FedEx driver Tanner Horner, 34, admitted to the brutal murder of seven-year-old Athena Strand, a crime that occurred in November 2022 in Fort Worth, Texas. Horner's chilling confession to investigators, captured on bodycam footage shown at his sentencing trial, revealed his callous actions, including stating he 'kind of tossed her' into the woods after the killing. He pleaded guilty earlier this week to capital murder of a child under ten and aggravated kidnapping, and is now facing a sentencing trial to determine if he will receive the death penalty.

During his initial apprehension, bodycam footage showed police searching Horner's home before he offered to show them where Athena was. When asked if she was alive, Horner chillingly responded, 'She wasn't alive when I put her in the truck.' He initially claimed to have accidentally hit Strand with his truck, but has since admitted to strangling the young girl. The footage then showed Horner leading officers to a wooded area, though he was unsure of the exact location due to the way he disposed of her remains, reiterating, 'I just kind of tossed her in.'

Authorities at an earlier hearing this week released a nightmarish image showing Athena Strand alive inside Horner's FedEx truck just before her murder. The youngster was abducted by Horner as he delivered a Christmas present – a box of Barbie dolls – to her home. Prosecutors warned jurors about the gruesome evidence they would face, including horrific audio of Strand's killing, captured by a microphone in his vehicle after he covered an internal camera. Wise County District Attorney James Stainton emphasized the brutality, stating, 'You are going to hear what a 250lb man can do to a 67lb child. And when I say it's horrible, I mean it.'

The trial revealed that Horner specifically warned Athena, 'Don't scream or I'll hurt you,' as he picked her up and put her into his truck, repeating the threat twice. Stainton also informed the jury that Strand fought back, with Horner's DNA found under her fingernails and 'in places where you shouldn't find DNA on a seven-year-old girl.' Police involved in the search, including Texas Ranger Job Espinoza, expressed anguish, holding onto hope she was alive based on images of her in Horner's truck. Espinoza testified that Horner later led them to the wrong location for her body. Horner’s initial claim of an accidental hit and panic disposal was refuted by the evidence, which DA Stainton branded as 'a web of lies.' Strand was uninjured when Horner put her in the vehicle, and her body was found seven miles from home just hours later.

The prosecutor highlighted that 'The only truthful thing that Tanner Horner told law enforcement was that he killed her,' underscoring a pattern of deception. Jurors are currently reviewing video and listening to audio files as they determine the appropriate punishment for Horner, with the death penalty being a possible outcome for his heinous crimes.