into a bedroom

until the project was finished. But it was a good kind of chaotic. Everyone was happy. On Wednesday, November 30th, Athena and her friends were excited for the upcoming Christmas holiday. So much so, she couldn't seem to focus on her schoolwork. During class, she kept talking to.

during the lesson. Her teacher, Ms. Thompson, had to pull her aside. Within Athena's journal, she wrote, I can be a good listener by raising my hand. It's a lesson that many elementary school kids struggle with, but at the end of the school day, Ms. Thompson pulled Athena in for a hug and told her, I love you, and we will have a better day tomorrow. However, tomorrow would never come. That day, Athena rode the bus home from school. She was dropped off at her father's house around 4.20 p.m. Now, Jacob had planned to go on a hunting trip in South Texas with his father that day, but he wanted to say goodbye to all of his children before he left. I told all the kids sent him to the thing by and gave her a hug. And then after I was, as I was leaving, I was backing up.

She ran up to the truck and she wanted to give me another hug. And I told her not to run up on me while I'm backing up in a truck and, yeah, gave her another hug until I remember. Jacob left shortly before dark, leaving his wife Ashley to take care of the kids. Now Athena's older sister Alice had gone to her aunt's house next door

to finish her homework. So Athena played outside by herself. At one point, she stood at the window waving at her baby sister inside. But shortly before 6 p.m., Ashley started to cook dinner. She yelled for Athena who came running. in, and it's there where she reminded her that she had some chores to do. There was a pile of laundry

in Athena's bedroom that wasn't going to fold itself. But like any little girl, chores was the last thing Athena wanted to do. There was a whole world of fun waiting for her outside, and there were still a few minutes of daylight left. So, as Ashley turned her back to finish dinner, Athena quietly slipped back outside. With Athena's baby sister on Ashley's hip, she started to prepare a meal of trout in couscous. Around 6 p.m., Ashley made her way

to Athena's bedroom to check on her. She expected to see her inside folding her laundry, but when Ashley opened the door, the room was empty. Now, as we mentioned earlier, Ashley's brother and sister-in-law, Heather, lived next door. So her first thought was that Athena

had wandered over to their house. She called Heather and asked if Athena was over there, but to her dismay, she said no. At this point, darkness was falling over Paradise, Texas, and more ways than one. Ashley began searching the property looking for Athena. She ran to the tree where Athena and her cousins loved to play. Ashley saw toys scattered all around it, but no Athena. Next, she started running all over the property, searching every nook and cranny that she could think of, but around every tree, every corner, Athena was nowhere to be found.

In a panic, Ashley rushed back inside and called Athena's father, Jacob. He was still on the way to South Texas for that hunting trip, but upon learning that his daughter was missing, he turned the car around and told Ashley to call 911. So she did. And shortly before 7 p.m., the first officers arrived at 268 County Road,

3573. By the time they got there, Ashley and other family members were desperately searching the property for the seven-year-old girl. They hoped she was playing hide-and-seek, a game Athena really loved and was good at. Her father Jacob recalled a time that Athena hid inside a linen closet, with everything pushed in front of her for roughly 20 minutes. By the time Jacob arrived back home, he started searching everywhere. He knew the property well. His family had owned it since he was eight years old.

So he spent the next few hours combing through every inch of the six acres. With help from police, the Wise County Fire Department and EMS, it was all hands on deck to locate Athena. Helicopters roared overhead while the desperate search continued on the ground. The media was also alerted. But back in Comanche, Oklahoma, Maitland's phone was dead, and every call and text from Jacob went unanswered. I was in my house. my phone had died and

Jacob called my little sister who was too far out from me so she called my older sister and my older sister came banging on the door like you would have thought the house was on fire and she just I opened the door and she said Athena's missing

and immediately I said no she's not so I went and got my phone and Jacob's name popped up on my phone. Maitland wasted no time. She got into her car and drove to Paradise, staying on the phone with Jacob almost the entire time. Now, the drive typically took two hours, but she made it in just 45 minutes.

On my way down to Jacob's house, I stayed on the phone of him pretty well most of the way until I got to about Ryan, Oklahoma. And then I just, It felt like I was dying. I couldn't breathe, but I knew I had to keep going. I almost had the brakes because I thought I was having a heart attack. But I just told myself that if I kept going, it would be okay, and I would find her.

By the time Maitland made it, she quickly pulled into the gravel driveway that led to Jacob's house, a driveway that was now full of first responders. She got out of the car to run forward, but an officer stopped her. She told him who she was pleading with him to let her through, but he refused. K-9 units were actively searching, he explained, and her scent could throw off the dogs. Maitland then had no choice but to wait in her Jeep until the dogs cleared the area around 4 a.m. At 4 o'clock in the morning on Saturday, December 1st, an officer had told me that they had taken away the dogs and I could get out of the vehicle, and I asked him, can I search myself?

He said, yes. So Ashley's dad, Jacob's dad, my dad, my uncle, and Jacob and I went out and searched all of Jacob's property and the surrounding properties, even though all of those people were probably sound asleep in their own beds. and we didn't ask permission. And later that day, when more volunteers had come out and more officers arrived, I had talked to a few different investigators throughout the time. I walked lineups. I walked that county road over and over and over again.

I searched Jacobs Ponds, but she wasn't there. On the morning of Thursday, December 1st, 2022, as the citizens of paradise and surrounding towns woke up and heard the news that the little girl was still missing, hundreds of volunteers joined the search. The clock was ticking. Nightfall promised freezing temperatures, and everyone knew that with each passing hour,

time was running out. The story quickly made local and national headlines. Take a look at your screen. This is seven-year-old Athena Strand. She's been missing since last. night. And right now, there's a massive search effort underway to find her. Our Kennedy Walker is live in Wise County near the girls home with the latest on the efforts to bring her home safely. So Kennedy, what's the latest?

Hey, good morning, Karen. This is every parent's worst nightmare. Seven-year-old Athena Strand was last seen right here at her home. Right now, I am standing at the command center. This is where all the volunteers are coming in to check in to come help find her. And I want you guys to just see her photo. Her mom. The mom told police that around 640 last night she went to check on Athena, but she was not there. She was last seen wearing a plaid jacket, jeans and boots. The police began their search last night, but did not have any luck. So they came back this morning, and this morning the Sheriff's Department and several other

law enforcement agencies are combing through the woods to find her. Now hundreds of people have come out to help out, including one woman who says she felt compelled to help because it reminded her of her own daughter. And Sheriff Lane Atkins says that they will continue searching for Athena no matter how long it takes. We're looking at everything from a criminal standpoint or just a missing child. So we're not going to leave anything unturned and we're not going to put the blinders on. It could be any number of things. We're looking at all of those those possibilities. Honestly, as a mother, all I can think about is what her parents are feeling and how lost and how cold and scared she must be. And that's kind of all I've got in my head right now and why I wanted to

get out here and join the search. Now many parents were emotional just like that woman that you just heard from. And Karen, the community response has been amazing. Here it is 11 a.m. on a Thursday, usually people are at work or at school, but instead they are right here in Wise County trying to help find seven-year-old Athena. Now the sheriff is asking anyone who could potentially have any information to call authorities immediate. Back to you. Oh, let's hope they find her soon. Kennedy, thank you so much.

That morning at Paradise Elementary, Athena's desk was empty. Her friends and classmates were upset, and her teacher, Ms. Thompson, said, it was extremely difficult. She said, quote, everyone knew she was not there. I was still having to count her absent.

A lot of kids, you could tell their anxiety, like they were worried. They knew something was wrong, end quote. And as the hours passed, everyone's anxiety grew stronger. Now, believe it or not, authorities had not yet issued an amber alert for Athena. Apparently, in the beginning of the investigation, they believed she had wandered off after arguing with her stepmom about laundry. So they didn't think she met the criteria for an amber alert. However, now, with her still being unaccounted for, authorities were starting to think

that they may be dealing with a child abduction. So finally, the Amber Alert was issued. described Athena as four feet tall, weighing about 65 pounds with dirty blonde hair and blue eyes. She was last seen wearing washed out blue jeans with white flowers embroidered around the front pockets, a gray long-sleeved shirt with white flowers and brown boots. Her ears were pierced, but she wasn't wearing earrings, and she had two red birth marks on her lower back. Now, by Thursday evening, the Wise County Sheriff's Office had notified the FBI for assistance. Meanwhile, her family felt completely helpless as they waited for answers. That evening, Athena's mother, Maitland, turned to social media for help.

On her Facebook page, she posted, Athena is still missing and we are now over the 24-hour point. Thank you to my wonderful family and the large support from the Wise County community. We are continuing our search. I ask that everyone pray. Pray some more, continue to pray and never stop praying. I cannot live without my baby and need her brought home safely to me. Athena didn't walk away or disappear on her own.

I will not give up or stop until I have Athena back. By Friday, December 2nd, they were now on their second day, with no sign of Athena Strand. And strangely enough, even though there were hundreds of people at the Strand property ready to help in the search, investigators sent everyone home. They didn't give anyone a reason as to why. But behind the scenes, once the FBI entered the picture, they were starting to make some headway in their investigation. and it all began with something that was left at the Strand residence on the night Athena disappeared. A brown FedEx delivery box.

Inside the box was Athena's Christmas present, a six-pack of You Can Be Anything Barbie dolls. Now the box wasn't delivered to the Strand's front door. Instead, it was dropped off on the side of an abandoned trailer on the property. Athena's stepmom Ashley had tracked the package and discovered it was delivered around the same time Athena went missing. So investigators quickly contacted the local FedEx to get some more information. Maybe the driver saw something. Maybe they could help give them some answers. Now after a little digging, they learned that the delivery was made by a third party company called Big Topspin. The company contracts with FedEx during peak delivery seasons. And with the

Christmas holiday approaching and the aftermath of Black Friday, they had a lot of deliveries on their hands. But eventually they locate the FedEx truck that made the delivery to the Strand House, and the driver of that truck was 31-year-old Tanner Horner. Hoping to get some answers, Tanner's supervisor at Big Top Spen called him and asked if he remembered delivering a package to 268 County Road. Tanner said he couldn't remember. He delivers a lot of packages. It's hard to recall every single one. But Tanner did agree to come to the police station later that day. He wanted to help. Hours later, when he came in and spoke to investigators, he told them,

You know, I was driving through town today and I saw a lot of police outside of this home. After seeing it, I suddenly remembered. I did deliver a package to that house the other day. The investigators perked up a bit. Tanner said that the house was run down. He said he never saw a little girl outside. But he did see something. Tanner told investigators that he remembered seeing a car.

pull out of the driveway as he was delivering the package. It was an older green Chevy Astro that had sunspots all over it. Immediately after receiving this information, investigators began looking for this so-called car. Now the car didn't match anyone's car in Athena's family, so maybe it was someone in town who drove by and abducted Athena. But while a group of investigators began following that lead, another group kept their eyes on Tanner Horner, the FedEx driver.

They had to check every box, and there was something within Tanner's records that they couldn't ignore. You see, Tanner admitted to delivering those Barbies to Athena's house that day. But when they looked at his records, he marked the package as undelivered. Even further, Tanner had several more deliveries to make after Athena's house, but those packages wouldn't be delivered until the following day. So why the delay? Investigators had Tanner come to the station again, and they asked him about that. Why didn't you deliver those packages?

But Tanner had an answer for them. He claimed that after delivering to the Strand House, he got really sick, so sick that he had to pull over at a Love's truck stop where he vomited. Now, the agents were sensing some deception, but they continued with the interview. Changing the subject, they showed him a photograph of a green Chevy Astrovan. They asked him, is this similar to the one you saw leaving the Strand driveway on the eve? evening Athena disappeared, Tanner told them it was similar. Now, shortly after this, their interview came to an end. The agents watched as Tanner left the station, but it was hard to ignore the feeling that he had something to do with this. That feeling grew even stronger when they

watched him get into his truck. Agent McGuire, who conducted his interview, said that Tanner was visibly nervous. Then they watched as he hopped into his FedEx truck and then backed up into a tree. Mr. Horner in the FedEx van backed out. out of the driveway, across the road, and then struck a tree on the other side of the road. Mr. Horner exited the driver's seat, looked at the rear of the truck, and then got back into the vehicle and left. Did you find that odd, given what you just talked about? Yes, sir.

