Jurors in the sentencing phase of Tanner Horner’s case were shown new surveillance footage on Thursday that prosecutors say added another deeply unsettling layer to the murder of 7-year-old Athena Strand. The video, taken from cameras installed inside Horner’s FedEx delivery truck, showed him driving past the active search near Athena’s Wise County home on December 1, 2022, less than a day after she was killed.
The footage reportedly captured Horner moving along a rural residential road lined with vehicles as family members, volunteers and law enforcement searched for the missing child. At one point, he appeared frustrated by the traffic jam and complained that people were blocking his delivery route. A woman near the scene told him that a 7-year-old had been taken, prompting him to respond, “Are you serious?” before officers allowed him to continue driving.
New courtroom footage added to already emotional testimony
The truck video was shown shortly after Athena’s father, Jacob Strand, gave emotional testimony about the devastation her death caused inside the family. He described guilt, trauma, heavy drinking and the collapse of his marriage in the aftermath of losing his daughter. His testimony gave jurors a direct picture of the long emotional damage that followed Athena’s killing.
The prosecution then moved into some of the most difficult evidence presented so far in court. Judge George Gallagher warned those in the courtroom before graphic material was played for the jury. According to local coverage from inside the courtroom, prosecutors also introduced video and audio recorded inside the delivery truck from the day Athena was abducted. That material was not shown publicly, but it marked one of the most distressing points of the sentencing proceedings.
Earlier in the case, Horner had already pleaded guilty to capital murder and aggravated kidnapping in Athena Strand’s death. Prosecutors are still pursuing the death penalty, which means the trial has now focused on punishment rather than guilt. Thursday’s evidence was aimed at helping jurors assess the full gravity of the crime and Horner’s actions before and after the killing.
Case remains one of Texas’ most heartbreaking recent child murder trials
The killing shocked Texas and drew national attention in late 2022 after Athena disappeared from her family’s home in Wise County. Investigators later said Horner was working as a delivery driver for a FedEx contractor when he went to the property with a package. He later told authorities he struck the child while backing up, panicked, put her into the vehicle and strangled her because he feared she would tell her father.
Athena’s body was found about 9 miles from her home two days later. Since the sentencing phase began this month, jurors have heard a series of painful witness accounts and seen evidence connected to the route, the truck and the final movements tied to the case.
Thursday’s newly shown footage stood out because of the contrast it captured: a desperate community still searching for a little girl while the man who had already admitted killing her drove directly through that same scene. For jurors, it was not just another video clip from a criminal case. It was a moment that sharpened the timeline and underscored how close Horner came to the search effort while concealing what had already happened.
After presenting the final video evidence, prosecutors rested their case. Court proceedings are expected to continue with the defense portion of the sentencing phase as jurors move closer to deciding whether Horner will be sentenced to life in prison without parole or death.
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