A conversation that will haunt Athena Strand‘s family forever was played in court at kidnapper Tanner Horner’s trial on Thursday, April 16.
The chilling conversation 7-year-old Athena had with Tanner in the back of his FedEx truck left jurors sobbing.
Some family members walked out of court after the audio left them shaken.
A conversation that will haunt Athena Strand’s family forever was played in court this week
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Trigger warning: this article contains graphic details that may be distressing to some.
Athena Strand was just a little girl who loved “Frozen and unicorns, and mermaids, and getting dirty,” her father said in court on Thursday.
But her last conversation included words no child should ever have to ask: “Are you a kidnapper?”
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The Texas courtroom fell silent before footage of the child’s last moments during her November 2022 abduction was played on Thursday.
Judge George Gallagher warned those present about the nature of the video, saying they could leave if they “cannot watch it or listen to it.”
Athena’s parents, Jacob Strand and Maitlyn Gandy, left the courtroom before the videos were played.
Former FedEx driver Tanner Horner was seen putting the 7-year-old girl in his truck and driving away
Image credits: Maitlyn Presley Gandy
In the footage, Tanner was seen arriving at Athena’s house in Paradise, Wise County, to deliver a package that contained the child’s Christmas gift, a set of “You Can Be Anything” Barbie dolls.
Athena was eagerly waiting outside the house for her gift.
At some point, the girl was seen standing beside Tanner near the truck before he picked her up, placed her inside the vehicle, and shut the door.
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Footage captured Tanner moving the child from the back of the door to the front.
Athena then repeatedly asked him, “are you a kidnapper?,” only to be told she should sit down and not scream, or else she would get hurt.
More loved ones of the 7-year-old victim walked out of the courtroom around that point.
“Are you a kidnapper?” Athena asked during the final, heartbreaking moments of her life
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A few moments after Athena asked where they were going, Tanner covered the camera inside the truck. But their conversation continued being recorded.
The driver engaged in small talk with his victim, asking her about her school, teacher’s name, and more.
“You’re really pretty. You know that?” he then said.
One moment in the audio suggested Tanner had stopped the truck, at which point Athena asked, “Is this your house?”
“No. I don’t live around here,” he replied. When she asked where he lived, he said, “Far away.”
Tanner covered the camera in the truck and was heard asking the child to remove her shirt
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After a while, it sounded like the truck stopped again, making Athena ask, “What are we doing?” twice.
“Hang out for a minute,” the driver responded.
Tanner then asked the child to remove her shirt.
Over the next few moments, Athena was heard saying “no” and asking for her mother. Repeated sounds of crying, screaming, and slamming noises were captured in the audio from inside the truck.
The driver, who pleaded guilty, made Google searches like “do FedEx truck cameras constantly record” after dumping her body
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Jurors were heard sobbing as the audio played.
Footage played in court also revealed that Tanner later drove past Athena’s home.
At the time, police and family members were searching for her, and a testimony in court revealed that Tanner was told about a child being abducted when he stopped in the area.
“Are you serious?” he asked.
The child’s body was later found in the Trinity River, not far from her home.
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About a day after Tanner strangled Athena and dumped her body, he made several Google searches on his device that were shown in court earlier this week.
“Do FedEx truck cameras constantly record,” and “Paradise missing girl” were some of his searches.
The kidnapper’s DNA was found under Athena’s fingernails, which suggested she tried to fight him off
Prosecutors previously said Athena put up a fight during the last moments of her life.
“You are going to hear what a 250-pound man can do to a 67-pound child,” Attorney James Stainton told jurors at a previous court session about the evidence they would be seeing in connection with the case.
He said the kidnapper’s DNA was found under Athena’s fingernails, which suggested she tried to fight him off at the time.
There was DNA “in places where you shouldn’t find DNA on a 7-year-old girl,” prosecutors said.
Athena’s parents, Jacob Strand and Maitlyn Gandy, left the courtroom before the videos were played
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Tanner had pleaded guilty to the girl’s m*rder last week and is now facing a sentence that could include being executed.
The kidnapper blamed the homicide on his frustrations with FedEx for making changes to his delivery route, which worsened his Asperger’s syndrome symptoms at the time.
His sentence is expected to be determined in due course.
Jacob Strand took the stand to talk about how his daughter’s homicide affected his life completely.
“It made me feel horrible,” he said. “You know, like, I should have done something or been there. I wasn’t there to protect them like I should be, like a father’s role.”
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Athena’s mother was asked in court this week about why she attended nearly every single court hearing.
“Because I had to cover up handprint bruises around my daughter’s neck, and because she no longer has a voice,” Maitlyn said. “And I want people to know that she’s not just some story, she’s not just some number.”
“She was loved. She is loved. And she is missed. And she was real. And she had a life and she wanted to live. And no one can take that from her,” she continued. “Not a single person can take that from her.”
“Someone capable of doing this is a monster,” one commented online
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