Tanner Horner, the FedEx driver who pleaded guilty on April 7, 2026, to taking the life of 7-year-old Athena Strand, sat across from investigators in November 2022 and tried to negotiate for time.
In footage now shown to a Texas jury, the 34-year-old asked police for a month of freedom so he could spend Christmas with his son, a request that stood in stark contrast to his strangling of a child.
“There’s only one thing in this world that I want,” Horner told investigators. “I want a month.”
The footage is now central evidence as a Texas jury decides whether Horner will be sentenced to capital punishment or spend the rest of his life in prison without parole.
The police interview came to light shortly after his final words to Athena were made public
Image credits: Getty/The Dallas Morning News/Hearst Newspapers
Disclaimer: This article contains details involving violence against a minor that some readers may find distressing.
The request came during an interview Horner himself asked for, prosecutors told the court, following earlier interrogations in which he gave shifting accounts of the crime and introduced details about his final interaction with Athena.
“I imagine that you have, basically, a list and bullet points that you want to know from me,” he said, seated in an interrogation room wearing a jail uniform as investigators listened.
Image credits: WFAA
He then presented what he described as his condition.
“There’s only one thing in this world that I want,” Horner said. “I want a month.”
“Even if y’all have to put an ankle monitor on me, GPS monitor, check-ups with you,” he added. “If you give me a month with my family, so I can have Christmas with my son, I’ll tell you everything.”
Image credits: Wise County Sheriff’s Office
By that point, Horner had already begun to move away from his initial claim that he had accidentally struck the child with his vehicle. In recorded interviews, he described telling Athena, “Just get in the back of the van, we’re going to the hospital.”
Image credits: Facebook
Investigators testified that Horner also led them to the location of the body during questioning, while continuing to refer to an alternate personality he called “Zero,” a claim they engaged with as part of their interview strategy.
When officers told him that any such deal was not possible given the nature of the charge, Horner did not back down.
“Either way, that’s basically my price,” he said.
The request was never granted.
The case traces back to November 30, 2022, when Athena Strand disappeared from her home in Lake Worth, Texas
Horner, who was working as a FedEx delivery driver, had arrived at the property to deliver a package containing Barbies intended as a Christmas gift.
According to prosecutors, he then took the child and brought her into his delivery truck.
Evidence presented in court includes dashcam video from inside the vehicle showing Athena alive and alert after being placed inside, contradicting Horner’s earlier claim that he had accidentally struck her.
Image credits: Facebook
Audio from the recording captures him telling the child, “Don’t scream or I’ll hurt you,” as she resisted.
Investigators determined that Athena passed away inside the truck. Prosecutors told the jury that Horner attempted to break her neck before ultimately strangling her.
Her body was later left at Bobo Crossing along the Trinity River, approximately 13 miles from her home.
Image credits: Getty/The Dallas Morning News/Hearst Newspapers
She was found on December 2, 2022, two days after she was reported missing.
Forensic evidence presented in court included DNA found under Athena’s fingernails, consistent with her fighting back. Prosecutors also described additional findings indicating she had been subjected to further harm in connection with the crime.
Horner had discarded her clothing along a nearby roadway.
Horner blamed the crimes on an alternate personality he called “Zero,” contradicting his previous account
During police interviews, Horner repeatedly changed his account.
After initially claiming the incident was accidental, he later introduced the idea of an alternate personality he called “Zero,” which he blamed for the crime.
“I didn’t do it, but he did, and that’s what f**ks with me,” Horner told investigators. “I’m wondering who the hell’s been in my head this whole time.”
He claimed this persona was responsible for ordering Athena into the truck, taking her life, and disposing of her body, even describing aspects of the crime as “funny.”
Image credits: Facebook
Horner pleaded guilty on April 7, 2026, just as his trial was set to begin, removing the need for a guilt phase and moving the case directly into sentencing.
His defense team has asked jurors to consider mitigating factors, including a childhood marked by substance use in the home, his mother’s drinking habit during pregnancy, reported lead exposure, and diagnoses that include Asperger’s and other mental health conditions.
The jury has continued to hear testimony through at least April 9, with no final decision as of today (April 10). The evidence presented is now being weighed, including the dashcam footage, forensic findings, and Horner’s own statements.
The outcome will determine whether he is sentenced to capital punishment or to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
“Heartless.” People shared their thoughts on the case on social media
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