Tanner Horner’s mother asked if he had done anything “weird” to Athena Strand on a jailhouse phone call
Credit: Texas EquuSearch/Facebook; WFAA/YouTube
A recorded jail call between Tanner Horner and his mother is offering a new glimpse into the former FedEx driver’s state of mind after he killed 7-year-old Athena Strand.
In the call, obtained by KDFW-TV (FOX 4), Horner’s mother asked him, “Tanner, I just hope you didn’t do nothing weird to that little girl.”
Horner replied, “I didn’t, okay?” and his mother responded, “I didn’t think you did, I just know how you get.”
In another exchange played for jurors, Horner’s mother asked, “What did you do? Did she die on her own?” and he replied, “No.”
To this, she responded, “Oh my God,” as he said, “I know,” according to CBS News.
Horner, who was charged in the 2022 killing of the 7-year-old, pleaded guilty to capital murder and aggravated kidnapping during his trial in Tarrant County, Texas, on April 7, as PEOPLE previously reported.
Jurors are now expected to decide whether he will face the death penalty or life in prison.
Credit: Texas EquuSearch/Facebook
The child was reported missing on Nov. 30, 2022, and her body was found two days later. Horner — a FedEx contract driver who had been making a delivery in the neighborhood — was arrested shortly after, per previous PEOPLE reporting.
He later told investigators he had kidnapped and killed the girl, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by PEOPLE.
During the trial, Wise County District Attorney James Stainton said the “only truthful thing” Horner told law enforcement “was that he killed her,” per earlier PEOPLE reporting.
Jurors were also shown letters Horner wrote from jail prior to a suicide attempt, including one addressed to Athena’s family in which he apologized for the killing. In the letter, he also wrote that he had been diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, per CBS News.
Horner’s attorney, Steven Goble, has argued that the former FedEx worker suffers from mental illness and other conditions and asked jurors to spare him the death penalty.
News
Final Statement: Kouri Richins spoke in c0urt after the ruling, and her d3fiant words left many people stunned
Utah mom Kouri Richins — who killed her husband and then wrote a children’s book for their sons about processing grief — was sentenced to life in prison without parole Wednesday after she made a deluded, saccharine speech to the judge about how she had been persecuted. Judge Richard Mrazik threw the book at the 35-year-old mother after it […]
Then She Broke: Kouri Richins addressed her boys in a 5-page courtroom statement before breaking down over and over again
Kouri Richins, the Utah mom convicted of murdering her husband, spoke for nearly 40 minutes at her sentencing hearing on Wednesday. Richins apologized to her sons and told them to “take care of one another.” She was later sentenced to life without parole. In letters read in court, Kouri Richins children described her as being […]
Did Sam Heughan Accidentally Spoil A Major ‘Outlander’ Finale Moment?
The Outlander series finale comes out this Friday, May 15 on Starz and I’m beginning to wonder if Sam Heughan — Jamie Fraser himself! —spoiled a major part of it for me during the Season 8 junket. **Potential spoilers for the Outlander series finale ahead!** Let me explain: Starz sent journalists, like yours truly, the first three episodes of Outlander Season 8 before […]
‘Outlander’ Series Finale: Claire & Jamie Share an Emotional Kiss
Outlander‘s series finale, “And the World Was All Around Us,” is almost here, and Starz has unveiled a first look at the last episode ahead of it airing on Friday, May 15. As viewers know, the Frasers were preparing for the battle at Kings Mountain, which was teased in Frank’s (Tobias Menzies) book that was […]
Bridgerton season 5 has aired, the love story of Francesca and Michaela has begun its first chapters
ICYMI, Bridgerton season 5 will officially follow Francesca (Hannah Dodd), two years after the death of her husband John (Victor Alli). After having some noticeable chemistry with his cousin Michaela (Masali Baduza), these two women grow closer than either of them ever expected. “Do not fret, dearest readers, for a certain countess shall find love again,” Netflix […]
The first exclusive footage from the final episode of the “Outlander” series has been released, Jamie prepares his soldiers for battle
Sam Heughan’s character rallies his troops as they prepare for the Battle at Kings Mountain in an exclusive clip from the final episode The final battle approaches. Entertainment Weekly has your exclusive first look at the highly-anticipated Outlander series finale ahead of its premiere on Friday, and it’s clear that Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan) and […]
End of content
No more pages to load











