33: FedEx Driver Planned Her Abduction and Murder | Athena Strand

The capital murder trial for former delivery driver Tanner Horner resumes in a few hours without the jury. Jurors cried, some wept openly as the prosecution played the audio recording from inside Tanner Horner's delivery truck. Seven-year-old Athena Strand asking if he is a kidnapper. Horner telling her to take off her shirt. Athena crying and screaming for her mom, telling Horner, my mom says you can't do that to me. The sound of a brutal murder and Athena's final gasp for air. Hey everybody, welcome back to an all-new episode of 10 to Life with me, Annie Elise. Now I want to say, I have been seeing your comments, your DMs, everything, absolutely just like blowing me up asking for an update on the Athena Strand case. And I hear you, because this is definitely a case that has stuck with so many of us. And the trial is happening right now. Which I know has caught so many, you know, the attention of so many of you. As many of you already know, I did do a deep dive into this case when it first happened back in December of 2022. Which, for those of you who are unfamiliar, this is the story of seven-year-old Athena Strand. Who was abducted right outside of her home by a FedEx delivery driver who was actually dropping off a Christmas present for Athena. A set of Barbies for her, for Christmas, that package. And even just saying that, it still doesn't feel real. This guy was dropping off a Christmas gift for her, and the seven-year-old innocent little girl, and then abducts her. But what we have learned since then, not only about the crime itself, but about Tanner, this monster, his past, the allegations against him, the predatory behavior. It paints an even more disturbing, more horrifying picture than we originally knew. Because now, through the trial and the trial, we know that Athena Strand is dead. And we know that Athena Strand is dead. Now, through the trial and the footage and the audio recordings that have come out, investigators believe that this was not only a sexually motivated crime, but a truly evil crime of opportunity. We also now know that Athena was asking him for her mom, that at one point she even asked him point blank, are you a kidnapper? Which, just hearing that, it breaks your heart. Now, back in my original deep dive, I shared my initial thoughts based on the limited information. And unfortunately, a lot of those early instincts have since been confirmed. I also went into his background, the allegations, the women who have come forward, all of it. So today, what I want to do is reopen Athena's case. And if you're new here or new to this format, when I do a reopened episode, I walk you through the original case as it unfolded in real time. But I also layer in everything that we know now. The new evidence. The trial updates. The context. That we didn't have back then. Because the original episode, it was recorded within days of Athena being abducted and then found. And so much has come out since then. As a quick reminder, in these reopened episodes, you may hear a slight difference in audio quality here or there. Because equipment has changed over time. But the goal in doing these episodes is to give you a full, comprehensive picture of the case. Now, I do want to give a little bit of a warning. This is one of the most unsettling. And disturbing cases I have ever covered. And even following this trial in real time has been incredibly difficult. I'll be honest with you. There were moments where I genuinely didn't know if I was going to reopen this case. It's incredibly difficult to hear. But Athena's story, it deserves to be told. Her voice deserves to be heard. So, take a quick second. Hit that like button. Hit the subscribe button. Hit the follow button on your podcast. I'm Annie Elise. This is 10 to Life. And today, we are reopening the case of Athena Strand. Let's jump right in. Athena Presley Monroe Strand was born in 2015 to two loving parents, Maitland and Jacob. She was just naturally perfect and was such a precious little baby. Beyond her parents, Athena was surrounded by an even bigger, loving extended family, including sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents who just absolutely adored her. To know Athena was to love her. She was such a light to everybody that she met. Athena loves singing, dancing, and music. And she loved the movie Frozen. Athena's mom, Maitland, described Athena in depth, saying that Athena's favorite color is pink. She loves to dress up as the princess that we all know she is. When she grows up, she wanted to be a Viking princess, just like her Viking daddy, with a lot of tattoos everywhere and with hair as long as Rapunzel's. She loves all animals and all people. She loved jewelry and all things shiny. And her favorite fast food joint was McDonald's. She would apparently eat there three times a day, every day, if mommy and daddy had allowed it. She loves all people. And Athena really loves makeup and doing her mom and sister's makeup. Athena goes crazy for candy and sweets and loves swimming and jumping off diving boards and just being outdoors. She loves her two baby sisters with all that she has. And she's apparently such a good big sister. Athena loves school, drawing, and laughing. Athena also has the best laugh. And she apparently just thinks that farts are hilarious, according to her mom. Although Athena's parents split up when Athena was younger, they have an amicable relationship and are very good co-parents. Both her mom and dad are now remarried. On her dad's side, she has a stepmom, Ashley, a stepsister, and a half-sister. On her mom's side, she has a stepdad and a half-sister. Athena's dad, Jacob, lives in Paradise, Texas, and Maitlyn lives in Oklahoma. Athena was living with her dad for a few months while her mom was handling some medical things. And she was set to go back and live with her mom in December of 2022. Paradise is in North Texas, northwest of Fort Worth. It's an extremely small town that has a lot of farmland, cow pastures, and many people live on an acre or more. So it's not uncommon. It's not uncommon for houses to be very far away from each other. There are some areas of dense woods, creeks, and small ponds. On November 30th, Jacob was on his way to a deer lease to hunt when he got a phone call that would change his life forever. Ashley called him and told him that she went to check on Athena in her room and she was gone. Jacob immediately turned around and drove home. Ashley said that she spent about an hour searching for her with the help of some relatives that also lived on the property, and that they couldn't find Athena anywhere. Jacob told her to call 911 immediately. According to the Wise County Sheriff's Department, Athena was reported missing at 6:50 p.m. And Jacob got home after the authorities had already arrived at the property. On Thursday, December 1st, at 2:10 p.m., an Amber Alert was issued for Athena. 