Jurors must decide whether Tanner Horner receives death or life without parole.

FORT WORTH, Texas — A former delivery driver admitted killing 7-year-old Athena Strand as his capital murder trial began, moving the Wise County case directly into a punishment phase focused on death or life in prison without parole.

Tanner Lynn Horner pleaded guilty to capital murder and aggravated kidnapping in the 2022 death of Athena, who disappeared after a package was delivered to her rural home near Paradise. The plea did not end the case. Because prosecutors are seeking the death penalty, jurors in Tarrant County are still hearing evidence about the killing, the investigation, the child’s final moments and Horner’s background before deciding his sentence.

The case began Nov. 30, 2022, when Athena vanished from her family’s property after a delivery truck arrived with what authorities described as a Christmas gift. Family members first searched the home and land, thinking the child may have been hiding nearby. Her stepmother, Elizabeth “Ashley” Strand, reported her missing when she could not find her. The search quickly grew beyond the property, drawing local deputies, state officers, federal agents and volunteers into a rural area northwest of Fort Worth. Investigators soon focused on the delivery made around the time Athena disappeared. Prosecutors said video from inside the truck became central to the case. Wise County District Attorney James Stainton told jurors the first words Horner said to the child after putting her in the vehicle were, “Don’t scream or I’ll hurt you.”

Horner had been expected to fight the charges at trial, but the courtroom changed course when he entered his plea before testimony began. State District Judge George Gallagher accepted the plea, then told jurors their task had shifted to punishment. Prosecutors used their opening statement to warn the jury that the evidence would be painful. They said the truck camera did not show every part of the assault because the lens was covered, but that the audio was clear enough to capture Athena’s voice and struggle. Prosecutor Patrick Berry said jurors would hear “the level of fight that a 7-year-old girl has when she’s facing down certain death.” He called Athena a warrior and said she “fought with the strength of 100 men.”

The guilty plea also sharpened the fight over Horner’s first explanation to investigators. Authorities have said Horner told them he accidentally struck Athena with his delivery van while backing out, panicked, placed her in the vehicle and killed her because he feared she would tell her father. Prosecutors now say that account was a lie except for the admission that he killed her. FBI Special Agent Patrick McGuire testified that Horner first said he did not remember going to the home, then claimed he had seen a green van leaving the driveway and later said he went home sick. McGuire said investigators later reviewed truck video that showed Horner placing a small girl into the back of the delivery van. The green van, investigators came to believe, did not exist.

Athena’s body was found two days after she was reported missing, miles from her home and near Boyd. Former Wise County Sheriff Lane Akin testified that he went to the scene before returning to tell the family that the search had ended. Akin became emotional on the stand as he described the moment. “It’s a hard thing to do,” he said, adding that he was focused on the family. He also said relatives were devastated because they had held out hope that Athena would be found alive. The location of her body, the timing of the delivery and the video from the truck helped investigators connect Horner to the disappearance, according to testimony and court records discussed during the punishment phase.

Witnesses have also described who Athena was before the case became a capital murder trial. Her teacher, Lindsey Thompson, told jurors Athena liked drawing, writing and coloring, and said she was a child who smiled often and spoke her mind. Thompson recalled seeing her before Thanksgiving break as students prepared for a Christmas program. Athena’s final school journal entry, read after she died, dealt with safety and staying away from strangers. Her father, Jacob Strand, testified that he last saw his daughter alive when he was leaving for a camping trip. He said she ran back to him for a goodbye before he drove away. He later searched the property and said he knew the woods “like the back of my hand.”

The defense has not asked jurors to excuse the killing. Instead, Horner’s lawyers have asked them to spare his life. They have pointed to autism, mental health problems, possible brain damage, family instability and childhood trauma as reasons they say reduce his moral blame. Defense witnesses have described substance abuse in his family and a lack of consistent treatment when Horner was young. His mother testified about addiction, abuse and instability during his childhood, while also saying she felt anger and shame over what happened. Defense experts have said Horner had developmental and neurological problems. Prosecutors have challenged those conclusions and have argued that the evidence shows planning, deception and awareness of guilt.

The trial has also forced jurors to weigh evidence about the delivery company and the route that brought Horner to Athena’s home. Horner was working as a contracted delivery driver for a company that delivered FedEx packages. Prosecutors said the package delivered that day contained Barbie dolls intended as a Christmas gift. The ordinary nature of the delivery has been central to the emotional force of the case. A truck arriving at a family home near the holidays became the last known setting in which Athena was seen alive. Prosecutors said Horner tried to control what could be seen on the truck camera, then gave shifting accounts after officers began asking questions.

The punishment phase is expected to include more testimony about the crime, the investigation, Horner’s background and whether he would pose a continuing threat. Under Texas law, a capital murder conviction can lead to a death sentence only if jurors answer required punishment questions in a way that supports it. If they do not, Horner will receive life in prison without parole. The case was moved from Wise County to Tarrant County after defense lawyers argued that heavy local attention would make it hard to seat a fair jury where Athena lived and died. Gallagher has also ruled on disputes over expert testimony and other pretrial issues.

For Athena’s family, the guilty plea confirmed what investigators had long alleged but did not end the public airing of the case. Relatives have sat through testimony about video, audio, searches and the child’s final day. Ashley Strand testified that another child in the family now reacts with fear to delivery drivers and has nightmares. Jacob Strand said he still lives on the property and visits a favorite fruitless pear tree that Athena used to climb. The courtroom has included people wearing pink in support of Athena, a detail the defense raised after the plea. Gallagher allowed the proceedings to continue.

The jury’s decision will come after both sides finish presenting punishment evidence and closing arguments. As of April 28, 2026, Horner stands convicted by his plea, but not yet sentenced. The next milestone is the completion of testimony in the punishment phase, which court coverage has indicated could continue into early May.

Author note: Last updated April 28, 2026.