One woman testified she was 16 years old when Tanner Horner assaulted her twice, telling jurors she “felt guilt” for not coming forward before he pleaded guilty to the kidnapping and murder of 7-year-old Athena Strand
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Two women took the stand during the sentencing phase of Tanner Horner’s capital murder trial and described being sexually assaulted by him as teenagers — years before the FedEx driver pleaded guilty to killing 7-year-old Athena Strand.
The testimony came as jurors weigh whether Horner should be sentenced to death or life in prison without parole.
One woman told jurors she was 16 years old when she met Horner through mutual friends in 2013, when he was in his early 20s, and said he assaulted her twice that summer after she had been drinking and was too intoxicated to consent, according to CBS Texas, WFAA and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
“I have felt guilt, due to the fact that if I had reported, things may not have happened to other people as they are accused,” she said in court, according to WFAA.
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She testified that Horner knew she was underage at the time and had instructed her to tell his grandmother she was 18 if asked, the Star-Telegram reported.
The woman said she made clear after the first incident that she did not want a romantic or sexual relationship with him, but testified that he assaulted her again months later, per the outlets.
A second woman also testified that she was a teenager when Horner assaulted her after she fell asleep following a gathering. She said the two met through mutual friends and were not in a relationship, according to the Star-Telegram.
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“I completely froze, shut down, did not know what to do and just let it happen,” she said, per the outlet.
Following the incident, she told jurors, “I lost my sense of self for years.”
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Both women testified that they did not report the alleged assaults to law enforcement until after Horner was arrested in Athena Strand’s killing, according to the outlets.
The Star-Telegram reported that Horner has since been indicted in Tarrant County on charges of sexual assault of a child tied to those allegations.
Prosecutors introduced the women’s testimony as part of their case during the sentencing phase, while the defense challenged their credibility, per CBS.
Horner, 34, pleaded guilty earlier this month to capital murder and aggravated kidnapping in the November 2022 death of Athena Strand, PEOPLE previously reported.
Authorities said he abducted the 7-year-old while delivering a package to her Wise County home before killing her.
Jurors are now tasked with determining whether he will be sentenced to death or life in prison without parole.
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