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. Multiple law enforcement agencies had been searching for Athena throughout the day and the night before. The Amber Alert described Athena as being endangered and said that she was last seen wearing a gray or black long-sleeved shirt, blue jeans with flowers on the pockets, and brown boots. In Texas, it gets really dark around 5:45 to 6:00 p.m. And not only that, but Wednesday night was very cold. At 9:35 p.m., it was already 32 degrees outside. And then it got even colder. With the lowest temperature reaching 27 degrees overnight. The Wise County Sheriff's Office said that that's why they decided to put out an Amber Alert, even though it didn't quite meet the Amber Alert criteria at that point. Multiple news outlets told authorities that Athena may have run away after an argument with her stepmom, Ashley, but that they hadn't ruled out yet that somebody could have abducted her. Additionally, authorities said that Athena had been known to run away, and this wasn't the first time that she had done something like this, which is something Maitland, Athena's biological mother says is not true at all. The Texas Department of Public Safety and other police and fire departments had been assisting in the search for Athena. Along with hundreds of volunteers from the community, along with officials, everybody was looking for this seven-year-old girl. Helicopters, drones, thermal imaging cameras, horses, dogs, and ATVs all had been deployed in hopes of finding this sweet little girl. Initially, a lot of people had questions, like how did she just go missing or disappear without any help? Most of these questions were aimed at her stepmom, Ashley. Usually, seven-year-olds are supervised and don't run away like teenagers. During the search for Athena, a lot of things started coming to light from people who knew Ashley. One of Ashley's family members said, She's a mother with a toddler and two other kids. She was making dinner, the other daughter was next door getting help with her homework from her aunt, and Athena was in her room. When Ashley went to call for dinner, Athena was gone. She says it happens, and it could happen. Later in the evening on Thursday, the Wise County Sheriff's Office made statements to clarify all the confusion by the media and social media to the general public. Sheriff Atkins said that both the stepmom and dad were cooperating with authorities in the case. He also said that the reason they didn't file an Amber Alert sooner was that the family had told the sheriff that Athena had done this before, as in run away. So the sheriff's office felt that they would have found Athena eventually in the night. And then when that didn't happen, they issued that Amber Alert on 2 o'clock on Thursday. Sheriff Atkins said that the family had told the sheriff that Athena had done this before, as in run away. Aiken held a press conference on Friday, December 2nd, where he went over where they searched, including all of her dad's six-acre property, specifically the area of the house, inside the house, under the house, and the immediate areas surrounding, but they were unable to find her. Now, the layout of the overall property is a bit confusing. There's an older home that has been technically abandoned on the property that nobody lives in. The windows are busted out, the house is falling apart, and it needs to be bulldozed off the property, and I do think that that's the plan. It just hasn't been done yet. Jacob and Ashley have a trailer on the property that they live in. According to Jacob and Ashley, Athena and her 10-year-old stepsister were temporarily living in an unfinished shed several yards away from the dad's main residence while these renovations were underway. Now, the shed is in the pink circle here in this picture, which I'm going to pull up on the screen. Now, I've seen photos of inside this shed. I can't share them here because they were sent to me privately by somebody who was involved in the investigation, and I don't want to get this person fired, but I have seen photos of this, so let me just paint a picture for you and describe the inside of this shed. There's a space heater on the floor. There is a mattress on the floor where it looks as though a makeshift bed has been made with a pink quilted type heater on top of it. There's a rolling rack at the foot of the bed leaning against the wall with some young girl's clothing hanging from it, and the entire shed appears to be in disarray. It looks very similar to the living conditions where Summer Wells was living, if you are familiar with that case, and it can, you know, paint a mental picture for you. Who was in fact living in that shed at the time? We are not certain, and it has not been confirmed. However, by the time we get to the end of this video, we're going to be able to tell you a little bit about the looks of it, by the toys, the color of the bedding, and the contents of the clothing. It appears that a young girl or a couple of young girls were the ones residing in there. Now, the sheriff also said multiple agencies, a helicopter and canine dogs, searched for Athena all night on Wednesday night into the early hours. The dogs were successful in picking up a trail from Athena's scent. The trail was short and just circled around the house and then headed back over to County Road 23. Two different dog teams investigated further, but still didn't find Athena anywhere. Search teams went home around 4 30 a.m. and returned as soon as the sun came up on Thursday to continue the search. Most of the searchers were law enforcement, including the sheriff's department, U.S. Marshals, Highway Patrol, Texas Rangers, and DPS slash CID, and that search wasn't effective either. On Thursday, about 200 volunteers gathered to join the search. The sheriff also stated that the efforts to find Athena began as a large search along with an investigation, and at this point they were going to pivot into an investigation accompanied by a search. A reporter asked the sheriff why they were now transitioning into an investigation, and he replied, because we've completed searching all of the areas we need to search. Now we have a lot of people we need to interview and digital information to go through. And he added that after 24 hours, they don't suspect foul play, but acknowledge it as a possibility. Around 4 30 on Friday, December 2nd, just a few hours after the press conference, a reporter was talking to neighbors on County Road 4599, roughly seven miles from Athena's home. Suddenly, they were approached by Wise County deputies and told to move back immediately. They saw law enforcement gathering near a very deep ditch on the side of the road. So an update almost three hours later said that the road was still blocked off and that more law enforcement officers were on the move. They also said that the road