Texas Jury Shown FedEx Driver’s Confession and Bodycam Depicting Alter Ego in Athena Strand Killing Sentencing Phase
During the sentencing phase in the killing of 7‑year‑old Athena Strand, jurors were shown body‑cam footage and a confession from FedEx driver Tanner Horner in which he said he stripped the girl, “kind of tossed” her body into the woods and threw her clothes from his vehicle, later saying discarding her clothes was “funny.” Texas Ranger Job Espinoza testified Horner’s statements contradicted evidence — he initially claimed the girl’s underwear remained on her though her body was recovered nude — and the footage shows officers at times addressing an alternate persona Horner called “Zero,” urging that persona to be “more honest” as they probed whether and when he hit Athena with his truck and how the abduction occurred.
📌 Key Facts
- Jurors in Tanner Horner’s sentencing phase were shown body‑camera footage and interrogation recordings.
- The footage shows Horner switching between personas, including an "alter ego" he calls "Zero."
- On the recording Horner admitted he stripped 7‑year‑old Athena Strand naked and threw her clothes out the highway window, saying he "thought it was funny."
- Interrogating officers at times addressed Horner as "Zero," telling that persona it was "more honest" and "more helpful" while trying to get details about whether and when he hit Athena with his truck and how he abducted her.
- Texas Ranger Job Espinoza testified that Horner initially claimed Athena’s underwear remained on her, but investigators knew this was false because her body was recovered nude, highlighting contradictions in his statements.
📊 Relevant Data
In 2020, the homicide rate for Black children aged 0-17 in the US was 9.9 per 100,000, compared to 1.3 for White children, 2.2 for Hispanic children, and 0.5 for Asian or Pacific Islander children. Black children comprise approximately 14% of the US child population aged 0-17, White non-Hispanic 50%, Hispanic 26%, and Asian 5%.
Trends in Homicide Rates for US Children Aged 0 to 17 Years, 1999 to 2020 — JAMA Pediatrics
From 2003 to 2019, 79.3% of known perpetrators of child homicides in the US were male, with most homicides of children aged 0-10 perpetrated by parents or caregivers.
Trends in Homicide Rates for US Children Aged 0 to 17 Years, 1999 to 2020 — JAMA Pediatrics
In Texas, of the last 24 defendants sentenced to death in Harris County, 23 are people of color, illustrating racial disparities in death penalty application.
Examining Racial Disparities in Harris County's Pursuit of the Death Penalty — Texas Defender Service
📰 Source Timeline (2)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Jurors were shown body‑camera footage of Tanner Horner in which he flips between personas, including an 'alter ego' he calls 'Zero'.
- On the video, Horner tells officers he stripped 7‑year‑old Athena Strand naked and threw her clothes out the window on the highway, saying he 'thought it was funny.'
- Texas Ranger Job Espinoza testified that Horner initially claimed Athena’s underwear remained on her body, but Espinoza knew this was false because her body was recovered nude, highlighting contradictions in Horner’s statements.
- Interrogating officers at times addressed Horner as 'Zero,' telling him that persona was 'more honest' and 'more helpful' as they tried to get details about whether and when he hit Athena with his truck and how he abducted her.