Did he seem to be paying close attention to what he was doing at that? No, sir. It was strange. Tanner Horner seemed nervous. So much so, he didn't even notice the tree as he back. backed out. To the agents, this looked like a man who the walls were closing in on. And as you've likely concluded, that green card that Tanner said he saw leaving the Strand residence, well, it didn't exist. Tanner was trying to lead investigators away from him,

and they were about to learn why. You see, not only were there discrepancies within Tanner's delivery records, but FedEx actually confirmed that Tanner's delivery truck was equipped with cameras. Velocitor, the third-party company that installed the cameras, was contacted by the FBI, and they immediately handed over the footage. Investigators started looking through it on the night that Athena disappeared. Now it only recorded in one-minute increments, but there on the screen they saw the driver, Tanner Horner. He was an average-looking man. In his early 30s, his ears are pierced. He's wearing a flat bill hat and a FedEx long-sleeve shirt. For the majority of the footage, he was seen driving, grabbing packages from the back and delivering them. But then,

they found what they were looking for. In the video, Tanner is sitting in the seat, like he had been that entire day. His hands are on the wheel. His seatbelt is on. However, standing behind him in the cargo area of the truck is seven-year-old Athena Strain. Finally, after 48 hours, they had the answers they were looking for. Tanner Lynn Horner was a 31-year-old average guy. He had a fiancé and a child. He had no criminal record. But now, he was the suspect in a missing child case.

However, at this point, there was no indication that Athena had been harmed. The only evidence they had showed her inside his truck, alive, talking, and seemingly well. So they hoped that Athena was still alive. A search warrant was then quickly obtained for Tanner's residence, and on December 2nd, 2022, around 3.30 p.m., members of the SWAT team and the Texas Rangers surrounded the house on Somerville Place Road. The photographs showed Tanner's room in complete disarray. Clothes, garbage, and children's toys were scattered across the floor. An investigator noted that the space smelled of rotting food and trash.

Even outside of the room, large amounts of trash had accumulated. As the police presence grew around his home, neighbors were shocked. Rumors began to spread on Facebook that it was connected to the disappearance of Athena Strand. One neighbor claimed it freaked her out, and another said, you kind of forget that you never know who your neighbor is. But Tanner was found near the residence and was taken to the police station for questioning without incident. Inside an interrogation room, Tanner knew that he was in big trouble, and he seemed to know exactly why.

When they asked why the missing Athena Strand was seen in the back of his FedEx truck, he even offered an explanation. Tanner told investigator Joseph Oliver and Texas Ranger Job Espinoza that the day started out like any other. He had been delivering packages along his route. Towards the end of the workday, he delivered a package to 268 County Road 3573. He had just placed the package outside of the abandoned trailer on the property, and that's where everything went wrong. He said he was backing his truck out when he accidentally hit something.

Tanner said that he got out of his truck to see that the thing he hit was a little girl. Now, he admitted that she was not seriously injured, but he panicked. She seemed like she wasn't too incredibly hurt, but it was a panic. I didn't want to do it. I mean, I can lose my job, lose my source of income. Everything wasn't all. I didn't know what to do. Okay.

So like, what do you do longer out of the trip? I listened to this. There's a little worse in my head and I told me. Just grab her and go and I think. Okay. According to Tanner, as they drove down the road, Athena seemed to know that she was in danger. She asked him, are you a kidnapper?

Tanner told her no. She kept asking where he was taking her, but he couldn't seem to give her an answer. So he kept changing the subject, asking her random questions. She was working down to get in that. And would you tell her? I told her no.

She lived off the school when we were going. I didn't know what to tell her, so I just would just talk to her about random things. I don't. I didn't. It's a way. She was a sweet kid. I was sure I grew up for a bit just trying to figure out

what I was going to do about the situation. And what's she doing? Asking questions, just, we're just talking at this point. Yeah, she's sitting down, she's standing up, is she, in the past of your seat, where is she going? She's, she's sitting out, and she's in the back. Okay. What she asking? Just random things, like, I just had to talk.

Mm-hmm. It was, I don't know. When you were talking to her, did she tell you her name? Yeah. That's her name. Okay. Did she tell you her full name? Or does she just not have a friend?

Did she tell you her last name? No, she didn't know her last name. So she just took her name as a Tena. Right. Which I actually thought that was pretty cool because, you know, like, orthology and stuff. Yeah. According to him, Athena threatened to tell her father about how he hit her with his truck.

truck. Tanner said he was scared, and as he drove down a private dirt road, a voice inside his head repeatedly told him to hurt Athena in order to save himself. Now, when pressed for more information on that, he hesitated. Texas Ranger Espinosa pulled his chair closer and told him it was okay to speak. Get it off your chest. We went on this prayer around and I listened to that little voice again. It's all right. It's all right. No, it's not all right.

But it's all right to tell me. It's okay to tell me. You got to get it overreaching. Tanner said he listened to the voice in his head, and he tried to make her death as quick as possible. He attempted to break her neck, but it didn't work. Athena started crying. Then, using his bare hands,

he said he strangled the seven-year-old child to death. in the back of the FedEx truck. Let's backtrack a little bit away to that probably low and down. When the voice is telling me to her, how did it start? Did you say anything to her? Did you explain that you had to do what you had to do?

Yeah, I can be giving something on that? I just told her to turn around and... You motioned. You choked her? One hand or two hands? Two. What? Was she facing away from you? What are you doing? And sorry, Rof, I tried good.

Oh, you jumped right next. I tried to break her night making as quickly as possible, but it didn't work. She's not right. I do. Next, Tanner talks about what he did after killing Athena. After she stopped moving, Tanner stated that he kept her body in the back of the truck and started driving down a secluded area off a dirt road when he saw some bamboo. He said he decided to toss her in it.

Is there any voices telling me anything at that time after you just to get her out of the truck or anything like that? Or was that just kind of a decision we made? I just tossed her in. I couldn't just keep running around with the kid in the back like that. I just tossed her in the bush or burning what I call it. And you sure she was out of the phone. Not alive at that time? I was relatively sure.

Okay. I mean, I didn't check her army or anything, but I'm relatively sure that she wasn't alive. Okay. As for why he murdered her, he said he feared losing his job, his family, and his only source of income. If anyone found out he accidentally hit her, his life was over. Did you mainly do her because you didn't want to get in trouble for him? Did he ask for her, legally, or what? Essentially, I was panicking.

I didn't know what to do. It almost seems like it was a dream. Everything was at risk. My job, my family, everything. Now, it's very clear what's on everyone's mind at this point. Tanner claimed he did what he did because he was scared about getting in trouble. But the more obvious reason is that he did it because of a second. sexual motivation. However, before they could even get to that part, Tanner answered it for them.

I think they're not you're about to ask them. No, I didn't. What are I going to ask? You're going to ask if I said. You didn't say? No, sir. So everything's going to tell me that you didn't send me? With my medication now, even really have much of a little email. Okay. See what you did to live? I feel hurt. Mm-hmm. Now, following this interview, investigators asked him where Athena was, and Tanner responded, I can show you. From there, he led them to a remote area in town with thick vegetation, but after combing through the brush, Athena wasn't there. Next, Tanner led them to another location in town, but she wasn't there either. Their patience was growing thin. But finally, on Friday, December 2, 2022, two days after Athena was reported missing, Tanner gave

them the correct location. Investigators then made their way to a rural area. near the Trinity River. It was about nine miles away from Athena's home. And there, in the water, they found her. FBI agent Dave Rogers would later say, I remember her being really cold to the touch, firm, and with the lights and everything on the skin, her skin appeared to be glistening, kind of angel-like.

Athena's family members were at the Cottonville Baptist Church when her body was found. Wise County Sheriff Lane Aiken was tasked with delivering the news. He had 50 years of law enforcement expertise, and even then, it didn't make it any easier. So we felt like we knew where she was, but we weren't sure. And so we got the family into that church, and there was a room off to the side away from the assembly hall.

And I went in with them and told them that it's not looking good, but we're not sure. So I asked him to give me about 30 minutes and I would come back that I could bring the truth back to them and what the findings were. So I went with the sack from FBI. I went down to Volvo Crossing and the bridge. And we both went down to the river. And that allowed me the opportunity to tell them exactly what was true. truth. It's something that's really hard to do. But my focus was that family. I wanted them to know before any of the media. I wanted them to know. And so that gave me the opportunity to go back

and have that second meeting with the family. And it was heartbreaking. And they were just devastated. I don't know there were probably eight or ten members of the family in there, and it was a Sunday school room, classroom. I wish I could have done something to make it better, you know, because we were hoping, right to the last minute, we were hoping that she was alive and well. But the information I brought back was not what they wanted to hear. Even before the words came out of his mouth, Maitland knew. She would later say, quote, It's hard to look people in the face when you're giving them the worst news of your life.

And so I knew when he walked into the room and he was looking down and he had his lips rolled in. I don't remember what he said. I just remember feeling broken and empty and I couldn't breathe. I literally stopped breathing. It took my dad and the FBI trauma agent to make me start breathing again. I don't know. how to describe that feeling. And I think a lot of people in those experiences try to block it out. I just remember the feeling of not being able to breathe, end quote. But when Maitland finally could

catch her breath, she had a hard time believing this was her reality. She wanted proof that who they found was her daughter. She wanted to see her with her own eyes. But Sheriff Aiken refused. He told her that Athena no longer looked like her seven-year-old child. I wanted to tell Sheriff Bacon that he didn't know what he was talking about. I asked him if I could confirm that that was my daughter, and he told me no, because she looks too bad, and I went into a place of denial. I stopped breathing, and I started to black out as I heard Ashley screaming. I knew it.

I knew it was him. After the discovery of Athena's body, Tanner Horner was transported to the Wise County Jail, where he was officially charged with capital murder and aggravated kidnapping. His bond was set at $1.5 million. But now it was time to tell the public about their discovery. Her body was recovered about two hours ago, maybe three, six miles that direction. It hurts our hearts to know that that child died. So much so that she is on her way now to the medical examiner's office.

and there's a Texas Ranger in front of her, and there's a Texas Ranger behind her. This community does not like losing our children, and we could see it because of all the people who came out and helped us throughout this ordeal. It was most meaningful what the citizens did because we have a close-knit group of folks here in Wise County. And it's our pleasure to serve these folks in Wise County, the Rangers, the FBI, and the Sheriff's Office. We're glad that we've had this opportunity, but we're just sad that it didn't end the way that we would hope that it would end. We knew early on in the investigation that there had been a FedEx driver made a delivery in front of the house, about the same time that little Athena, seven-year-old Athena,

came up missing, and continued good work by this investigative team. They were able to determine that the driver abducted Athena. This driver is a contract driver, and his name is Tanner Lynn Horner. He's 31, and he's from Lake Worth. He's in the Wise County Jail right now because of the good work of these people and all the folks out there who have helped. That day, Maitland posted an update on Facebook saying, I don't want her to be the girl known as the one murdered and discarded by a monster.

I want everyone to know every single person in this world that this is my baby and my baby was taken from me. I want everyone to know her face and her voice and just how wonderful of a person she is. As the news spread about Athena's murderer, the community as well as the entire nation was heartbroken. For her classmates at Paradise Elementary, they were forced to face a horrifying truth that no seven-year-old should even have to think about. Their parents had to sit them down and explain to them that there are bad people in the world

and that one of those bad people killed their friend and classmate. Associate Pastor Phil Erickson, who had a son in Athena's class, told the Fort Worth Star Telegram, quote, We got my boys around, and when I told him,

his eyes just widened and his head just dropped. He started crime. end quote. Many of Athena's friends had the same reaction. In our first grade class, Athena made her presence known. She was bright, friendly, and talkative. And on Monday, December 5th, 2022,

when students returned to Paradise Elementary, her desks sat MD once again. This time, they all knew she was gone. Her teacher, Ms. Thompson, said that they had a lot of resources for the children. But even so, it was a really difficult day. You know, as six and seven-year-olds, they have a really hard time understanding the loss of a friend. We did a lot of grief groups.

We read stories, just trying to help them start that grieving and healing process. And in this particular situation, are they aware of what it happened to? Yes, they were. So they know that she was taken against her wheel and work? Yes. And these kids are how old? Six and seven. That week, over 25 school districts in the area announced that in honor of Athena,

students and teachers would wear pink, her favorite color. They called it a pink out, and the community of paradise followed, lighting up the entire town with pink bows, flowers, balloons, and hearts. It's hard to miss all of the pink spread throughout the community on the road heading from Boyd into paradise. We just wanted to show support for the Strand family. You know, it's a tight-knit community around here, even though it's one town over. We're all family. Heather King is just one of at least a dozen neighbors who traveled around town Sunday,

decorating with pink ribbons, balloons, anything pink they could find. Pink was Athena Strand's favorite color. Now the community is lit up in pink in memory of her. We're going to focus on her and the good things and the love that she brought, and we're not going to focus on the tragedy. This is not what we want our town to be remembered by. We are a loving community. We don't want this tattooed on our city.

On Tuesday, December 6th, 2022, a candlelight vigil was held at the first Baptist church of Cottondale, where a huge pink cross was put up. Thousands of people came wearing pink shirts where they prayed, sang, in lit candles to mourn the loss of an innocent child. If you're wondering what love... But my hardened prayers go out to Athena's mom and her family.

Or support feels like, then look no further than the front lawn of First Baptist Cottondale. Just overwhelming all the candles and all the love. It's where thousands squeezed together along a small country road to remember Athena Strand Tuesday night. I don't know how to thank you guys for all that y'all have done for my family, but especially for my baby.