was still blocked off by DPS and local officers. A few hours later at 10 p.m. there was another news conference. Now in this press conference, they announced that they had found Athena's body, that her body was recovered approximately six miles away, and that at that time it was en route to the medical examiner's office. They also announced that they determined that a delivery took place at the property around the same time that Athena went missing. They further determined that this delivery driver, as well as his mother, had abducted Athena, and they said that they believed that she had died within an hour of being abducted. One reporter asked how they were able to find where exactly Athena was located. I can address that. It was because of the work of the rangers and our investigators who were doing the interview that got us to that location based on the information they received from the suspect now defendant. We do have a confession. Is there anything that you can tell us about this? We really can't get into the content of the confession, but I will say that we have a confession. And there's so many other things because this has really just come to this position this time and just closure just hours ago. So it's still very, very early, but we wanted to make sure that we got the information out what has happened today because of the good work right here. So this 31-year-old monstrous loser admitted to picking up an innocent, precious seven-year-old girl while on the job, kidnapped her, did, God knows what to her, and dumped her like trash. Then he drove around for two days in his FedEx truck watching everybody search for her. All of the police activity and search happening before the press conference Friday night was for this FedEx truck. What a disgusting, sick piece of garbage to think that someone so disgusting and perverted was walking around among us like a wolf hidden in a sheep's clothing. So much more to this as well. As soon as he was arrested and his identity was released, it turned out that he was not in sheep's clothing at all. And it gets much, much worse. So Tanner was not employed by FedEx. He was an independent contractor for the company. And Tanner has a child and is engaged. The child also looks young, maybe one year or even 18 months. So Tanner came home to his fiance and baby for two nights and got to live like he did not commit one single crime. One of the most heinous acts that somebody could possibly do. His Facebook page is pretty public. So there is a lot to see on there. And the public has not been shy about unleashing their feelings of hate and vitriol on pretty much any post on his page that they were able to comment on. There were also a lot of comments made where people posted screenshots of a post by a woman who accused Tanner of raping her. The victim was a woman named Shay Marie, who said that she had been raped by him when she was six years old. You can see that on November 11, she shared a memory saying friendly reminder that Tanner Horner likes to take advantage of drunk 16 year old girls. And the memory was from November 11 2019, where it says friendly reminder that Tanner Horner is in another post, she retweets somebody named JC Dow's post where she had said, Why was that grown adult hanging out with me a memoir of my teenage years, and Shay Marie reposted that and tags Tanner in it. She said that this happened eight years ago, which would make Tanner 23 when he did this 23 and she was 16. So after hearing the news about Athena, Shay posted this on her personal Facebook page. Tanner Lynn Horner, the man who me at 16, eight years ago, murdered Athena strand, a seven year old girl. I hope the family gets justice they deserve. I hope he rots. And I hope everyone who didn't believe me when I've talked about this for eight years does now. F all of you. Shay also spoke out on TikTok to describe the situation. I've been going back and forth on posting this for like the past 12 hours. If you've seen my Facebook posts, you've already seen it, you already know. And thousands of people have. And I'm overwhelmed by the amount of support and love that I've been receiving. The man, Tanner Lynn Horner, who murdered Athena strand, a seven year old girl from Paradise, Texas. I was 16, eight years ago. I was dealing with a lot of traumas at the time, dealing with a lot of heartache. I just got through my first breakup. And I was hanging out with people I shouldn't have. His friend came and picked me up one night and said, I'm going to go to one of their bandmates house for band practice. We got drunk. I remember going to bed. I remember him trying to cuddle with me. I remember telling him I don't want to. And then the next thing I remember is him on top of me and his sweat dripping into my mouth and being on my stomach with my hands tied, pinned behind my back. The next morning, I didn't remember what happened because I was blackout drunk. Even now, I only remember bits and pieces. Then they had their band practice the next day. And then his friend Cody drove me and him to his house, Tanner's house, where he lived with his grandparents. And he at the time lived in a shed in their backyard, like he had converted it into a bedroom. and at the end of the comedown which was about eight o'clock or so the next morning seven o'clock something along those lines um he tried to have sex with me and that's when all the memories came flooding back and i started to panic um he wouldn't stop touching me he wouldn't stop touching my side he wouldn't stop touching my legs he wouldn't stop touching my arm um he kept telling me things like i'm so sorry that my ex um did that to you and i would never hurt you like that and you deserve so much more finally i was able to get out of the room um he wouldn't even leave to let me get dressed um i was able to get out of the room and i ran through the backyard through his grandparents bedroom and into the kitchen um i found a piece of mail with his address on it texted it to my friend who got her biological mother to come pick me up and for years nobody believed me i'm sorry to have to make this more than one part um but i have been screaming this man's name for eight years i had friends who i saw the day of after my friend picked me up from his house um i saw a few friends the day of and i told them what happened they were once hidden this man's name nobody believed me my closest friends believed me but as far as the general public goes um i was pretty much ridiculed and shunned from day one um he was um um he called my my best friend's ex asking him begging him to ask me not to call the cops um and i should have but i was 16 i was already dealing with a bunch of other traumas that i was going through at the time um and i i was scared i was scared because if my peers aren't believing me then why would the jury i spent years on facebook saying his name telling my story um but it got nowhere