In the sentencing phase of Tanner Horner’s trial, jurors view harrowing video evidence as they consider his fate for the admitted killing of a 7-year-old girl.
PARADISE, Texas — Jurors sat through hours of emotional testimony and video evidence Wednesday in the sentencing phase of the trial for Tanner Horner, including the moment investigators said he finally led them to 7-year-old Athena Strand.
Among the most difficult evidence shown in court was body camera video capturing the moment officers located Athena’s body after what prosecutors described as hours of being misled by Horner.
Horner has already admitted to killing Athena on November 30, 2022, after delivering a FedEx package of Barbie dolls to her home in Paradise.
Jurors also watched a video of Horner in the moments leading up to that discovery, standing outside a police car and smoking a cigarette, just minutes before finally directing investigators to the area where he placed her body.
Testimony walked jurors step by step through how Horner led law enforcement to that location hours later, where the search came to a devastating end.
“I had to adjust my flashlight……it was very clear she was not alive,” Texas Ranger Job Espinoza said.
As some of the most incriminating videos were played in court, Horner sat just feet away from the monitor, watching the footage alongside his defense team. Attorneys representing Horner are expected to focus on his mental state at the time of the crime as part of their strategy in the sentencing phase.
Jurors are also reviewing additional video evidence, including footage from inside Horner’s delivery truck and video showing him in the back of a police car guiding investigators through the timeline as they worked to track down where he left Athena.
Investigators are seen retracing those steps, following Horner’s directions in an effort to locate her.
Inside the interrogation room, the video shows Horner at times deflecting blame and referencing what he described as another personality.
“He wrote on the board and he said it wasn’t him, it was Zero…play this game and I spoke to Zero….” Texas Ranger Job Espinoza said.
“She started out slowly and stopped moving after that…and that’s when I threw her in the back,” Tanner Horner said.
Additional interrogation video shows investigators eventually placing Horner in restraints and handcuffs before taking him back to the area where he said he left Athena’s body.
Jurors are expected to continue reviewing evidence as they move closer to deciding whether Horner will be sentenced to death or life in prison.