During the intense punishment phase of Tanner Horner’s capital murder trial in Fort Worth, Texas, jurors were confronted with some of the most unsettling evidence yet: recorded phone calls the convicted FedEx driver made from the Wise County Jail shortly after his arrest. The audio, played in court on April 13 and 14, 2026, captured conversations between Horner and his mother that exposed raw, unfiltered reactions to the horrific killing of 7-year-old Athena Strand on November 30, 2022.

In one particularly haunting exchange, Horner’s mother confronted him directly about the possibility of sexual abuse. “Tanner, I just hope you didn’t do nothing weird to that little girl,” she said, according to courtroom testimony and reports. Horner quickly denied the accusation: “I didn’t, okay?” His mother responded with words that have since sparked widespread shock and discussion: “Okay. I didn’t think you did. I just know how you get.”

The phrase “I just know how you get” has been interpreted by many as a mother’s reluctant acknowledgment of her son’s known behavioral patterns or impulses, even as she attempted to offer him some reassurance. Horner followed up by mentioning his medication, stating, “Well, actually with my medication, I barely even have a libido as it is.”

Another call played for the jury was equally disturbing. Horner’s mother pressed for details about Athena’s death: “What did you do? Did she die on her own?” Horner admitted bluntly, “No.” His mother exclaimed in shock, “Oh my God,” to which Horner simply replied, “I know.”

Prosecutors presented five separate jailhouse calls Horner made to his mother, grandmother, and girlfriend. During the playback, the 34-year-old defendant reportedly looked down or away from the screen at times, showing visible discomfort. In one moment, he broke down in tears while complaining about missing Christmas with his young son.

These recordings were introduced as part of the state’s case to demonstrate Horner’s future dangerousness and support a potential death sentence. Horner has already pleaded guilty to capital murder and aggravated kidnapping in the abduction and death of Athena Strand, a vibrant first-grader from rural Wise County. The current phase of the trial will determine whether he receives life without parole or execution.

The trial has featured a mix of contradictory evidence, including Horner’s own jailhouse letters. One letter addressed to Athena’s family expresses apparent remorse: “I’ve done a terrible thing to your family, and I’m sorry. I’m sorry I took your little angel away from you. She didn’t deserve it.” Another, marked “DETECTIVES ONLY!!!”, claims an older gray-haired man with a rifle forced him to take the child and threatened his family. No evidence has supported the existence of this mystery figure.

Forensic details presented in court paint a grim picture of Athena’s final moments. The 7-year-old suffered multiple head injuries while still alive and ultimately died from asphyxiation, her body deprived of oxygen. Male DNA was found during her examination. Prosecutors have also shown photos indicating Athena was alive and unharmed inside Horner’s FedEx truck as he drove away from her home, contradicting his initial claim of an accidental collision with his van.

Athena’s mother, Maitlyn Gandy, has attended the proceedings and previously shared powerful tributes describing her daughter as a “talkative, wild, bold, independent” fighter who gave life her all. The family has sat through graphic testimony while wearing pink in honor of Athena, enduring unimaginable pain as details of the crime and now these family phone calls unfold.

Horner’s defense has pointed to his struggles with Asperger’s syndrome and a claimed mental breakdown triggered by disruptions in his delivery route. In contrast, prosecutors portray a calculated act of kidnapping and murder. The jail calls add complexity to Horner’s profile, revealing interactions with his own family that range from denial to emotional breakdowns.

Legal analysts note that such recordings often carry significant weight in sentencing hearings. They provide jurors with an unscripted look at the defendant’s mindset and the impact on his loved ones, while also highlighting the broader ripple effects of the crime. Athena’s family, including her mother and stepmother, has remained present throughout, bearing witness to both the horror of the evidence and the haunting words spoken within Horner’s own family.

The abduction of Athena Strand shattered the sense of security in her quiet rural community. While delivering a package, Horner took the little girl, and her body was later found at Bobo’s Crossing near a creek. The case led to advocacy efforts by Gandy, including support for the “Athena Alert,” an enhanced missing-child notification system for rural Texas areas.

As the jury continues deliberating Horner’s fate, the mother’s words from those jail calls linger heavily. “I just know how you get” has become one of the most talked-about moments of the trial, raising difficult questions about what family members may have observed or suspected long before the crime occurred.

No mother should ever have to ask her son such questions about the murder of a child. Yet in this case, the conversations happened — captured forever on recording and now echoing in a courtroom as justice is sought for little Athena.

Athena deserved a long, bright future filled with the wild, bold spirit her mother so lovingly described. Instead, her name is tied to a tragedy marked by contradictions, forensic horrors, and these chilling family calls that reveal the painful human cost on every side.

The search for accountability continues as the trial moves forward, with jurors tasked to weigh mercy, dangerousness, and the irreplaceable loss of a 7-year-old girl who fought until the end.