i get a few comments here and there you know maybe a few reacts but nobody really took it seriously and when the news broke of whose name it was and people started looking him up on facebook um they found my name in my posts that i tagged him in the news and i was like oh my god i'm so sad they found my name in my posts that i tagged him in or um talked about him in um so i've had a few people tell me that i should come forward and tell my story and i've received so much support like an overwhelming amount of support and i've gotten a few negative comments here and there you know people saying saying saying that if i would have reported then she that if i would have reported then she that if i would have reported then she would have been alive and this that would have been alive and this that would have been alive and this that another but the reality is is another but the reality is is another but the reality is is if i would have reported he probably if i would have reported he probably if i would have reported he probably would have gotten out anyways would have gotten out anyways would have gotten out anyways i was 16 i was drunk i was high like i was 16 i was drunk i was high like i was 16 i was drunk i was high like they wouldn't have believed me sorry it was my kids sorry it was my kids sorry it was my kids what's even sicker shay and his what's even sicker shay and his what's even sicker shay and his fiancee used to be friends shay posted fiancee used to be friends shay posted fiancee used to be friends shay posted screenshots of their messages when she screenshots of their messages when she screenshots of their messages when she told her what had happened so long ago told her what had happened so long ago told her what had happened so long ago take a look at these in this first part take a look at these in this first part take a look at these in this first part of the conversation you can see it's of the conversation you can see it's of the conversation you can see it's from may 13 2016 and a message is sent from may 13 2016 and a message is sent from may 13 2016 and a message is sent saying hey shay i heard about you with Tanner but he is lying to me and all kinds of shit so I was just gonna ask you what really happened between y'all you don't have to tell me if you don't want to he's been hanging out with and then it's redacted so she responds and says on Friday night he got me drunk with the intention of having sex with me I was nearly blackout drunk when he decided to rape me I couldn't physically fight him my body wouldn't move the next day I was still out of it Cody took us to Tanner's house Cody left it was just Tanner and I I had almost no recollection of the night before at this point we did acid we were fine until the come down I was laying down and he had my back to him he kept touching me I pushed his hand off multiple times started having bad anxiety I was frozen I cried he was stroking my legs inside talking about Robert my most recent ex at the time he wouldn't stop he wouldn't give me his address so I could leave he wouldn't leave the room so I could change you Thank you for watching! 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"Athena is innocent, beautiful, beautiful kind intelligent and just the brightest happiest soul you could ever meet i don't want her to be the little girl known as the one murdered and discarded by a monster i want everyone to know every single person in this world to know 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 on thursday december 8th a press conference was held where athena's mother spoke out again with her attorney she delivered a heartfelt message thanking everyone who has supported her and her family through all of this and she has encouraged everyone to hold their little ones tighter that delivery driver admitting to kidnapping and killing my innocent free-spirited seven-year-old daughter on friday december 2nd at the time of athena's abduction she was staying with her stepmother and father in paradise texas doing what what kids do playing laying within the bounds of her father's property on the same land he grew up and played on the same land that for 20 or more years he his siblings and all of his friends had been safe i was supposed to bring athena back home to oklahoma after christmas break now instead athena will be cremated and she will come home in an urn because i'm not even i'm not anywhere close to being ready to let my baby go i'm sorry i will never see her bright blue eyes or her ornery smile again i will never be able to hear her say i love you mommy i will never be able to do her hair again or to hold her while she sleeps i was robbed of watching her grow up by a man that everyone was supposed to be able to trust to do just one simple task deliver a christmas present and leave she finished her message by acknowledging athena was absolutely loved by her father and then said that she will spend her life fighting so that this never happens to another family again and specifically mentioned the screening and hiring process the package that was delivered at athena's dad's house on the day that she was taken was on display during the press conference you can see that it's the blue package outside of the abandoned house it was a barbie set which was one of athena's christmas presents after the press conference on thursday the arrest warrant and charging document for capital murder was released it says that during the course of the investigation it was learned that fedex delivered a package to the residents during the same time that athena went missing fedex had contracted out deliveries to a company called big topspin investigators were able to work with employees from big topspin to determine which van and driver made the delivery that day investigators also learned that the van had footage from a third-party vendor called velocider velocider was able to provide video from the truck on that day the video feed it has consists of continuous one-minute clips an fbi agent reviewed the video and saw that the driver had taken a young girl resembling athena the driver was also seen talking to her inside the van when investigators tracked down the driver tanner he said that he accidentally backed into athena he said that she was not seriously injured but that he panicked and he put her into his van he said that in the van she was alive talking and told him that her name was athena but once the footage was released it showed a very different story him saying things to her like you're so pretty her asking him are you a kidnapper and don't worry we will get to all of that tanner then told the detectives interviewing him that he attempted to break her neck to kill her but when that wasn't successful he strangled her with his bare hands in the back of the fedex truck and he said he did that because athena was going to tell her dad about being hit by the truck and