It is where the mother of Athena spoke publicly for the first time since her little girl was taken from her last week. And I just want to keep her face and her story alive because I want everyone to know Athena for Athena and not for what someone tried to make her out to be. because she's the best little girl. She really was. Photos of the first grader lie in the front of the stage as pink illuminated the night sky. Athena's favorite color, a Christmas angel

placed on the stage representing the seven-year-old. He brought her into his heavenly home where there is no hate, where there is no hurt. Every single one of my students plays an important role in our classroom family, and now we are missing one of those important people. Strand's teacher also spoke. They knew each other for only a few months, but this loving smile left a lasting impression. I now have 18 of my favorite six and seven-year-olds that are sad and hurting because they no longer have a friend and classmate.

It's hard to put into words how much this community is hurting. Y'all are making me cry saying Athena's strong, so I needed to be strong for her. Or how much this mother is hurting. But her one wish, her one request is simple. as she and her family await justice. I don't care if it's five years from now, 10 years from now, 20 years from now, remember Athena Strand. Now that very day was the first day

that Maitland was finally allowed to see her daughter. She arrived at the funeral home at 8 a.m. She had actually told Athena's father, Jacob, to get there at 9 a.m. Maitland arrived an hour early because she wanted to see what Athena's body would look like before Jacob arrived. When she walked into the room that morning,

nothing could have prepared her for what she saw. The lifeless body of her daughter had scrapes, cuts, and handprint bruises around her neck. Her ears were messed up, and she had incision lines, and her chin was scraped up. And so we put her in a hospital gown because I didn't have clothes for her and she was naked.

And I searched her body looking for any reason that that wasn't my baby. And then we did her makeup. So Jacob wouldn't have to see the discoloration and how bad it was. I'm going to make a guess that the thing that didn't stay in that little gown very well. Did she?

No, she did not. It wasn't pretty enough. Tell me what mom does to go big stuff. Well, I wasn't from Wise County. I didn't know where to go or what to do, and I couldn't sleep. So I wondered around Walmart until I found a few dresses to pick from. and I wanted to make sure that she was just, when I got to her, she was so cold,

and she didn't like the cold. So I wanted to make sure that she was dressed. So I picked out clothes. I picked out socks and panties and shoes and leggings and dresses. And I wanted to make sure she had one of her bows. I got her some boats. On December 9th, Athena Strand was officially laid to rest. A company named Sol Shine Industries made a custom pink casket for her.

The same company actually made custom caskets for 19 of the children murdered in Yuvaldi. So they do great work. Maitland later shared photos of the casket and said, Jacob and I, as well as Athena's entire family, would like to thank Trey with Sol Shine Industries. He helped us capture our Viking princess in a way we didn't think was possible. Athena looked very comfortable in her bed. But that day, they finally said their goodbyes

to their angel who was taken far too soon. From there, even though it seemed like life was moving forward, no one forgot about Athena. At school, her teacher, Miss Thompson, placed a mailbox outside the first grade classroom for students to write letters and draw pictures for Athena. Eventually it was moved inside the classroom, but the students said it reminded them too much of what happened.

to her. The mailbox was moved again, this time to the front office, where students continue to write letters throughout the rest of the school year. Ms. Thompson said there were over 100 letters and drawings by the end of the year. As for how it affected her, she said she had to go through counseling, and now she makes sure to give her students hugs before they leave for the day. I have been through hours of therapy, trying to heal from this. It is for everyone. changed my life, forever changed how I teach my kids. One of the biggest moments of struggle for me was one day I had a little girl. She came out into the hall. This was about three months after everything. And she was crying. And she sat down and she said, Ms. Thompson, I really miss Athena,

but I'm afraid that this is going to happen to me too. Ms. Thompson said she didn't even know how to respond. How can you? In January of 2003, Mattel donated 2,000 Barbie dolls and other their toys to cook children's medical center in Fort Worth in honor of Athena. Her mother, Maitland, specifically chose the hospital because Athena had been hospitalized there for three days in September 2022, and she had a great experience. Devastatingly, in the months after Athena's death, her sister, who was around four years old, kept asking about Athena. But Maitland couldn't bring herself to tell her the truth about what happened. I didn't know how to tell her, and I didn't think I was strong enough to tell her.

So I lied to her for a long time. I would tell her that she was just staying with her daddy for a little bit longer. And when she asked to FaceTime her or to call her, I would tell her that she was at school

or she was sleeping. Maitland continued telling her daughter this for months. It was just easier than facing their horrible reality. For Athena's father, Jacob, He turned to alcohol to cope. He had trouble sleeping at night and refused to eat. He admitted that the stress of all of it caused him to lose 50 pounds.

His relationship with his wife Ashley began to crumble. Athena's older sister Alice began going to therapy, but she continued to suffer from horrific nightmares, replaying what happened to her sister, her best friend. Her grades began to slip. She stopped trusting others. And when a delivery driver pulled into their driveway, she would run and hide.

Athena's stepmother Ashley said she was no longer the same person. She too had a hard time trusting people. And many around Paradise, Texas, said the same thing. After the incident, FedEx released a statement saying, Words cannot describe our shock and sorrow at the reports surrounding this tragic event. First and foremost, our thoughts are with the family during this most difficult time, and we continue to cooperate fully with the investigating authorities. At this time, any further questions should be direct.

to law enforcement. Now, people usually love delivery drivers. For decades, we've trusted them to drop off packages safely at our homes, something that rarely raises concern. But after Athena's murder, that sense of trust was broken. When someone pulled into a driver with a package, neighbors called their children inside. Others watched the drivers with suspicion. FedEx, Amazon, UPS, and other companies started a campaign on social media with the slogan,

your babies are safe on my route, desperately hoping to regain the public's trust. Now, Athena's father Jacob filed a wrongful death lawsuit against FedEx and big topspin citing negligence and assault. The lawsuit alleged that both companies failed to properly investigate Tanner's background, including his mental health history and previous employment, and that they did not adequately supervise him. Jacob's attorney said the family wanted to prevent billion-dollar organizations from insulating themselves from liability by using fly-by-night contractors instead of acknowledging the responsibility

they bear when they trust them to come on to our property, to our doorsteps, and even inside our homes. Jacob was seeking $1 million in damages, the maximum allowed by law. FedEx responded by stating that its drivers undergo criminal background checks and that Tanner Horner had no prior record. In the months after Athena's death, people were also calling for a change in Amber alerts. At the time, An alert was only issued if authorities believed a child had been abducted. As we mentioned earlier, Athena's alert was delayed because they believed she wandered off after arguing with her stepmom. And during that time, precious hours were lost.

So in June of 2023, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed the Athena Alert bill into law, allowing Amber alerts to be sent out quickly in cases involving missing children. The new alert would be issued within a 100-mile radius of, the disappearance and two neighboring counties. Athena's mother said, quote, I would like to thank Governor Abbott and Texas lawmakers for expediting the Athena Alert and for everyone who supported this life-saving legislation. It has been six months since Athena was killed and every day has been an indescribable struggle. It gives me comfort to know that Athena's legacy will live on and help save the lives of other Texas children, end quote. Months after month changes were being made, but more than

anything, the entire nation was waiting for justice. And during that wait, more charges were filed against Athena's killer. In fact, while still incarcerated, Tanner Horner was hit with three additional charges related to sexual assault against a child under the age of 17 in Tarrant County. But these charges were unrelated to Athena. They actually stemmed from three separate incidents that occurred in 2013. So clearly, this man was a predator through and through. We will get into all of that here soon. In 2024, Tanner Horner's attorneys filed a motion for a change of venue stating, the publicity has been inflammatory and created such hostility towards the defendant and has prejudiced the opinions of members of the community to such a

degree that it is unlikely a jury could be selected, which could render a verdict solely on the evidence presented at trial. She added, Mr. Horner believes he cannot and will not get fair and uninformed jurors who are capable of setting aside the publicity that has occurred, much less ignore the media coverage that will occur once the trial has begun. A few months later, in September, 2024, a Wise County judge agreed, and Tanner's trial would be moved to neighboring Tarrant County. Tanner's defense attorneys, Susan Anderson and Steve Goebel, also sought to remove the death penalty as a possible sentence, citing his autism diagnosis.

They argued that it reduces his moral blameworthiness, negates the retributive and deterrent purposes of capital punishment and exposes him to the unacceptable risk that he will be wrongfully sentenced to death. However, the judge denied the motion to remove the death penalty. For the next few years, we all waited patiently for his day in court, which began just recently in April of 2006. Now, for the past month, I have been following this case, watching hours and hours of court footage every single day,

and the information that has been released is more disturbing than you could ever even imagine. In the beginning, the story surrounding Athena's case was that Tanner Horner was delivering a package to her house when he accidentally hit her with his truck. Then in a panic, he abducted and killed her, not wanting to get in trouble. He claimed his motive was self-preservation, but for years, many people were questioning whether that was true. And as you've likely concluded, it's not. During his trial, it's been revealed that Tanner Horner's motivations were much darker, and Athena's last few moments of life were absolutely horrific. Now, up until this part of the episode, we've walked you through the case from the public's

perspective over the last few years. But for the remainder of the episode, we are going to tell you all of the details that came out during Tanner Horner's trial. In trigger warning, it is incredibly hard to hear. When Tanner Horner was first charged in the case, he pleaded not guilty. But years later, on April 7, 2006, he stood in front of Judge George Gallagher and stunned the courtroom with a sudden change to his plea. Mr. Horner, to the charge of Capitol Murray, you may plead guilty or not guilty? What is your plea? Guilty, Your Honor. With Tanner admitting guilt, the jury would now have to decide whether he would spend the rest of his life in his life.

prison or be sentenced to death, which meant details of the case would still have to be discussed in court. During opening statements, Wise County District Attorney James Stanton warned the jury that the details of this case were going to be hard to hear. No one, though, was prepared for what was about to be revealed. November 30 of 2022 was a Wednesday. Kids have just gotten back from Thanksgiving break. Any of y'all have ever been in school, you know that that's a bit of a chaotic time for a teacher. They just got back and what I'm looking forward to? Christmas. And who's arriving Christmas? What I like to call the modern day Santa Claus. Amazon. Right. FedEx. UPS. When Tanner Horner rolled up that day, he rolled up a law. He rolled up

bringing what we thought would be joy and happiness and a package. And you're going to see the package and you're going to see what he was bringing. Why wouldn't Athena be happy to see the FedEx guy, right? He's got a Walmart box. Well, that's not what he brought that day. What you're going to see is that he brought violence, fear, and death. That's what he brought with him. So first off, I want to apologize to y'all for what we're going to have to bring you.

The evidence in this case is rough. It is not what I want to show anyone, but it's what's required. It's what's required to show you what he did. Back in November of 2022, Tanner Horner was delivering packages to people all over Paradise, Texas. At trial, the prosecution showed video from inside his FedEx truck, video that showed him looking completely normal. In between delivering packages, it showed him listening to music, singing along to the different songs, and occasionally smoking,

cigarettes. But in the days before Athena's murder, it showed something particularly disturbing. Just down the street from Athena's home was the Huffman family. They also had two young girls who often played in the front yard, just like Athena did, girls who were around Athena's age. And just three days before Athena's murder, Tanner Horner showed up to the Huffman house to deliver a package. But before arriving at the house, Tanner did something completely out of the ordinary. He used a sticky note to cover the front-facing camera of the FedEx truck. Now, why he covered it? We don't know.

He had never done that before. But while delivering the package to the Huffman home, Tanner actually spoke to the young girls outside. He rolled down his window and yelled out to them, asking if they could get an adult to come get the package. And that's exactly what they did. Moments later, the girl's father, Kevin Huffman, stepped outside. Tanner handed him the package.

He told Kevin he didn't want to spoil the girl's Christmas present, so he didn't want to deliver it while the girls were standing there. It seemed like a really thoughtful gesture. Kevin Huffman would later say that there was nothing suspicious about Tanner. He had no reason to believe this was a bad guy. Of course, he didn't know that Tanner had covered up his camera before driving onto his property, or that in just a few days, he'd murder the little girl across the street.

Now after this, Tanner continued with his delivery routine. But on November 29, 22, just like he had done a few days prior, before delivering to the Huffman House, Tanner once again covered his front-facing camera with a sticky note. Why? Again, we don't know. But Tanner claimed it was a normal delivery day. That is until he pulled up to the Strand House. He said that after delivering their package, he was backing up out of the driveway.

when he accidentally hit something, he got out of the truck to see that it was a little girl. Not wanting to get in trouble, he picked her up and put her into the truck. There's a haunting image from this case that you've likely seen. It's of Athena Strand standing in the cargo area as Tanner Horner drives off down the road. But looking at that image, Tanner's story doesn't make much sense.

If he did hit her with his truck, you would think you'd see an injured Athena. Perhaps she'd be crying. maybe bruised up or bleeding. But that wasn't the case. Athena is seen kneeling in the back of the truck, completely fine. She's not crying. She has no visible injuries at all.

