In a Tarrant County courtroom in Fort Worth, Texas, the sentencing phase of Tanner Horner’s capital murder trial took a deeply disturbing turn on 14 April 2026. The 34-year-old former FedEx driver had already pleaded guilty just days earlier to the aggravated kidnapping and capital murder of seven-year-old Athena Strand. With guilt no longer in question, the jury’s sole task was to decide his punishment: death by lethal injection or life in prison without the possibility of parole. What unfolded during the punishment phase painted a chilling portrait of a man prosecutors portrayed as having a long pattern of targeting young, vulnerable girls.

The most shocking moments came when two women, whose identities were protected, took the stand to describe how Tanner Horner had sexually assaulted them when they were just 16 years old — more than a decade before Athena Strand’s death in November 2022. Their testimony, delivered in emotional and graphic detail, left the courtroom silent and shifted the atmosphere as jurors heard accounts of manipulation, intoxication, and violation by a man who was then in his early 20s.

The first woman testified that she met Horner in 2013 through mutual friends. She was 16; he was 22. She said Horner knew her true age and even asked her to lie about it to others. According to her account, he assaulted her on two separate occasions that summer. In one instance, after she had been drinking and was too intoxicated to consent, Horner took advantage of her at his living quarters behind his grandmother’s house. She described feeling powerless and later overwhelmed by guilt and shame for not coming forward sooner. “I felt guilt about not coming forward, shame for not coming forward sooner,” she told the jury, her voice heavy with regret. She explained that she only reported the incidents to law enforcement after Horner’s arrest in the Athena Strand case.

The second woman offered an equally harrowing account. She met Horner when she was 16 and he was around 21 or 22. She alleged that he pursued a relationship with her despite knowing she was underage and encouraged her to lie about her age. In December 2014, after a night involving drinking, she said she woke up to find Horner raping her. She described feeling disoriented and betrayed, later struggling with the emotional aftermath. Like the first accuser, she did not report the assault to police until after Horner was charged with killing Athena Strand. One of the women is also the accuser in two active sexual assault of a child cases currently pending against Horner in Tarrant County.

Their testimonies were not part of the original charges related to Athena Strand but were introduced by prosecutors during the sentencing phase to demonstrate a pattern of predatory behaviour toward underage girls. The women’s courage in coming forward — years after the alleged assaults and only after learning of the murder — underscored the long-lasting trauma Horner allegedly inflicted. Both expressed deep regret for remaining silent, believing that speaking out earlier might have prevented further harm.

This disturbing evidence came on the heels of graphic forensic testimony about Athena Strand’s murder. Forensic analysts presented DNA results showing that male DNA, which could not be excluded as belonging to Horner, was found on vaginal and anal swabs from the child’s sexual assault kit. Blood and semen were also detected on items of Horner’s clothing, including his FedEx work shirt. The medical examiner had previously testified that Athena suffered multiple lacerations and contusions and was either smothered or strangled to death, enduring significant suffering before she died.

The circumstances of Athena Strand’s death remain horrifying. On 30 November 2022, Horner was delivering Christmas packages in the small rural town of Paradise, Texas, about 60 miles northwest of Fort Worth. He arrived at the home where seven-year-old Athena was staying with her father, Jacob Strand, and stepmother, Ashley Strand. A package containing “You Can Be Anything” Barbie dolls was meant for the little girl. According to Horner’s own admission, he accidentally struck Athena with his delivery van while backing up. Instead of seeking help, he panicked. He placed the child in his van, told her not to scream or he would hurt her, and ultimately strangled her with his hands after an initial attempt to break her neck failed. He then disposed of her body near the Trinity River. Her remains were found two days later following an extensive search involving hundreds of volunteers.

Horner initially told investigators a version of events that minimised his actions, but he later led police to the body. Evidence presented in court, including video from inside his FedEx truck and his internet search history for terms like “missing girl,” further illustrated his attempts to cover his tracks in the immediate aftermath. Prosecutors played audio from phone calls Horner made from jail, in which he admitted details of the killing to family members while denying sexual assault of Athena — a claim contradicted by the DNA evidence.

Athena Strand was remembered as a bright, energetic little girl full of life. Her family has spoken of the unimaginable pain of losing her in such a brutal way, especially during the holiday season when she should have been opening presents and celebrating with loved ones. Her stepmother initially thought the child was simply hiding when she went missing. The discovery of her body devastated the tight-knit community and sparked widespread outrage over the vulnerability of children to predators disguised in everyday roles like delivery drivers.

Throughout the sentencing phase, prosecutors have worked to show that Horner poses an ongoing danger to society, using the prior assault allegations alongside the brutal details of Athena’s kidnapping, sexual assault, and murder. The defense, meanwhile, has argued for life without parole, citing factors such as Horner’s autism spectrum disorder and other mitigating circumstances. Horner himself wrote apology letters to Athena’s family that were shown to the jury, though their sincerity has been questioned in light of the full evidence.

The two women’s testimony on 14 April marked a pivotal and emotionally charged day. Jurors listened intently as the survivors described not only the physical violations but also the psychological toll — the guilt, shame, and fear that kept them silent for so long. Their accounts suggested a pattern of targeting teenagers, exploiting trust and intoxication, and avoiding accountability until external events forced the truth into the open. One woman spoke of losing her sense of self after the assaults, while both expressed hope that speaking now could contribute to a just outcome.

As the trial continues, the jury must weigh all the evidence: the innocence and suffering of a seven-year-old girl, the DNA linking Horner directly to the crime, his attempts to conceal what he had done, and now the disturbing stories from two women who say they were his victims more than a decade earlier. The decision between life and death rests on whether these acts demonstrate a continuing threat or if Horner’s life should be spared.

For Athena Strand’s family, no sentence can restore what was taken from them. The little girl who loved Barbie dolls and had her whole future ahead of her was stolen in a moment of panic and cruelty by a man entrusted with delivering joy to homes during the holidays. Her mother and father have delivered emotional testimony of their own, sharing the profound grief that no parent should ever endure.

The emergence of the two women’s stories in open court has shocked many following the case. It raises painful questions about how many victims may have remained silent and whether earlier intervention could have altered the tragic path that led to Athena Strand’s death. Their bravery in testifying has brought a new dimension to the proceedings, transforming the sentencing phase from a narrow focus on one murder into a broader examination of a man’s history of harming young girls.

As jurors deliberate Tanner Horner’s fate in the coming days, the voices of those two women — and the memory of a seven-year-old who never had the chance to grow up — will weigh heavily on their minds. The case has once again highlighted the devastating impact of predatory violence and the long shadows it casts across victims’ lives, whether they are children or teenagers struggling to find the courage to speak.

In a quiet Texas courtroom, the testimony of survival and unimaginable loss continues to unfold, forcing a community and a jury to confront the full horror of one man’s actions and the question of what justice demands in response.