he said he was going to tell her dad about being hit by the truck car now let's just pause right here and discuss this so far if tanner hit her like he said he did why not just take her home and tell whoever was there at the house call for help do something i get it i can understand being panicked i can't imagine accidentally hitting a child with my car but if she was alive and in decent shape why purposely try and inflict more pain on her i think that her parents would be frustrated angry yes worried and maybe he would have lost his job but if she would have otherwise been okay or recovered it would not be the end of the world it would be okay she would survive you wouldn't have to kill someone you wouldn't have to murder someone so why take her and i think the surveillance video that was captured will give us a much clearer picture of what really happened because interestingly the affidavit only discusses tanner's version of events the only thing the fbi agent reviewed and saw from the clips was him taking athena and her inside of the van talking the affidavit never states if the video surveillance confirms that she was hit or not if she was hit i just don't see the likelihood of her just talking to tanner like nothing happened while she's in the van i would imagine that she would likely be super upset inconsolable not be able to tell him her name very easily so i'm playing things out in my mind it just seems like his version of events doesn't quite pass the smell test not to me anyway and not only that but don't most fedex trucks or big trucks in general make a very loud noise when they're in the van so i'm not going to make a very loud noise when they're in the van so i'm not going to make a very loud noise when they're in the van very loud beeping sound when the gear is in reverse and why would he have reversed in the first place since the driveway was circular in the front as you can clearly see in both of these pictures you can see the circular path of grass and in the middle and the rock road is all around it it's not like this is a manicured lawn with a concrete path and curbs he dropped the package right in front of the abandoned house so he was literally right on that path maybe she was hit but to me it seems like maybe his cover-up excuse as to why he would do such a thing as to why he would do such a thing as to why he would do such a thing rather than just admitting that he's a rather than just admitting that he's a rather than just admitting that he's a monster who saw a crime of opportunity monster who saw a crime of opportunity monster who saw a crime of opportunity had some sick perversion in his mind and had some sick perversion in his mind and had some sick perversion in his mind and abducted her the last takeaway from this abducted her the last takeaway from this abducted her the last takeaway from this capital murder affidavit capital murder affidavit capital murder affidavit was the discovery of athena's body the was the discovery of athena's body the was the discovery of athena's body the document states that investigators asked document states that investigators asked document states that investigators asked if tanner would be willing to take them if tanner would be willing to take them if tanner would be willing to take them to where he put her body to where he put her body to where he put her body he was cooperative and willingly took he was cooperative and willingly took he was cooperative and willingly took them to the spot where she was found in them to the spot where she was found in them to the spot where she was found in water in a creek that feeds into the water in a creek that feeds into the water in a creek that feeds into the trinity river trinity river trinity river there was also an affidavit for the there was also an affidavit for the there was also an affidavit for the aggravated kidnapping charge that was aggravated kidnapping charge that was aggravated kidnapping charge that was released released released the affidavit was pretty much the same the affidavit was pretty much the same the affidavit was pretty much the same thing besides the charge and penal code thing besides the charge and penal code thing besides the charge and penal code the penal code for the kidnapping was the penal code for the kidnapping was the penal code for the kidnapping was section 20.04 a3 section 20.04 a3 section 20.04 a3 which states a person commits an offense which states a person commits an offense which states a person commits an offense if he intentionally or knowingly abducts if he intentionally or knowingly abducts if he intentionally or knowingly abducts another person with the intent to another person with the intent to another person with the intent to facilitate the commission of a felony or facilitate the commission of a felony or facilitate the commission of a felony or facilitate the commission of a felony facilitate the commission of a felony facilitate the commission of a felony namely capital murder and that he namely capital murder and that he namely capital murder and that he intentionally and knowingly abducted her intentionally and knowingly abducted her intentionally and knowingly abducted her by restricting the movements of athena by restricting the movements of athena by restricting the movements of athena without her consent so as to interfere without her consent so as to interfere without her consent so as to interfere substantially with her liberty by moving substantially with her liberty by moving substantially with her liberty by moving her from one place to another with the her from one place to another with the her from one place to another with the intent to prevent her liberation by intent to prevent her liberation by intent to prevent her liberation by secreting or holding her in a place where secreting or holding her in a place where she was not likely to be found so she was not likely to be found so she was not likely to be found so when i read that it seems as if this when i read that it seems as if this when i read that it seems as if this was his plan when he decided to kidnap was his plan when he decided to kidnap was his plan when he decided to kidnap her he kidnapped her for the purpose of her he kidnapped her for the purpose of her he kidnapped her for the purpose of killing her and hiding her body so killing her and hiding her body so killing her and hiding her body so nobody would find out nobody would find out nobody would find out which sure enough looking back now and which sure enough looking back now and which sure enough looking back now and knowing what we learned during his trial knowing what we learned during his trial knowing what we learned during his trial i was spot on with what i thought and i was spot on with what i thought and i was spot on with what i thought and what i believed was the true motive what i believed was the true motive what i believed was