Because Tanner's version of events was a complete lie. That evening, as he pulled into the Strand's driveway, he saw Athena on the property. You can see him looking around, eyeing her. He then gets out of the car and drops off her package. Now he covered his front-facing camera, but the camera inside the truck was still rolling, and it showed that he didn't hit her with his car.

He didn't have to abduct her to save himself. Athena was seen at the back of his vehicle unharmed when he grabbed her, lifted her up, placed her in the back of the truck, and then closed the door. Then, the truck's camera captured him saying this. First thing Tanner Horner says to Athena, when he picks her up and puts her in that,

Try it. He leans down and he says, don't scream or I'll hurt you. Says that twice. After abducting Athena, Tanner Horner took off down the road, further and further away from her house. Athena is clearly terrified. She asks him over and over,

where are we going? He yells at her to sit down. It doesn't matter, he says. Athena steps closer to him, kneeling down behind him in the cargo area of the truck. And she asks him multiple times, are you a kidnapper? Now we talked about that image of her kneeling down behind him.

Sadly, that's the last image we have of her. Because shortly after that, Tanner covered the camera inside the truck with another sticky note. And because he covered it, we don't know exactly what happened next. However, the audio is still rolling. It's never been released to the public, but it was played in court. Here is what the district attorney told the jury at Tanner's trial.

Tanner Warner shows up. So there's package. Leads with a thing. We have video of it, and we're going to show it. Now, you may be thinking, wow, maybe we have video of the whole thing. Nope. Somebody covered up the camera. because they don't want you to sit.

Guess what? Audio is still running, and you're going to hear it. You're 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. I've been doing this 25 years, and I promise you, buckle up.

Now, you're going to be able to hear it all on audio. But I'm going to tell you right now, the one thing you're going to hear that is something that you can't unhear, is the level of fight that a seven-year-old girl has when she's facing down certain death. We talk about warriors in America. I'll tell you,

that we'll go right there as a warrior. She fought with the strength of a hundred men. When he first put her in the back of the truck, he threatened her. But now, as they drive down the road, all of a sudden he became friendly. Tanner began asking her questions. What's your name?

What grade are you in? Where do you go to school? What are your teacher's names? And Athena answers them. But she's nervous. Why wouldn't she be? She keeps asking where they're going. She asks again if he's a kidnapper.

But Tanner keeps asking her questions. You're really pretty. You know that? He says. Now at this point Tanner pulls the truck over. Athena asks him, Is this your house? Tanner replies,

No, I don't live around here. Soon after, Tanner starts the truck again and they take off down the road. Athena asks, what are we doing? Tanner says, hanging out for a bit. Athena repeatedly asked what they were doing and Tanner told her to hold on. She replied, okay. It's here where Tanner pulls the truck over again. Then on the footage, he's heard telling Athena to take her shirt off.

Athena says no several times. She says, my mommy says somebody shouldn't be doing this. me. But sadly, based on the audio, he doesn't stop. Trigger warning for this next part, but according to Rebecca Lopez, who was in the courtroom that day, Athena just starts crying for a while. Quote, she asks him several times, what are you doing? The poor child says, ouch, ouch, ouch, multiple times. She asks him again, what are you doing? End quote. And based on the sounds that came next, it is very clear that Athena was sexually assaulted

in the back of that truck. According to the people in the room hearing the audio, you could hear grunting, gagging, and then tragically, you can hear the sounds of him trying to kill her. Tanner calls her a bitch multiple times. There were loud bangs inside the truck as Athena fought for her life.

Now, according to Tanner's own confess, and based on Athena's autopsy findings, he tried strangling her. Chief medical examiner Dr. Jessica Dwyer stated that there were internal injuries to the front of Athena's neck and airways. There was also a significant injury to her tongue, likely from biting down on it during the struggle. But after Athena lost consciousness, the footage suggests that Tanner got back into the driver's seat and took off down the road. Rebecca Lopez, who is in the courtroom listening, said, quote, you can hear her struggle, you can hear her crying, and then it gets quiet.

We all assume she's passed, and then all of a sudden we will hear a gasp, then we will hear a cry, then we will hear her groan, end quote. So Tanner pulls the car over again, continuing to strangle her. Something eerie they noted was that Tanner was putting his flashers on on the side of the road as he strangled Athena. They said you could hear cars passing, people driving by who had no idea what was going on back there.

You could hear a struggle again. Then all would go quiet. Then Tanner would get back into the driver's seat and take off down the road once more. But Athena was still alive. It seemed as if the strangulation wasn't working. So it's here where Tanner tried a different method. Rebecca Lopez said,

quote, At one point, you hear some, stomping and slamming, like he's trying to hurt her more. Dr. Dwyer's findings indicated that Athena had multiple blunt force injuries to her face, head, and neck. Many of the abrasions had a zigzag pattern. It was found on the right side of the forehead, her right temple, the middle of the forehead, above the left eyebrow, across both upper eye areas, below the left eye, around her ear,

across the nose, and across the midface, including cheeks and upper lip. These findings indicated that Athena suffered repeated blunt force impacts to the head and face. Now, that zigzag pattern that they mentioned, either came from the soul of Tanner's shoe or possibly the floor of the FedEx van, or maybe both. After the attack, everything goes quiet again. Then Athena starts crying. She's endured so much. She's in pain.

During the times when Tanner tried to kill her, she vomited and defecated on herself. but she's still alive. She talks about wanting her mommy. But while she's crying, Tanner is heard yelling at her to shut up as he drives down the road. He says, if you don't shut up,

I'm going to come back there and hurt you worse. Disturbingly, as Athena is crying in the back of the truck, the song Jingle Bell Rock comes on. With the holidays right around the corner, Christmas music has just started to fill the radio stations. And there,

With a seven-year-old girl on the verge of death in the back of his truck, Tanner starts singing along. Eventually, he pulls over for a final time, and it's there where Tanner kills Athena after about an hour of torturing her. Although not described step by step, Dr. Dwyer concluded that Athena died as a result of smothering, strangulation, and blunt force trauma. She described her body as completely congested from the neck up,

meaning that blood had pooled in the upper portion of her body due to impaired circulation, consistent with asphyxial injury. There was hemorrhaging in the whites of her eyes, along with injuries to her chest, neck, and face. The extent of the trauma was so severe that Dr. Dwyer noted injuries to Athena's neck, head, shoulders, face, the back of her head, and the upper portions of both her back and chest. All of those areas had injuries, she told the jury.

Tanner later admitted that after a killing Athena, he drove to a remote part of town. When no cars were around, he dragged her naked body across the road and walked to an area called Bobo's Crossing. He then picked her up and tossed her in the water. Now at around 7 p.m., he finally removed the sticky note from the camera inside his truck.

When he does, it shows him back in the driver's seat. He's at a Love's gas station. He was there because he needed to clean the back of his truck. Athena's vomit and feces were on the floor in the back cargo area. But he didn't want to leave a paper trail purchasing cleaning supplies. So instead, he walked into the Love's gas station and asked the clerk if he could borrow some cleaning material.

Surprisingly, she said yes and gave him some disinfecting spray and paper towels. From there, Tanner used it to clean up the back of the truck. Now, something to note is that FedEx drivers typically pick up their trucks from the facility, make their deliveries for the day, and then at the end of their day they will drop the truck back off. The next morning, when they show up to work, they might still have the same truck as the day before, where they might not. It just depends. But Tanner wanted to make sure he kept that same truck. So while driving back to the FedEx facility, he called his supervisor and made a request.

something bad earlier. But I kind of threw out at the back of the truck, which I'm still good to work tomorrow, don't worry. But I did eat something that did agree with me and it kind of changed out. Oh, Cindy?

Do you want to let me lock it out? Um, I just stopped at love and I used a paper towel and sanitizer spray. Well, you see what you can do quickly, but I mean, just clean it out. I'll let it taste know. I mean, I already cleaned enough, but I just got done cleaning it enough.

We're going from a yard and played a dab together and we'll stick you back on that truck. Yeah, it sounds bad. I got rid of this burrow up, I couldn't get rid of this smell. You can't get rid of this. I hope you're feeling better. Oh, I try to figure out when I felt a lot better. I'm still doing a little bit nodding this whole day. Well, I'm... I'm not really good enough. I appreciate you knocking out the route. I can deal with being cautious.

Well, you'll get a good guy, please. And we've got a big day tomorrow. I don't know. Let me figure what's the line. I don't. I'm going to get ready to call you. I'm going to let him know. I can let you know as well.

I'll take you back. All right. Thank you. Have a good evening. All right, thanks, Tanner. After speaking with his supervisor, Tanner called his fiancé Cassie. Apparently, she had tried to reach him while he was cleaning the back of the truck. When he called her back, he gave her the same story.

He got sick and vomited in his truck. Before Tanner pulled up to the entrance of the FedEx terminal, as if trying to make sure no one could see a pile of little girls' clothes. After parking, he looked around the area, appearing to check whether he was alone. At 1.55 a.m., he picked up the house. the clothing, briefly looked it over, and then bundled the socks and white underwear into the jeans, before placing them into his black backpack. He then slung the bag over his right shoulder and exited the area. Then from there, he made his way home. Disturbingly, it was later discovered

that Tanner actually had sex with his fiance that night, despite sexually assaulting a seven-year-old girl just hours earlier. He said he did this because he wanted to prove to himself that he wasn't a pedophile, and I guess having sex with his fiancé proved that to him somehow. That night, Tanner also spent a lot of time on the internet. He accessed an image that showed a three-circle diagram that labeled BDSM, autism, nerd shit, and Catholicism. He also searched for a book titled, Hot and Bothered, How to Think About, Talk About, and Have the Sex You Really Want. Internet searches also included, my fiancee's family makes me out to be a demon, YouTuber with the highest network. worth and multiple Paradise Missing Girl searches.

He also viewed several photos of Athena on her family members' Facebook pages and kept up with their search efforts on social media. Some searches suggested he was getting nervous about getting caught. In fact, at one point, Tanner even searched, do FedEx truck cameras constantly record? The following day, Tanner was back at work as if nothing happened. He was delivering packages along his route. But at some point, his boss calls him. Tanner looks nervous.

He immediately pulls the truck over and answers. And to his dismay, his boss was wanting to know if he had heard about an Amber alert for a seven-year-old girl. Here is a portion of that call. I just, I need to get a little info for you on the delivery you had yesterday.

Yeah. It's going to and she did and she lives in her. Unfortunately, the rest of the call was cut off. But from there, Tanner continued on his delivery route. At some point, he attempted to drive down a county road that was blocked by multiple vehicles. He repeatedly honked his horn to get someone's attention.

When someone finally walks over, he asked if he was allowed to drive down the road to deliver packages. The person responded that a seven-year-old girl was missing, and Tanner said, Oh shit. Here is a portion of that video. What's going on? Several minutes passed as Tanner drove past multiple people, including some on horseback in ATV who were actively searching for Athena.

He nodded and waved as he drove by them, but really he was frustrated. He even pulls out a cigarette and smokes it while driving by the search party. He begins honking at the people blocking the road, throwing his hands in the air upset. He honks again and says to himself, I can't get through, there's people in the way.

He couldn't care less about Athena. He knew she was already dead. The only thing he cared about was delivering his packages and completing his route. Eventually, the searcher walks up to his truck and says you can pull up and ask them to go through, but there's been a kidnapping and it's blocked off. Tanner says, are you serious?

Acting like he's incredibly concerned. You can pull up and ask them to get through, but they're pretty kidnapping. So it's all walked off. You don't have to just pull up and ask for the bell letting through, but there's just a seven-year location. Is serious? Sorry, my office. How are you hearing? But if you pull up and ask the officer for a parent, it's all locked down.

But as you know, Tanner's crimes would come back to haunt him. And soon enough, he was sitting in a police department interrogation room. Now, for the first few hours of the interrogation, Tanner didn't admit to much. At first, he admitted to hitting Athena with his truck, but he didn't really reveal much else. So at this point, investigators thought she might still be alive. They quickly got search warrants to search Tanner's home. When they showed up to the house, they found that he lived with his mother, grandmother, and brother. The investigators made them come outside the Horner property while it was being searched.

And sure enough, they would find some disturbing evidence. In a pile of discarded trash, they found Athena's blue multicolored socks. They found a pair of her white Haynes underwear and her blue jeans with embroidered flowers on the pockets. They also found Tanner's FedEx shirt. There were white stains on it that appeared to be semen. The same stains were found on his underwear. And it's with these discoveries that investigators figured that Athena was no longer alive. And back at the police station, they turned up the heat.

But that's where Tanner Horner's alter ego came into the picture. Rather than admit fault and tell the investigators that he was responsible for Athena's murder, he blamed it on a voice inside his head. An alter ego he named Zero. And now for a brief ad break. This spring, Denham gets a softer, lighter update. Introducing Old Navy's Drapey Denham Wide Leg, a new fit that moves with you.

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or just treating yourself, nothing else is Reese's. Anyways, y'all, let's get back to the show. Listen to them, we need those of these things, right? And we're here, we'll protect you, all right? We'll get you the help you need. So you've got to trust us on that. Okay?

