A court has heard disturbing new details in the case of 7-year-old Athena Strand, as the man responsible for her death revealed what he told her moments before the crime.
Former delivery driver Tanner Horner, who has pleaded guilty to her kidnapping and murder, told investigators he ordered the young girl into his truck after approaching her outside her home in Texas.
According to testimony presented in court, Horner said he told her, “just get in the back of the van, we’re going to the hospital,” after claiming he had hit her with his vehicle.
Prosecutors, however, challenged that version of events, presenting evidence suggesting the child was not seriously injured when she was taken and was instead threatened shortly after entering the vehicle.
In court, jurors also heard that Horner allegedly warned her, “don’t scream or I’ll hurt you,” before carrying out the attack.
The case, which dates back to November 2022, shocked the nation after Athena disappeared from her home in Paradise, Texas. Her body was found two days later following a large-scale search effort.
Horner initially gave conflicting accounts to investigators, at one point claiming an “alter ego” was responsible for the killing. He later pleaded guilty to the crime just as his trial was set to begin.
A jury is now deciding whether he will face the death penalty or life in prison without parole, as emotional testimony continues to unfold in court.
The case remains one of the most disturbing child murder trials in recent years, drawing widespread attention across the United States.