the true motive and don't worry we will get there shortly and don't worry we will get there shortly and don't worry we will get there shortly the community has been outspoken about the community has been outspoken about the community has been outspoken about believing believing believing there was a more sinister motive behind there was a more sinister motive behind there was a more sinister motive behind this horrific and tragic murder this horrific and tragic murder this horrific and tragic murder specifically if athena was hurt in specifically if athena was hurt in specifically if athena was hurt in another way another way another way after speaking with others and hearing after speaking with others and hearing things they have shared it's my opinion things they have shared it's my opinion things they have shared it's my opinion that there was likely a more sinister that there was likely a more sinister that there was likely a more sinister motive apparently the argument that motive apparently the argument that motive apparently the argument that athena got in with her stepmom was athena got in with her stepmom was athena got in with her stepmom was actually a fight with her stepsister and actually a fight with her stepsister and actually a fight with her stepsister and her stepmom her stepmom her stepmom ashley then didn't take up for her athena ashley then didn't take up for her athena ashley then didn't take up for her athena was upset by this and decided to was upset by this and decided to was upset by this and decided to take a walk now a side note here in the take a walk now a side note here in the take a walk now a side note here in the affidavit before the kidnapping took affidavit before the kidnapping took affidavit before the kidnapping took place place place ashley the stepmom did not tell police ashley the stepmom did not tell police ashley the stepmom did not tell police initially that there was a fight at all initially that there was a fight at all initially that there was a fight at all she told them she told athena to go to she told them she told athena to go to she told them she told athena to go to her bedroom slash her unfinished shed her bedroom slash her unfinished shed her bedroom slash her unfinished shed wherever she was living and to sort out wherever she was living and to sort out wherever she was living and to sort out her dirty clothes so that she could do her dirty clothes so that she could do her dirty clothes so that she could do the laundry the surveillance video from the laundry the surveillance video from the laundry the surveillance video from the van started out showing athena the van started out showing athena the van started out showing athena walking and tanner forcefully putting walking and tanner forcefully putting walking and tanner forcefully putting her in the truck this would have been her in the truck this would have been her in the truck this would have been after he hit or didn't hit her after he hit or didn't hit her after he hit or didn't hit her like the affidavit says the third party like the affidavit says the third party like the affidavit says the third party vendor provides surveillance that vendor provides surveillance that vendor provides surveillance that records in one minute clips so when records in one minute clips so when records in one minute clips so when tanner was interviewed he told police tanner was interviewed he told police tanner was interviewed he told police the whole narrative that we just went the whole narrative that we just went the whole narrative that we just went over however the first location he gave over however the first location he gave over however the first location he gave them of where athena was was not true them of where athena was was not true them of where athena was was not true officers went to look and they didn't officers went to look and they didn't officers went to look and they didn't find anything find anything find anything they came back to tanner told him that they came back to tanner told him that they came back to tanner told him that they knew that he was full of they knew that he was full of they knew that he was full of and then tanner was interviewed again by and then tanner was interviewed again by and then tanner was interviewed again by a texas ranger in a police truck where he a texas ranger in a police truck where he a texas ranger in a police truck where he admitted the real location of where admitted the real location of where admitted the real location of where athena's body was athena's body was athena's body was during the second interview he allegedly during the second interview he allegedly during the second interview he allegedly admitted to doing something to her admitted to doing something to her admitted to doing something to her because and i quote he wanted to see because and i quote he wanted to see because and i quote he wanted to see what it was like unquote what it was like unquote what it was like unquote because his second confession took place because his second confession took place because his second confession took place in a truck the first admission was used in a truck the first admission was used in a truck the first admission was used in the affidavit because that's the in the affidavit because that's the in the affidavit because that's the confession that they had on record but confession that they had on record but confession that they had on record but now we have learned the truth so let's now we have learned the truth so let's now we have learned the truth so let's go over everything that has been go over everything that has been go over everything that has been happening in his trial and i'm just happening in his trial and i'm just happening in his trial and i'm just going to be honest with you, this has been one of the most emotional, hardest to listen to trials that I have followed in a long time. Now, because as we know, Tanner has already pleaded guilty. And with that, this trial isn't about if he did it or not. That part is already established. Now, it's about one thing and one thing only, whether he will be sentenced to death or spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole. And when you look at it through that lens, every single piece of evidence that has been presented, it just hits differently. It feels heavier. And the state's case so far has been a lot. Like, truly heartbreaking, emotional, and honestly, really difficult to hear, let alone sit through. One of the biggest, most talked about moments so far was when the jurors were played audio from inside the delivery truck. Audio from the moment that Tanner killed Athena. Now, I'm not going to go into detail there because even the descriptions coming out of the courtroom have been very challenging to read, but there are a few things that we do know. That audio was recorded after Tanner had covered the camera inside