How can you stop me from hurting me? There's several ways to do that. We're capable of doing that. For sure. We have the resources, the capabilities. We're in a control environment. We have, we can keep you safe, okay? Are you going to trust me?

Trust you. Okay. I want you to that's that. Okay, listen to you. I want you and zero trust me. He's telling me this is all the trap. There's no track. Now I do want to point out that multiple personality disorder

is a real disorder that affects real people. It's something that has been thoroughly studied. And based on several doctors' opinions, Tanner did not suffer from it. The investigators knew that from the get-go. But throughout Tanner's interrogation, they noticed that if they wanted the truth out of him, they had to speak to this zero persona.

So they played into his game. When looking for Athena's body, they'd asked to speak to zero. And right then and there, Tanner would shift. Ranger Espinoza said, quote, when I addressed him, when I needed to be talking to zero, his physical demeanor changes.

His head goes into a sideways motion. His eyes roll into the back of his head, and he pretends to turn into zero. Finally, after leading investigators to two incorrect locations, Zero finally led them to the right one. Tanner directed them toward a bridge and off a roadway near a guardrail where they found her in the freezing waters of Bobo Crossing. FBI Special Agent Dave Rogers said the area was rocky.

It was hard to trek through. As for the water's visibility, you could only see a few inches down. But as they made their way through, they eventually saw the outline of a small hand just below the surface. They carefully pulled her out and set her in a body bag. Before zipping it up, they put bags around her hands to help preserve potential DNA evidence. Then she was taken to the medical examiner's office for further examination. But after she was found, one of the officers could even be heard telling Tanner, Thank you, Zero.

Thank you, Zero. Now, in this next part, you'll actually hear Tanner pretend to come out of his Zero persona. He acts confused, like, he doesn't know what's going on. Then the investigator says, well, I need to talk to Zero again. And immediately, he shifts back. Zero? Thank you for getting here. But I've got a question, Zero.

Hello, what happened? Am I talking to Tanner now? Wait, what, let's... I need zero, I need to ask zero, one more question. Zero, can you come out? Zero, I need you. Talk to me. I know Tanner didn't.

Sex your assault, this girl. I don't know you did. Did you sexual assault this little girl? No. Did you kill this little girl, zero? I would have died. Thank you for bringing me to it. Thank you for letting me get her home.

I want to include this next part, but it is a little hard to hear. But after finding Athena, Tanner is standing outside smoking a cigarette with the investigators around. And one of them asks him, Zero. Tanner was talking earlier about trying to break her neck. You were trying to break her neck, but it didn't work. Did you try to break her neck, or was it Tanner? Tanner responds, it was me, referring to Zero. The investigator said, did you choke her from behind?

Tanner nods, yes. The investigator asks, did she defecate on herself? Tanner nods, yes. Did she struggle? Did she try to claw you or anything like that? He nods, yes. How did she try to claw you? Tanner says, she tried to kick me.

Was she able to get a kick on you? Tanner says no. Did she scream? Tanner says she wasn't able to. We finally get, we finally locate her, and how do we locate her? Hundreds and hundreds of law enforcement personnel, canines, dogs, thermal imaging. The Ranger had helicopters moving 24-7 looking for her, searching for her, all believing that they were going to find her a lot.

We found her where he pitched her off naked in the water. That's what we found her. How did we get to that point? Well, it wouldn't out, it wasn't without a lot of hard work by the FBI, Texas Rangers. White's County Sheriff, deputies. We finally locator. But how did we get to locator? Well, Tanner Horner made it as difficult

as possible a locator. Again, with more lies upon lies upon lies. Where's her body? Where's her body? It's over here. It's over here. So on and so forth. It's just too much to keep up with, to be honest with you. So many lies. But we find her body.

And, you know, throughout this whole time when we're looking for the body, you know, when we ask people, happened. You know, sometimes they take responsibility. Not this guy. Every part of that, even before we found our body, is low as me, worried about what's going to happen to me, worried about why I'm not going to see my kid again, worried about me. Selfish. We haven't even found her body yet, and he's worried about that. But he's so concerned about diverting law enforcement from what's going on, so concerned from diverting law enforcement,

from deciphering, just simply where her body is, that he conjures a whole other persona out of thin air. And all the Ranger had to do is look over at him and say, hey, I want to talk to the other guy. Okay, we'll talk to the other guy, and we'll tell you what happened. But that other guy lies as much as it was before.

After finding Athena's body, investigators took Tanner back to the station where he continued to lie, this time about Athena's clothing. He initially told the agents that when he dumped her body, she was naked aside from her underwear. But that wasn't true. Athena wasn't wearing any underwear when she was found. She wasn't wearing anything. Tanner also said that he discarded all of Athena's clothes along a county road. When asked why he did that, he said it was funny, but that was a lie too.

Tanner didn't throw her clothes along the road. They were found in his house. Back at the police station, Tanner made more comments about his zero persona. Here is how he described it to investigators. You describe that as like you're there, you're present, the child is. You're not patrored. So there's different states, I can say, like, say it's a car. If I know I'm driving,

it's just normal. You know what I mean? Sometimes I'm in the back seat. The next one's here I was driving and I'm just kind of along for the ride. Essentially, yeah. And then there's other times

where I call it being in the trunk where I have no idea what's going on because there's been times where I wake up and I have no idea how I got there. In a last-ditch effort to convince investigators that he was telling the truth, Tanner said that the entire time Zero was leading investigators to Athena's body, he was there, observing everything.

He said, I'm a little flabbergasted. I was in the back seat watching everything happen and I'm kind of freaking out. Now, it was obvious that Tanner showed no remorse for his actions. In fact, when the gravity of the situation started setting in, he wasn't worried about the life he took. He wasn't worried about Athena's parents or her siblings that would never see her again. Instead, he was focused on his own life, how the consequences to his actions would inconvenience him.

I'm going to miss out on the best parts of my child's fucking life. Okay? I can't. I'll say that? I mean. This is one of those probation things. This is one of those I'm going away for a long time things. I'm going to miss out all of my fucking sons.

I'd rather die. It is, um, this is a hard thing. It is a hard thing, but I'll tell you this, Tanner, you're going to be okay. No, I'm not. Why don't you think that? I'm going to miss out on all my since Christmases, his birthday's him throwing up.

I'm going to miss out on everything. Well, because I listen to some stupid voice that isn't probably even there. After his charges were handed down, Tanner changed out of his FedEx clothing, and into a striped prison attire. Days later, investigators brought him in again, and this time they weren't interested in all the details surrounding what happened. This time, they wanted to know why. Why did you do this to Athena? But Tanner tried to bargain with them. He told them, if you want that information, I want one month with my family. He said he wanted to spend Christmas

with his fiance and son. Obviously, investigators wouldn't agree to that, but Tanner responded, either way, that's basically my price. Like, if you did my son, you're all to make everything, I'll be completely honest with you, I understand. It's something that I can't even piece of things like that that's possible,

but I don't know that for sure, because I'm not the prosecutor, I'm not, you know, the court, I don't know that. So, yeah, it's above my head. It's a question I'd have to ask, you know. Like, why'd be building, like, if you're going to set up cameras outside of the house? Yeah.

I'll tell you where we're at right now is you've got to give me some good faith and answer that question for you. You've got to answer me the why, right? Because that's what's weighing on me is why it has happened. We don't have to get back in the beat until you want to you right now. But that's the big question I have, why don't you see. So I'm willing to get out of what. And that don't give you anything you want. Yeah.

Did you know what you did was wrong? Of course. Now, I haven't found my medicine in five days, and it's starting where I've actually been crying. Do you know what that's like not being able to cry for months and months and months? Tanner kept repeating that he wasn't a monster or a bad person. I'm not some deranged psychopath, I'm not some criminal, he told them. But after speaking with him for a while, he started to open up about the stress he was under before Athena's murder. He said his car had broken down and he was forced to drive his wife.

work truck home. He had been saving money for an apartment. He told investigators that for the six months he had been working for FedEx, he was under an immense amount of stress. His mental health deteriorated, and he suffered breakdowns while on the job. Tanner said that money was tight, and although he worked long hours delivering packages, it wasn't enough to support his family. As for his fiancé, Cassie, he claimed she was unable to work due to postpartum depression. According to Tanner, things were bad. He said he was sick. He said he was sick. He was. suicidal and that Cassie checked him into an outpatient program to help with his depression and to get him back on medication. But it was during this time that Zero emerged, describing the

alter ego as a little devil on my shoulder kind of thing. And from that point on, Tanner claimed Zero showed up during intense moments of stress, which seemed to be frequent around the time of Athena's murder, specifically at work. Tanner said that his boss kept changing up his route, which really affected his routine. And because of that, he was stressed. And with that stress, Zero started coming out more and more. And according to Tanner, when he crossed paths with Athena, Zero took over. He even said, I tried to stop all of this from happening. Now, Dr. Amy Fritz evaluated Tanner before trial, and here's what she had to say about this alter ego of his. So I am not an expert on multiple personality disorder. However, I can tell you that I'm

really good at knowing when someone's not being truthful. And as I was watching the interrogation video, it was just pretty obvious to me that Zero does not exist and that Mr. Horner was kind of using him as a tool to maybe tell the story of what had happened. Now, in the days and weeks after Tanner's arrest, he made several phone calls to family members. Some are a little hard to hear, but here is a call he had with his mother, Melissa, the day after he was arrested. Hello. You're going to be okay?

Okay. You want to tell you a little one? No, maybe he wanted to record it. Go ahead. What you said? You just should call the friend. You know, you've had that for me. And I don't have something about me.

No, but you're not going to say that one. I didn't call. I just talk to get it. Why? What did she down or own? I didn't do that phone call. I didn't. I didn't.

Okay. I didn't think you did it. I just know what. I never had to get it. Well, I was wondering with my medication I don't have. I don't know what you know what it is. I know that phone call is a little hard to hear, but his mom said, Tanner, I really hope you didn't do nothing weird.

to that little girl. I didn't. I didn't think so, but I know how you get. With my medication, I barely even have a libido anyways. I didn't do anything like that. I didn't think so. I didn't think you were a pervert. I love you.

I'm sorry this happened. That poor baby. I know. I want you to pray for her and her family. I know, Mom. Can you get a hold of Cassie, please? You have her number. Talk to her and tell her I'd like to hear from her.

Now, once again, he's more. more focused on his own life. Towards the end of the call with his mom, she says, quote, don't hurt yourself. Tanner says, tell Cassie I love her. Now, Tanner would call his mom on several occasions. And this second call between them,

his mom talks about all the hate she's been receiving on her social media. Then she asks him again, did you rape that little girl? Tanner says this. You're doing it on my medication, I couldn't even get out for Kathy. But clearly that was a lie. Throughout the time that Tanner was in jail, he refused to take responsibility for what he did.

Now, I wasn't able to find exactly when this happened, but at some point in his incarceration, Tanner attempted suicide. The details on what happened are scarce, but he survived. However, in his cell, investigators found a few letters. One was addressed to law enforcement. It was titled, Detectives Only, and it read this. Detectives, my family is in danger. It's two days before my arraignment date, and I'm worried that I'll be killed either to or from my way to court. The day Athena was killed, I wasn't the only one involved.

When I pulled up to the house, an older man had pulled a rifle on me and demanded my wallet. It's weird, he almost expected me to be there. After he checked my wallet, he gave me instructions after handing me my wallet back. He told me to take the girl and bring her to a specific spot, the area with a tall grass and bamboo. He gave me a change of clothes for the girl and told me to have her change into them before handing her over to me. He had threatened my family, and I didn't know what to do, so I just went along with it. Don't tell the media, by the way. I don't know if he's going to do something. If I'm killed on the way to her from the courthouse, assume it was him.

When I handed her over, she seemed like she knew him. They kind of freaked me out when she calmed down after seeing him. I shut my headlights off and followed them. I saw him park his truck by that creek. The next day I went by there after work and saw the girl's body. I put her body in the water. I needed to get this out even if it was just in writing. Don't tell the media.

Don't tell my family. They'll tell the media. Don't tell the family of Athena until after their lawsuit against FedEx goes through. This is between me and you, detective. As long as it stays between us, my family stay safe. I'll gladly keep the blame as long as they're safe. The man was older, probably 50s, gray hair, short, military-style haircut, kind of fat with a bit of upper body muscles. I handed him the girl's clothes

when I gave him her. I either missed the pants or he put them back on the truck somehow. I'm not sure, but three times he asked about the cameras on the FedEx truck. Unless y'all find him, keep it from everybody, I don't want my family hurt. I'm sorry I've been a burden on y'all. His other note was addressed to Athena's family. That one read this. To Athena's family, I want to start by saying how sorry I am about Athena. The entire time I've known my legal counsel, they continue to tell me that I don't have to apologize until the trial. Frankly, I can't hold it any longer. I've done a terrible thing to your family, and I'm sorry. I can't tell you how many countless nights I've stayed awake unable to sleep. I pray for all of you. So many were affected by my breakdown, not just your family,

but my own as well. I'll never get to see your baby girl grow up, and I'm sorry. Now my son isn't going to grow up with his father and protector. I owe it to you all to explain where my mind is was at. Let me start by saying that I have Asperger syndrome. In other words, I'm on the autism spectrum. I don't do well with change, things that are unpredictable in nature. When I first started out as a driver at FedEx, I was given a singular route that wouldn't change for a while. After a bit, my employer started making random changes to my route, adding stuff from other routes, so that they can make more money. I don't do well with change. Again, I can have meltdowns when unexpected changes to my daily routine happen. It was so bad,

one day I started to have a suicidal episode. I had to leave early that day where I was going to walk myself into oncoming traffic. The only thing that stopped me was thinking of my son growing up without his father. So I took off for a week and sought out help. I got put on medication and a week later I was back at work. I let my employers know how I needed to keep a consistent routine and I wouldn't have any issues. However, I was ignored. When I returned, they did the opposite of what was needed for someone like me, they made me a floater. They put me on a different route every day. I reminded them that I needed to be on a routine.

It was like it would go in one ear and out the other. My mental health started to steadily get worse because of it. I couldn't just quit either. I had a son I had to take care of. Then on top of all that, certain aspects of my home life started to fall apart as well. I guess they got sick of me constantly telling them I needed consistency because they sold me off to another company without having any say in the matter. In hindsight, I'm starting to think they were trying to get me to quit, which in retrospect is

kind of scummy. After a while, with the new contractor I started with, big topspin, my life started to kind of fall back into place. I got a car again, but I was still consistently stressed. I had multiple minor meltdowns because even this new company had no regard for my mental health, because they still refused to put me on a consistent route. The holidays came and my stress only multiplied. They forced everyone to work six-day weeks as volume got higher and higher. It was all the wrong place and the wrong time. I'm sorry I allowed my mental state to be unstable. I'm sorry I took your little angel away from you. She didn't deserve it. Y'all didn't deserve it. My son didn't deserve to lose his father. My mother didn't deserve to lose her son. My fiancee didn't deserve to have

her wedding day stripped from her. I pray that my death eases your suffering in some way. The only thing I ask is for forgiveness and for you to remember my son and show him some grace and mercy, for he no longer has his father. With love and sorrow and remorse, I love you all and I'm sorry, Tanner Horner. Now in that letter, there were moments when he seemed sorry. But then he would follow it up with all these excuses on why he wasn't to blame. So clearly, he wasn't that sorry. At Tanner's trial, he already admitted guilt. So now, the jury just had to decide whether he'd spend the rest of his life in prison or receive the death penalty. His defense team brought forward several witnesses to paint a picture of his life, a dysfunctional life at that. And here's a little

background information on Tanner Horner. He was born on August 8, 1991, to Terry and Melissa Horner in Fort Worth, Texas. His mother, Melissa, had a troubled childhood, which may have shaped certain aspects of her experience as a mother. She moved around a lot, only completed the ninth grade, and was subjected to sexual abuse at the hands of her stepfather. She started abusing drugs when she was 14 years old, something she admitted was an escape from her chaotic home life. After dropping out of high school, she started working odd jobs to support herself. But when it wasn't enough, she moved on to dancing in topless bars.

It seemed to fit in with my life, she said. When you're abused at such a young age, it becomes a self-concept. You know, this is what I'm here for. I wish I hadn't. I really wish I hadn't, but I did. When she was 17, she met Tanner's father, Terry, who was 29 at the time. They met while she was dancing, Topless, at a club called Sinbad's. According to her testimony, Terry raped her on the first night they met.

Well, he asked me to go back to his room and do the line, and I said, okay. And I went, and he was trying to fill me up. I said, no, and he knocked me out. and let me do it out what you wanted. Despite the rape and alleged abuse, Melissa continued seeing Terry. The two eventually married when she turned 19, and then she found out she was pregnant. Melissa admitted that she continued to drink alcohol

during the first eight weeks of her pregnancy with Tanner. She also said she smoked cigarettes and marijuana while pregnant with him. But after that, she said she quit because she wanted to have a healthy child. Now, after Tanner was born, she continued to abuse drugs and alcohol, as did Tanner's father, Terry. Melissa later admitted that her drug of choice was heroin.

She snorted it, injected it, and over time was completely dependent on the drug. Tanner described his father as a crackhead, who was in and out of jail the majority of his life. Even at a young age, Tanner witnessed the consequences of his parents' actions. When he was two years old, he walked into the bathroom to find his mother slumped over a toilet. He ran into the other room and told his grandmother, Mom is dead.

As the years went on, Melissa's substance abuse worsened. She spent time in jail for both drugs and prostitution. So Tanner's childhood was anything but ideal. His parents struggled with substance abuse. They neglected him, and he was repeatedly in and out of their care. At one point when Melissa was homeless, the two lived together in a tent. Later, when Tanner was around 10, the two moved into a small apartment. But he got into some serious trouble after trying to start a fire in a field behind the complex.

Melissa made him apologize to the landlord. However, Tanner claimed that the landlord sexually assaulted him. He kept this a secret for years, never telling his mother. He only disclosed it later to Dr. Jolie Brams, while in jail. Now eventually Tanner's grandmother Jackie stepped in, and he lived with her in a small home in Fort Worth. According to those who knew him, Tanner spent the majority of his life in a converted storage shed that was attached to the main home. But Jackie was happy to step in and help, as Tanner was her first grandchild, and she loved him deeply. However, her husband at the time, Bill,

was known for being strict and heavily focused on punishment. He was an army veteran who served in Vietnam. Bill was described as paranoid and impatient, and he often got angry when things didn't go his way. But growing up, Tanner was different. He struggled making friends, and even though he wanted to fit in, he never did. Here's what his mother told the court. He didn't get along with, I mean, he wanted to get along with people, but they just weren't interested in having conversations with him. Having around, it was sad to watch. Very sad. he doesn't he wouldn't say things like they did they didn't he didn't talk the way they did and that it isn't like i could hear what they're saying but you can tell by looking at their faces are like

i mean he didn't know how to talk to them the way according to his mother melissa she had tanner tested when he was a child over the course of six weeks they determined he had asperger's now these days Asperger's is not an actual disorder. Instead, people are diagnosed with autism, but the diagnosis appeared consistent with his frequent meltdowns and communication difficulties. In the beginning, Melissa brushed them off as temper tantrums. However, as he got older, he became more violent. When he couldn't communicate what he wanted, he punched himself in the head, punched walls, and threw things. His second cousin testified that she babysat him when he was a toddler and confirm that he was hyper and prone to fits. She said she had to hide change from him because he would

try to eat the coins. Although she was only 12 years old when she started babysitting, she claimed that Melissa offered to pay her with either cash or weed for her services. After Tanner was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, Bill reportedly dismissed the diagnosis, insisting there was nothing wrong with him and claiming it was merely an excuse for his bad behavior. It was said that Bill expected perfection at all times and demanded obedience from Tanner. If a task needed to be done, such as cutting grass, he expected Tanner to handle it, even if he had never done it before. But during one intense argument, Bill's anger escalated into violence.

Jackie claimed Bill grabbed a stick and, quote, acted like he was playing baseball and just swung it at him, end quote. Tanner was repeatedly hit in the arms chest and stomach. One of the wounds was so deep it required stitches. Now during elementary school, one of the school's psychologists only referred to as Mary stated that he received special education services because of his diagnosis.

For half of the school day, Tanner was put into a behavior improvement class, and the other half he was in a regular classroom. Mary noted that he had a goal related to reducing temper tantrums. Her summary and recommendations for Tanner stated, Tanner continues to exhibit a mild form of Asperger's disorder. His social deficits and lack of appropriate communication continue to be his greatest affected areas. Tanner lacks empathy and has little ability to form friendships.

His ability to use language is not impaired, but the effective and relational aspect of his communication is significantly below what one would expect. His eye contact is normally poor, and he has possibly sensory issues, especially in the area of his personal hygiene needs. He is very rigid about change and is more successful when he's on a schedule. In addition, however, Tanner also appears to have emotional deficits that also negatively impact him, end quote.

Tanner's former fifth grade teacher did not remember any major behavioral issues. She was aware of his diagnosis, but stated that he got along with his classmates and participated in class. Overall, she said she enjoyed having him as a student. Tanner's former speech pathologist, Beth Anderson, who worked with him on pragmatic speech and behavior skills, said, I just worked with him with these students to help them learn coping to whatever the situation was because, cognitively, you throw something in on an individual with Asperger's, Tanner especially, you throw something out of the ordinary into his daily schedule and he's off. He can't, can't adjust to it quickly. You need to slowly get him used to it, help him. think about what his behavior is going to be.

Beth admitted that Tanner only engaged with others if it involved something he was interested in. In one of her observations, she wrote, Tanner was more talkative since he had a peer with him. He was overbearing and loud. Turn taking was inappropriate as he verbally badgered the other student to hurry and finish his turn. He continues to get excited and talk too loudly for a restaurant setting, unable to read facial expressions and body language of others. Finally, when asked how she could remember so many details about Tanner's life 20 years later,

she responded, he was a great kid. Now, upon entering high school, Tanner continued receiving special education services. His new teacher, Marie, described him as pleasant and a hard worker. In the classroom, he appeared to be a good student who occasionally needed redirection. When he became angry, he struggled to calm himself down. But he didn't really get in a lot of trouble. His disciplinary record only included one violation for fighting. Now at home, Tanner often attended Legacy Church with his grandparents,

and he was actively involved in the church, especially when it came to music. From an early age, Tanner loved music, particularly alternative, heavy metal, and hard rock. He learned to play various instruments, including drums and bass guitar. He also performed as the lead vocalist in several bands. During high school, he attended a national music competition with his church youth group, and his pastor recalled that his drumstick broke, and it sent him into a panic. Our team, they had practiced, and it was time to go in. We went in.

And I can't remember if he forgot his stick or his stick broke. I can't, you broke it, yeah. He broke his stick. so the routine had started and you got these judges sitting in front of you. It's pretty intimidating but they had prepared and his stick broke

and when it did it just put him into a panic I think a lot of it due to his autism a little bit but also just letting the team down but the senior ones around him

I think threw him a stick and then one of them used their hands, so they made it through the routine. But for some reason, that really impacted Tanner. And as soon as it was over, he ran out of the room. And you could tell he was upset and angry, but he wasn't violent toward anybody. He was just really upset with himself.

Yeah. In 2009, Tanner graduated from high school. It was a major accomplishment because he was the first member of his family, to earn a high school diploma, but he had no desire to really do anything with his life. He didn't want to go to college, and he was unable to find steady work. Over the years he drove for Uber,

worked as a dishwasher at Outback Steakhouse, installed air conditioners, and he worked at Papa John's and Amazon. But his employment never lasted long. It was widely known that whenever he felt overwhelmed, he would often just walk out and quit. For example, when the dishes started piling up at Outback, He didn't want to deal with it, so he just walked out of the restaurant and never came back.

It seemed as if the only constant in his life was music, and over the years he started numerous bands. Some of them in hindsight are eerie names, such as, recover the lost. Another one was buried a lie. He also made a band called Commit and Conquer, Soundings, and Sacred Sound. But like everything else in his life, these bands never lasted long. And according to his bandmates, Tanner's personality was hard to deal with. He was bizarre, socially awkward, and at times, clingy. One bandmate even went as far as to say that Tanner gave off, quote, school shooter vibes.

It was known that when he was stressed, he would listen to music, play video games, and repeatedly watched Dragon Ball Z or Marvel movies. He also smoked a lot of marijuana. It became a coping mechanism for him, and he continued to move through life feeling like an outsider, often describing himself as an alien. Tanner also posted a number of videos of him online, singing. Here is a clip of one we found.

We will spare you the rest. But the older Tanner got, while people around him were growing out of their immaturity, Tanner didn't seem to change. He suffered from numerous mental illnesses, and he would speak to his friends about self-harm. One friend even witnessed Tanner harming himself. After complaining to him about emotional abuse by his mother, Tanner repeatedly hit himself in the head with significant force.