the truck, which that detail alone, people have really latched onto it because it suggests awareness. It suggests that he knew exactly what he was doing and that he didn't want what he was doing to be seen. Then, the audio itself was played for the jury. And there are a few moments from that recording that have really stuck with people. At one point, Athena can be heard asking him if he was a kidnapper, which, just hearing that, I mean, you can tell that she knew that something wasn't right. She was trying to understand what was happening, trying to make sense of it, even trying to talk to him. She asks where they're going, and he responds, it doesn't matter. Then, there's another moment where she says that she wants her mom. And that part, that is what has really stayed with people. Because it brings everything back to exactly what this was. A seven-year-old little girl, scared, asking for the person who makes her feel safe. From everything that's been reported, it wasn't just one moment, either, that was emotional. It was the entire playback. Jurors were visibly shaken. Some were crying. People in the courtroom struggled to sit through it. Some had to step out. And it's one of those moments where the case stops. And it's one of those moments where the case stops feeling like something you're just hearing about or a case you're just following it along with. And it becomes very real, very immediate, and really, really hard to process. Athena's mom also was even asked if she had watched or listened to any of the videos in the case. She said that she tried, but that she just couldn't. How much of it were you able to look at? Maybe, maybe a minute. Maybe two. I can't. And I'm very sorry to all of the innocent people. I can't. But to watch that, I am so sorry. I'm sorry to 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. I really am sorry. Another moment that has been getting a lot of attention is when the jurors were shown recorded interview footage of Tanner speaking with investigators after the crime. And this part is extremely unsettling. Because in that footage, he starts talking about this supposed alter ego, someone he calls Zero. He tells investigators that Zero is the one who killed Athena. And what really stands out about this is how it came in, because this wasn't the defense building out some kind of mental health argument. This was the prosecution playing his own words for the jury. So at this point, jurors are hearing this claim with Zero context. No expert testimony, no diagnosis, no framework to explain what he even means, or if there's any validity to it. It's just something he said. And now the jury is left sitting there trying to make sense of it on their own. There was also a moment. where the jury was shown a note that he had written where he talked about wanting to end his own life. And again, it just adds another layer to the picture of who he was in the days surrounding the crime. But without the defense fully stepping in yet to explain or give any sort of context to any of it. And then, on the other side of all of this, some of the most emotional testimony has come from Athena's family. They talked about who she was, her personality, her life, the kind of little girl that she was. And those. those moments are always the moments that shift everything in a courtroom like this. Because for a moment, it pulls you out of the legal arguments, the strategy, all of that. And it brings you right back to what this case is actually rooted in. A seven-year-old little girl who should still be here. I would 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. And just, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I am. And I didn't protect her. And when you step back and look at everything that the jury had heard so far, it does paint a really dark picture. But then, it was the defense's turn to share their argument. And really, that's exactly where things started to shift. Because after all of that, after the audio, the interviews, the testimony from Athena's family, the defense now finally stepped in. And their job was very different. Because they weren't trying to argue that this didn't happen. Obviously, they couldn't. I mean, there was no way. But what they were trying to do now was explain Tanner's behavior. And at this point, they were trying everything that they believed they could possibly do to spare him from the death penalty. So, the way that they did that was what a lot of defense attorneys do. They go all the way back to the beginning, to Tanner's childhood. And one of the very first people that they called to the stand was Tanner's mom. Which, this ended up being one of the biggest moments from the defense, in my opinion. She got up there, and she was very open about her past. And honestly, I mean, to me, parts of it were really difficult to listen to. However, when it came time to explaining Tanner's mentality, specifically, the defense started by asking her about her pregnancy. And she said that when she was pregnant with Tanner, she was just 17 years old. She also said she didn't even know that she was pregnant until about eight and a half weeks in. And because of that, up until she found out, she was drinking very heavily. All the way to the point of developing cirrhosis, which is a chronic disease of the liver. She said that she was also smoking cigarettes and using many different kinds of drugs. When you became pregnant with Tanner, were you still dancing? Yes, I was. And when you became pregnant with Tanner, were you still drinking alcohol? Until I found out I was pregnant. But by that time, I was already like eight and a half weeks. So you didn't find out you were pregnant until about eight and a half weeks in? Yes, ma'am. And during that eight and a half weeks, you drank on a regular basis? Yes, I was. How often did you drink? I drank pretty heavily, enough to get cirrhosis. Do you currently have cirrhosis? Yes, I do. Once you learned that you were pregnant, did you stop drinking? Yes. And why did you stop drinking when you found out? Because I wanted my baby to be healthy. And before learning you were pregnant, did you smoke cigarettes? Yes. Why did you stop drinking when you found out? And before you discovered you were pregnant with Tanner, did you stop smoking cigarettes? No. What about marijuana? Did you continue to smoke marijuana throughout your pregnancy? You know, I did a little bit because I was throwing up every day, and it helped. It helped with the morning sickness? It really did. And I hate to say that, but I did. Before learning that you were pregnant with Tanner, did you stop smoking? Yes. Did you stop smoking? Yes. Yes. Did you continue to use other drugs? No. So at the time that you found out you were pregnant, you were just smoking marijuana and drinking? Oh, no. Before I found out I was pregnant, I was. So during that about eight to nine week period? Yeah, I was doing