Tanner often told his friends that it was hard to cope with stress, and if he ever did anything questionable, he was quick to blame his autism diagnosis. It became a central part of his identity. On his social media page, it read, Aspy, non-neurotypical, musician, metalhead, love is stupid and not to mention completely assonine. But Tanner didn't have a criminal record. It appeared that his violent behavior was primarily directed toward himself. The neighborhood where he lived was quiet and safe. Elderly people walking their dogs and mothers with children were a frequent sight on the streets he lived on. As for Tanner, neighbors said he mostly kept to himself

and was often seen coming and going from the residence. However, there were troubling reports about his behavior, including allegations that he pursued sexual relationships with young girls. Apparently, he liked underage females and allegedly dated a 14-year-old when he was in his early 20s. On November 11, 2018, four years before Athena's murder, a 16-year-old girl named Shayley publicly accused Tanner of rape, posting on her social media page, quote, friendly reminder that Tanner Horner is a rapist, end quote. Now, she never reported this to the police. because she feared no one would believe her. But Tanner saw the post, and he messaged her calling her a liar. His message read, quote, it has come to my attention that you've been going around

slandering my name to people, saying that I raped you, when you know that is not the case. In the years since I've talked to you, I have not even once slandered your name, or have said anything degrading about your character. I haven't had a reason to. So I'm asking you out of respect, please stop spreading lies and misinformation about what happened between us, end quote. But Shayley said that she was not lying about what happened. And after Tanner was arrested for murdering Athena Strand, Shayley posted on social media again. She said, quote, Tanner Lynn Horner,

the man who raped me at 16, eight years ago, murdered Athena Strand, a seven-year-old girl. I hope the family gets the justice they deserve. I hope he wrots. And I hope that everyone who didn't believe me, when I've talked about this for eight fucking years, does now. Fuck all of you, end quote. Now, Shaley would testify at Tanner's trial,

and she told the jury all about how Tanner raped her on the evening of December 6, 2014. Shealy said she attended a party and planned on spending the night because alcohol and marijuana were involved. She said that when she went to bed, Tanner attempted to cuddle with her, but she told him she didn't want to be touched. However, he didn't listen.

As we were laying down, it was a pretty big bed. So I went to one side and he began to try to cuddle with me. And I told him that I didn't want to cuddle. I just wanted to go to sleep. I didn't want to be touched. There are two specific moments that I remember as I was in and out of consciousness. He was on top of me. I was laying on my back.

he had his penis inside of me and his sweat dripped into my mouth and then I remember coming to again and I was on my stomach and he had my hands pinned behind my back and he was continuing to rape me he is continuously thrusting in and out of my body

grunting Shaley said that she was in and out of consciousness and could hardly remember anything that happened when she woke up. The next day, she was still with the same group of people, drinking and smoking weed. At some point, Tanner touched her again, and her body reacted.

I was laying on my right side on the edge of the bed. I was kind of just scrolling, just trying to occupy my brain for a few minutes because I couldn't quite fall asleep. And he begins to trace his hand up and down my side, up and down my leg, my hip, my waist talking about how

he's sorry that my ex hurt me that he would never hurt me like he did that he wishes that I didn't have to go through that and then I begin to have brief glimpses of the night before

and start to hyperventilate I'm on the verge of an anxiety attack he's He keeps touching me. Eventually, he starts asking me what's wrong, and I can't bring myself to respond because I didn't know how to even begin to explain what was wrong to the person that was hurting me.

Shay Lee attempted to get away, but Tanner blocked the door. She called a friend to pick her up, but Tanner refused to give her the address. Eventually, he moved, and she ran into Tanner's grandmother's house where she found a piece of mail with the address to give to her friend. She then locked herself in the bathroom until her friend arrived. She also told the jury that Tanner discussed his sexual interests with her including BDSM and consensual non-consent, or sex involving restraint and rape fantasies. She said it made her extremely uncomfortable due to her age at the time. I lost my sense of self for years.

I became very erratic in my behaviors while also losing all sense of voice for myself. I was angry. I was angry at everybody and at everything. I ended up getting into an abusive relationship that lasted four years. The prosecution asked how she felt after learning about what happened to Athena. She said this. I felt like I had...

been put back into 16-year-old me's body. I felt guilt for not coming forward. I felt shame for not speaking up sooner, legally speaking. I felt a lot of pain reliving those memories over and over and over again, as well as thinking about the amount of pain that other people have experienced at the hands of him over and over and over again. I am now back in therapy.

I struggle with opening up to people communicating effectively because I don't feel like I will be heard because I go back to that 16-year-old version of me. And sadly, this wouldn't be the only underaged girl he raped. A 29-year-old named Kalyn also accused Tanner of sexual assault. She told the jury that she met Tanner through a mutual friend around early 2013 when she was 16 years old. She explained that alcohol and marijuana were a part of their social settings,

and the two bonded over anime, specifically the anime Death Note. She shared a photo of herself dressed as Misa Misa at a cosplay convention with Tanner, and Kalin read aloud the interaction between she and Tanner after he saw her cosplay photographs. The first comment that Tanner made asked who I was cosplaying ass, I responded, Mesa Mesa. Tanner said, I just creamed my panties. Tanner then said, I had to go to Walmart and buy a pair just so I could cream them. I responded, Tanner, you're a male. That's weird that you're wearing panties.

Tanner then said, well, banana hammock, but still, them be manties, not panties, LOL's JKJK. According to Kalyn, Tanner was aware of her age when the two entered a dating relationship in June 2013. She was 16 and he was 22. She described him as socially awkward, but someone who tried hard to fit in. She added that he often tried to come across as cooler than he really was. But then the unthinkable happened while she was at his grandmother's house. Kalen said that Tanner sexually assaulted her in a shed behind the home. That night when I decided it was time to go to,

asleep. I laid down and Tanner Horner started grabbing holds of me, kissing me, and proceeded to have sex with me. It was the first time Kaelan had ever had sex. She later said that she was never even interested in a sexual relationship with Tanner due to their age difference. So, the entire interaction made her feel gross and unclean. She even voiced her concern to Tanner, but he didn't seem to care. In fact, in August 2013, he sexually assaulted her for a second time. I was asleep. I woke up to him grabbing me and touching me in my vaginal area

where he proceeded to again have sex with me. Kalen confided in her friend Shayley about what happened, and she was shocked to learn that she had also been a victim of Tanner. Now years later, Kalen said that she ran into Tanner at a bar, and he tried to kiss her, but she pushed him off. He told her that she was more fun, when she was younger. After learning about the Athena Strand case, Kaelin decided to come forward with what happened to her and reported to the police, but she admitted that she felt guilty for not

coming forward sooner. I have been struggling mentally for since I, the news was announced online. It has been very hard on me. 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. In October 2019, Tanner started dating another underage female, 17-year-old girl Cassie Waite. The two welcomed their first child, a son named Chester in July 2021, a tribute to the late Chester Bennington of Lincoln Park. Tanner's mom, Melissa, claimed that Tanner was so excited to become a dad, as any expected parent would be. But she could tell that he was nervous as well. She said he was afraid he might accidentally hurt his infant son because of how small and fragile he was.

Now, Tanner and Cassie never married. They were engaged, but they lived separately for a while. Cassie lived with her family, and Tanner continued to live in the shed at his grandparents' home. But eventually, Cassie and Chester moved in with Tanner inside the small cramped shed. It was far from a warmer welcoming home. The outside was littered with trash and discarded junk. The inside smelled of dirty clothes and rotting food. Cassie later claimed that the two had a healthy sex life,

which later contradicted Tanner's claims that his medications prevented him from getting an erection. But there was strain in the relationship. Tanner's mother, Melissa, said that he often vented to her about financial stress, claiming that Cassie spent all their money. He told his mother that he wanted the relationship to work as Cassie had been the only person to ever stick around. Tanner was trying to save money to get them into an apartment

and purchased them a reliable car, but the money he earned was quickly spent. And now that he had a family, he had to be responsible. He could no longer walk out of a job when he felt overwhelmed or stressed. He needed the money to support Cassie and Chester. In February of 2022, Tanner started working for the company called Big Topspent, delivering packages for FedEx.

After working on jobs for most of his life, he enjoyed the consistency. That is until his boss started changing up his routine, and it was that very job that led him straight to Athena Strand's house. We've already played you the calls between Tanner and his mother. We've talked to you about his rough upbringing. At trial, his mother stated, I'm not proud of anything I did. I'm wearing my shame like a badge right now.

As for Melissa's thoughts on Athena's murder, she broke down and said she was mad at her son. Are you angry with him? I'm so mad at him. I want to just tear his ass out. And she's just to be. And we stand. In the light of everything that you know about this case,

do you tell what her son? Of course I love my son. I don't love who did that, though. Now after Tanner's arrest, as he awaited trial, he was evaluated by a number of different doctors, one being Dr. Amy Fritz. And she said that it seemed as if Tanner showed signs of remorse for what he did.

But she also said that Tanner completely lied to her, even a few months before his trial started. He was still stating that he kidnapped Athena because he accidentally hit her with his truck. And when he lied about the sexual assault, She didn't question him on it. It wasn't until she heard the audio from inside the truck when she learned just how much of a lie that was.

I was no surprise by the violence. I think the violence of it was really incongruent with the gentleman that I met with the reports that I read hours about. It was shocking. It was horrific. It's awful, and I'm so sorry. Depending on what you saw, were you able to see how, I guess, calm he was when he grabbed her and put her into the truck? Yes.

And were you able to see him speaking to Athena Strand? Yes. And what was his language like at that point when he was just talking to her at the very beginning? Calm. Calm. And did you hear Tanner Corner say don't scream or all hurt you? Yes, multiple times. When did the language change?

I believe after his attempt to exfixiator, but I could be wrong about the chronology of it. At some point, did his language become angry? Hostile, yeah. And you heard the video. He yelled at her, he told her to shut up, called her a bitch, multiple profanities. Horrible. His language changed when she wouldn't die.

Did you agree with that? I would agree with that. He had no empathy that day, did he? In that moment, I don't think he was empathetic to Fina. It was clear to every single person who listened to that audio from inside the FedEx truck that Tanner sexually assaulted Athena. But since he put that sticky note over the camera, it wasn't hard evidence. However, the prosecution would present evidence that proved Athena was indeed assaulted.

Chief Medical Examiner for Dallas County, Dr. Jessica Dwyer, said that when Athena came into her office, she was covered in a brownish dirt silt, and vegetation was inside the body bag and in her hair. She also said that at first, it didn't appear to the naked eye that Athena had been assaulted. However, testing would later prove otherwise. Forensic analyst Jacqueline Ferraro was in charge of the DNA testing. She told the jury that samples from Athena's sexual assault kit tested positive for male DNA, specifically the vaginal and anal swabs.

Now, she could not say where the DNA came from, but stated it could have been blood, saliva, skin cells, semen, or any number of things. However, she was able to identify the DNA found on Tanner's FedEx shirt. that DNA was confirmed to be blood and semen. There was also semen found on his Haynes boxer briefs. As for the DNA found on Athena's genes and underneath her fingernails, that was blood. Now, they did test the DNA, and four forensic scientists from the Texas Department of Public Safety Crime Lab testified that it was high probability that it was Tanner's DNA on Athena's body.

So these findings confirmed what everybody knew, that Tanner had sexually assaulted Athena. Tanner was evaluated by another forensic psychiatrist named Dr. Eileen Ryan, and he told her a completely different story about Athena's kidnapping. This time, he said he didn't kidnap Athena because he hit her with his truck. He kidnapped her because Athena saw him snorting cocaine while he was delivering that package to her house. And for whatever reason, I guess Dr. Ryan believed that that could have been true, despite all the lies he told before. In that moment, that catastrophizing around, she saw me using the cocaine, she's going to tell on me,

I'm going to lose my job, that's the end for me. I'm going to lose my son, was what went into this. Dr. Ryan went as far as to say that the cocaine impaired his problem-solving skills on the day he abducted Athena. Now, in part of your report, you said that the intoxication on the Coke at the time of the office contributed to his impulsivity and his impaired problem solving. Is that what you said in your report? Yes. It sounds accurate. Yes. We've already talked about his problem solving. You'll agree with me that at or near or after the crime, his problem solving was working just fine. Right? Again, I don't think his problem solving was working just fine, but he was solving

problems as he saw fit in the way that he solves problems. I mean he was solving problems for feversed tracks. Yes. He was solving problems as to how he was going to explain things to everybody else. When he goes to a secluded location to sexually assault her, that's not impulsive. He drove 20 minutes to get over, correct? Correct. And it wasn't impulsive when he calmly tells her and talks to her about his, about her family, school, and other things. That's not impulsive either, is it? I wouldn't call that impulsive. I want to take you, I want to fast forward a little bit.

Okay. To Athena is already in the truck. Did he talk to you about assaulting Athena? Eventually. Did he deny it at first? Yes. So, did you believe? believe him when he first denied it?

No. Why not? Because I had read the transcript and I was, I had, I knew, in my opinion, what had done on in the truck, he had covered the camera so one couldn't see it. But from what the transcript was, I later heard the audio. Yeah. I'm sorry, I didn't have to. But even before that, reading the transcript was enough. So at any time did you challenge Tanner on the lines that he told you? Yes. Was he eventually able to tell you what had happened? Yes, to the best of his ability, I think.

My opinion was that he was deeply ashamed, and I felt in talking with him at that moment, in my opinion, he appeared to be quite remorseful about what he had done. Dr. Ryan also had a conversation with Tanner about the assault, where he admitted to using physical blows with both his hands and feet. He even said that in between the attacks, he was doing cocaine. Dr. Ryan also asked him about the audio from inside the truck, in which he continued to lie. At some point in the audio, Athena is heard gagging.

When she asked Tanner what that was, he said he was trying to put a pill in Athena's mouth. but Dr. Ryan admitted that she didn't think that was true. She said, quote, I believe he was attempting to have her perform oral sex, end quote. But Dr. Ryan would go on to say some very controversial things while on the stand. As you just heard, Tanner admitted to her that he sexually assaulted Athena. But even after hearing that, Dr. Ryan claimed that Tanner didn't fit the profile of a pedophile.

One of her reasons was that there wasn't child sex. sexual abuse material on his phone. And throughout her evaluation, she said that she didn't think he had a sexual interest in children. Does gratifying himself on a seven-year-old child, that screams pedophilia, doesn't it? No, it's disgusting, but it's not pedophilia. Again, there has to be a persistent pattern of sexual arousal to children.

Did you read the DNA report? in this case? I know there was DNA. Right? And you know where it was found in Athena, right? Not in Athena. I'm not aware that it was, there was any DNA found in Athena. You didn't read that they found DNA, both in her genus? No, I did not. So I guess what I'm trying to clarify here, because you say it only happened just the one time,

that doesn't relate to pedophilic disorder. that doesn't in any way be criteria for penophilic disorder. Now, the prosecution even brought up the fact that Tanner sexually assaulted those two teenage girls years prior. But still, she didn't think that he met the criteria, even though there was clear evidence of repeat offenses. However, these weren't the only instances. You see, at the very end of Tanner's trial, another witness came forward saying that

Tanner Horner sexually abused them as a child. This witness was actually a family. member of Tanner's. They were just 10 years old when Tanner assaulted them, and Tanner was around 13 at the time. He went back there. He pulled out his penis. He started masturbating. He told me to suck it. And then he grabbed my head and made me. And then he told me to bend over. He tried to put it in. It would not go in. And then he told me to continue sucking. And then he pulled out and finished by masturbating. I was scared of Tanner.

He was bigger to me. He's beat me up before. I went along with it. After that point, was there a different incident that happened to you? It was later on around 2007 when Parano Long Activity First Movie came out. I woke up to him masturbating above my head. He pretended that he was asleep. I moved out the way, yelled several times, and he did.

just kept on doing it and then I waited until he went back to bed and I laid down and went back to bed. He then named another incident that took place years later when Tanner made a disturbing comment. It was Fourth of July. Tanner's grandmother had parked her van at the fireworks stand. It ran out of gas because I guess she was sitting on a hill. It wouldn't start. It rolled back. Cody gave us a ride home to his house and in the car on the ride home. Tanner had mentioned he'd wondered what it would be like to kill somebody. Now Tanner's defense team spent a lot of time trying to get people to feel sorry for him. They talked about his rough upbringing, his mom drinking while pregnant, his autism diagnosis,

how he had extra lead in his body. They showed brain scans, all of these things that they hoped would offer some explanation on why he is the way he is. And there is no denying that Tanner had a rough upbringing. There's no denying that he was on the spectrum. But a lot of people have rough childhoods. A lot of people have autism. And most don't go on to rape and murder seven-year-old girls.

So if they thought that he would get any sympathy, they were wrong. Especially after that FedEx audio was played for the court. The audio where you could hear everything. It was said that as it played in the courtroom, many of the jurors were sobbing. And they were all staring Tanner Horner down while he just sits there looking down, his face and his hands. The audio brought almost everyone to tears. The tone inside the courtroom completely shifted. Athena's mother, Maitland, wasn't in

the courtroom when they played it. But during her testimony, there was a moment when she was asked about the footage inside Tanner's FedEx truck. She admitted that she could only watch a minute or two of it. She got emotional before turning to the jury to apologize. Do you have any chance to view or look at any portion of any videos in this yet? I did. How much of it were you able to look at? Maybe, maybe a minute, maybe too. I can't.

And I'm very sorry to all of the innocent people that do have to watch that. I am so sorry. I'm sorry to you. you, and I'm sorry to you 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. Another emotional part of this trial had to do with Maitland's testimony, Athena's mother. In court, she wore her hair dyed pink in honor of her daughter's favorite color, along with a matching pink blazer. And she told the courts that she wanted the truth, all of it, including where

Tanner took her daughter's shirt that was never recovered. I know it sounds stupid and I know it sounds selfish. I know he will never tell the truth. But I want to know where my daughter's shirt is. I want to know everything. But he won't tell me that. And I doubt. I highly doubt. that he cared enough to pay attention to when my daughter took her last break because I brought her into this world change and I know when she took her first

I was there for that I was there when she took her first steps and said her first word but I wasn't there when she took her last so I want to know where her shirt is because maybe he could maybe he could give me that much great do you talk to Athena

sometimes I talk to her every day what do you say to her when you talk to her I tell her that I'm sorry that I wasn't there to protect her and to stop him

I tell her that I love her and I talked to her about Rye and what she's doing in life and how much she loves and misses her. And I tell her about you and about Pat and about Michelle and about my attorneys and how y'all are working really hard to make sure that she's not forgotten and that she didn't just die. And then we'll get justice for her. Next, the DA asked Maitland, if you could have two more minutes with Athena, what would you tell her?

Maitland said this. I tell her, I'm sorry. And I would tell her how much she means to me and her daddy and to her sisters, and how much she is loved, and how much we want her. I'm just, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I am, and I didn't protect her.

Athena's father, Jacob Strand, spoke about his favorite memories of her playing outside near the fruitless pear tree and the time she played in the water trough with her Barbies. He described her as independent and carefree. She loved singing frozen songs. She sang them 24-7. That Christmas, Jacob said the last gift they purchased her was the six-pack of Barbie dolls that Tanner Horner delivered right to their house, but Jacob never got the chance to give them to her. So you miss most about the other?

Just her laugh and her spirit. She loved everybody. Is there anything that you want this story to understand about them, the loss in this process? I just hope that the jury and the justice system will make the right decision. And the jury was about to make that decision. In closing arguments, district attorney James Straton told the jury in part, Do you know what you hold in your hands? Justice. And I want you to ask yourself, was Tanner merciful?

Was Tanner vengeful? Did he show remorse? No. And I think that's important. If the facts were not bad enough, if the sexual assault wasn't bad enough, the level of violence that one person can inflict on a child, including stomping them with a pair of shoes. He said the defense told you that his brain was broken, that he had all these ailments, what everything they're telling you is an excuse. They're trying to get you to excuse his conduct. Tanner Horner is proof why parents hug their children a little tighter. He's proof of why children are nervous to go play outside.

He's proof of why there's evil in society and that we can never turn our backs. Tanner Horner should never have access to hurt anyone else ever again. Finally, on Tuesday, May 5th, 2006, the jury left for deliberation. Just three hours later, they came back with their sentence. Mr. Horner, if you'd stand, please. It's the order of the court that you, Tanner Lynn Horner, has been a judge to be guilty of the offensive capital murder

is found by the jury. during having answered the special issues making it mandatory that your punishment be death. It is therefore the order of this court that your punishment be death. Many of Athena's loved ones broke down upon hearing the sentence. Before the trial, her mother Maitland said, I support the death penalty. Every breath he takes has one my daughter doesn't. And finally, justice was served.

For the victim impact statements, Athena's paternal uncle read this to the court. I'm Elijah Strand. I'm Jacobs' brother, Nathan is on four years. So, there are no words that truly capture the devastation

for Fentander Horner caused us and our family. What he took from this world is not just a child. It's a quiet, a feature, and a piece of

of every single person who loves. She was a granddaughter, a daughter, a niece, a cousin, and friend. She would call me, Uncle Elijah, because she was the longest time to say the Elijah part of my name. It was the best thing to see you running up to me. with her arms open, yelling Uncle Wajor. Finish. One of my last memories I have of it.

And now I get to never hear that. Okay. I see it was more than a lie. She was laughter, curiosity, kindness, and basic. But she had dreams that she will never get the chance. Her practice is that she will never celebrate. in a life she'll never get to live

because of his action. He stole a sense of safety from all of us of stangles. Me and my wife just got comfortable enough to what our kids play outside and that's even in her backyard that's not close in the room.

He's around us of safety, peace, and our trust in the world soon. and forever changed. We are as a family. We are left with questions and will still never have answers. And we're able to try and honor

the beautiful little girl whose life was taken in the most senseless and horrifically. Say, I want to do this direct. You do not just take life and destroy the family. You took a little girl

who trusted the world and remade that innocence with violence. He chose to cause pain of the last generations. He said he found God but what you did to Athena stand through the direct opposition to everything that you now claim to believe.

In Matthew 186, it says if anyone causes one of these little ones to stumble, it could be better for them to have a millstone hung around their neck is the drug. He says how seriously arm against

child was judged. And you don't be judged. You will face the wrath of God. All of you know that you are nothing. You are a footnote in a series story. Her name will forever be

the member. Her name will forever be celebrated and everyone will forget You wanted your 15 minutes of face. You've got it. No one's going to remain for your afternoise. And with that, Tanner Horner was taken to death row at the Allen B. Polinsky Unit in Livingston, Texas.

He will live the remainder of his days confined in a small single-person cell. You know, earlier in the story, Tanner mentioned that he thrives on routine. In fact, he said that changes in his routine are what led him to commit these monstrous acts against Athena Strand. Well, he is about to have a very strict routine, within the small cell where he will spend the rest of his life.

He will have limited interactions with others, spending at least 22 hours a day in complete isolation. Food will be brought to him through a small slot in the door. And until he is brought to the execution chamber, that will be exactly what the rest of his life will look like. Routine, just like he likes it. As we wrap up this story, it's horrifying to think that there are monsters in the world, like Tanner Horner.

Seven-year-old Athena had her whole life ahead of her. On the day she was killed, she was playing in her front lawn. Athena had been taught about the dangers in the world. She knew about kidnappers. But to her, this wasn't a kidnapper. He was the delivery man, coming to bring her whenever Christensen. presence. There are people that we led onto our properties every day. She had no reason to believe that she had come face to face with evil, but luckily Tanner Horner will not be able to harm anyone else.

And like Athena's uncle said, he is nothing, and he will die nothing. Athena's mother has mentioned that more than anything, she just wants us to remember her baby girl, whether it's a year from now, 10 years, or even 20. And I think I can speak. speak for everyone when I say, we will never forget. In honor of Athena, we will be making a donation to her families GoFundMe. We will link it below if you'd like to give it a donation as well. This is truly a horrific story, and it seems like more information keeps coming out even after the trial.

In fact, just recently, a family came forward who lives around the area of Paradise, Texas. They said that after Athena's murder, Tanner Horner was seen driving his FedEx truck onto their property. Immediately after getting out of his truck, he pulls out some food and starts feeding the family dog. What's even more troubling about this is that the family didn't even have a package slated for delivery. However, they did have a young daughter. Now, after feeding the family's dog, Tanner went to the back and grabbed a large package. But then, after someone came outside, Tanner saw them and put the package back in his truck and then drove away. He had no reason to be there. Yet there he was. And there's no telling what his motive could have been.

But that's it for today's episode. Thank you guys for listening. Hey, everybody. Thank you for listening to this week's episode of Murder in America. Obviously, this is a case that has completely shocked Texas. Courtney and I live in Houston. And I mean, it's just, it's such a horrific, deeply troubling case. It's a case that's really hard to even learn about and read about and talk about. It's just, yeah, my heart absolutely breaks for the Strand family. And Courtney and I just want to send the most love that we possibly can to them in this terrible time. If you want to support the work that we do here on the show, please consider joining us on Patreon.

On Patreon, you can get access to early ad-free versions of every episode that we post here on the main feed. So if you don't like the ads and you want to get these episodes early, consider joining us there. And we also post bonus episodes on Patreon. And these are episodes that will never be posted on the main feed. They are exclusively for Patreon. So if you've never signed up and you want to get access to a giant database of bonus episodes, I think there's like 150 or 60 on there by now. These are full-length episodes of the show with Courtney and I that have never been posted anywhere but on Patreon.

You can support our show and join us over there. Also, don't forget to leave us a five-star review wherever you, listen to this podcast. Check out our second show, The Conspiracy Files, hosted by myself, Colin Brownen, and follow us on Instagram at Murder in America to see photos from every case that we cover here on the show. All right, guys, thank you for tuning in. I hope you all have a great weekend if you're listening on Friday or a great week if you're listening after the weekend. And yeah, thanks for tuning in. And I'll catch you all on the next one. Descend into the unexplained and unimaginable.

Mom said to them, what are you here for? What do you want? That's not human! What's not human! True accounts of crimes and anomalies so strange, they defy reasoning. It was extreme violence. I've never seen anything like it. She was forced to eat human flesh and survive the unthinkable.

Welcome to the antiquarium of sinister happenings and documented atrocities. And at that moment, the feeling to survive kicked in almost like an animal instinct. I told her to run. I knew. that minute something terrible had happened. Why would somebody do this to him? Why would they try to hurt my baby? Search the Antiquarium of documented atrocities on Apple, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts.

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