everything. And what do you mean by everything? I mean anything I can get my hands on. From there, she described what it was like growing up, saying that Tanner really started struggling to communicate, and that other children didn't really engage with him. She then said that it was around this time that he was diagnosed with Asperger's. She also talked about. She talked about these very intense meltdowns that Tanner would allegedly go through, where Tanner would get so frustrated that he would physically hurt himself, punching himself in the head. And she tied a lot of that back to being bullied in school, not fitting in, not having friends, and not being able to really express what he was feeling. But then there was a special, like, specific moment of her testimony that really stood out to me. Because when she was asked how she felt about what he did, what he did to Athena, she didn't defend him. She said, quote, I'm so angry at him. She was just a baby. Ms. Warner, I want to talk to you about the incident itself, the reason why we are here today. You understand that your son has pled guilty to kidnapping and killing Athena. You understand, right? Yes. And you know some of the facts and information surrounding what may have occurred during the incident. Is that right? Yes. Thank you. Are you angry with him? I'm so mad at him. I want to just tear his ass out. She was just a baby. So then the prosecution got up on cross-examination. And this is where things started to, you know, rebalance a bit. Because they pointed out that his life, it wasn't just filled with chaos. They brought up how he had structure at times, how his grandparents were extremely loving, how he had a safe place to live. He did normal things, things like wrestling, being in bands, playing video games, which really then complicated this whole picture that the defense was trying to paint of Tanner being this socially awkward person who had no friends and didn't understand how to do anything normally. It kind of just, like, completely negated that. Because now the jury was saying that he was capable of functioning in everyday life. And then the defense had continued to build on all of that with that second major piece of their case, Tanner's development and how his brain worked. So what they did is they brought in teachers, specialists, experts, all describing the same pattern, saying that Tanner struggled socially, that he had behavioral challenges, that he didn't process things the same ways as his peers did. Autism. And they even took it a step further. When a neuroscientist showed the jury a scan of his brain, they pointed to an area that is connected to emotional regulation and social behavior. And this expert said that this part of Tanner's brain was about 20% smaller than average. And he walked the jury through what exactly that means. He said that this area plays a key role in things like impulse control, decision-making, how someone processes emotions, how they read social situations. So, when you hear that, you can kind of see where the defense is going with it, right? He didn't know his full decision-making, or he wasn't fully aware of what he was doing. He doesn't have impulse control. He doesn't think and react to social cues like other people do. If that part of the brain isn't functioning normally, the argument is that it can affect how someone reacts in the moment, how they regulate their behavior, how they process what's happening around them. But even with all of that, I have to say, there were limits to what he was saying. Because he didn't say that this causes someone to commit a violent crime, or that it explains at all what happened here with Athena. And he also did not say that Tanner didn't understand what he was doing. So, during that whole first part of the defense's case, while they were introducing all of these things about his development and how his brain works, the prosecution was right there, on cross, pushing back on it, pushing back hard, really trying to make it clear that none of this meant that Tanner didn't understand what he was doing. That these were factors, yeah, sure, okay, but certainly not an explanation for the crime itself. And also, let's just mention, since he's already pleaded guilty, this is kind of something that we already know and knew. He admitted that he did it. And he also admitted that he was of sound mind when he pled guilty. That's where things start to get really complicated. Because now, the jury is continuing to hear and sit with both sides. Everything that the defense has laid out about his background, his brain, how he developed, and of course, everything that the prosecution has pointed out about his actions and everything leading up to this. So, at the end of all of this, it comes down to one decision. Whether Tanner Horner will spend the rest of his life in prison without parole, or be sentenced to death. And sentencing is expected to happen on or before May, May 5th. So, here's my plan. I know the deep dive is happening here, but I will update you in our Thursday episode of Serialistly, my other true crime podcast, on as soon as we know. I will update you on Headline Highlights, which comes out every single Thursday, over on Serialistly. It's where I break down everything happening that week in true crime. So, not only will I update you when there's a sentencing, but also with what happens at the very tail end of this trial, since we're in the last couple days of it now. I know that this case was extremely difficult to hear. It was very difficult for me to cover. I didn't even know that I would cover it again, because I have a child who's going to be seven years old next month, and it just hits so hard. I appreciate you hearing Athena's story, and allowing her voice to continue on. This monster deserves to rot, to be, to disintegrate, to go to the scum gutter of the earth for what he has done. Delivering this innocent seven-year-old little girl's Christmas present, and having the audacity to snatch her up, and do horrific things, and barbarically, savagely take her life. Then, cruise by the search parties in the following days, being like, what's going on? Who's missing? It just shows calculation, zero remorse, and a true monster. So, I know it was difficult to hear. I, trust me, it's difficult for me to even speak these words, or think about this case, but I really appreciate you guys sticking with me on this. And hearing Athena's story, and allowing her voice to be heard. I will keep you updated if there are any updates in the future with where we land on this. The quickest way is probably over on my Instagram, so make sure that you're following. It's True Crime with Annie, and we will follow this together, but let's just pray that Athena's family can start to have a little bit of peace, and that this monster just is wiped off the face of the planet. I mean, truly. Until the next one, guys. Stay safe. Bye.