Tanner Horner Trial Day 2: Video shows killer's 'alter ego' named Zero leading investigators to body
FORT WORTH, Texas - After a shocking guilty plea on Tuesday, the punishment phase for Tanner Horner continued on Wednesday.
Horner pleaded guilty to capital murder and aggravated kidnapping in the 2022 death of 7-year-old Athena Strand.
Horner, a former delivery driver, took Athena into his van and strangled her while delivering a package to her home on Nov. 30, 2022.
The jury will decide if Horner will receive the death penalty or life in prison without parole.
FOX 4 will have gavel-to-gavel coverage of the trial.
Tanner Horner references alter-ego in murder trial
Testimony continued on the second day of Tanner Horner's murder trial, and he made frequent reference to his alter-ego 'Zero' to investigators. FOX 4's Dionne Castillo has the latest.
Live Updates
5 p.m.: Done for the day
Testimony on Wednesday ended with the conclusion of the body camera video. The trial will resume on Thursday morning at 9 a.m.
4:30 p.m. ‘Tanner wouldn’t do it'
Shortly after investigators found Athena's body in the Trinity River, Ranger Espinoza can be heard on the body camera video asking Horner to let him talk to Zero for one more question.
"Did you sexually assault this little girl?" he asked.
"No," Horner replied.
"Did you kill this little girl, Zero?" Espinoza asked.
"Tanner wouldn't do it," Horner replied.
"Thank you for bringing me to her. Thank you for letting me get her home," Espinoza said.
In the video, Horner, speaking as his alter ego, told the investigator that he took over in the bamboo forest because "Tanner couldn't handle his reality."
"What was his reality?" the investigator asked.
"The fact that he let a child die," Horner answered.
"So is Tanner telling us the truth about what happened?" Espinoza asked.
"His truth," Horner replied.
The investigators asked Zero why he did it and whether anything had been left out. Horner didn't provide any new details at that time but explained that he didn't want to go to jail after hitting Athena with the truck.
3:40 p.m. Finding Athena's body
Jurors watched body camera video that shows Horner and investigators going back out to search for Athena. FOX 4 will share the audio but not the video of the scene at Bobo's Crossing due to the graphic nature of the video.
3:20 p.m. Zero & Bobo's Crossing
Ranger Espinoza continued his testimony and talked about putting Horner back in a truck to continue searching for Athena. He said Horner directed them to the same bamboo forest from before, but there was still no sign of a body. At that point, the investigator said he decided to change tactics and asked to speak to Zero.
"His physical demeanor changes. His head goes into a sideways motion. His eyes roll into the back of the head and he pretends to turn into Zero," Espinoza testified. "At that point, I asked him to take me to Athena, and he says he will. We get into my pickup, and he directs me to Bobo's Crossing."
That's where Espinoza ultimately found Athena's nude body in the water.
2:50 p.m. Afternoon break
The court was in recess until about 3:05 p.m.
2:40 p.m. ‘I killed her’
The interrogation video showed investigators returning to the room and continuing to question Horner about exactly what happened.
Horner again described hitting Athena while backing up, putting her in his truck because she was crying, and then panicking because he said he didn't know what to do.
"Very descriptively, just say what you did to her," the investigator said.
"I killed her," Horner replied.
2:30 p.m. Writing on the board
Espinoza testified that after investigators left the interrogation room, Horner wrote a message on the board.
"He wrote in red, ‘He’s going to hurt me, please help,'" he told jurors.
1:45 p.m. Integration video
Jurors watched Horner's jailhouse interrogation.
At one point, the investigators asked Horner if at any point he thought about just letting Athena go.
"I did," he said.
"Why didn't you do that?" the investigator asked.
"A voice was telling me not to," Horner replied.
A few minutes later, Horner expressed some remorse for hurting a child.
"Can ya'll just shoot me in my head?" he asked.
1:35 p.m. Alter Ego
During the integration, Horner told Ranger Espinoza about an alter ego, sometimes referring to himself as Zero.
"Throughout the course of these next couple of interviews, the name Zero and that fake person or alter ego comes up," the investigator said. "At one point during the course of the interview, he writes something on the board when I step out of the room. I asked him what that was about, and he said it wasn't him, it was Zero."
Espinoza said he started getting answers after he spoke directly to Zero.
"All I'm trying to do is find Athena. I played his game and I spoke to Zero," he said. "I'd have called him anything as long as I could find Athena."
1:10 p.m. Testimony continues
Ranger Espinoza continued answering questions from attorneys about his time driving around with the suspect while searching for Athena's body. He said Horner repeatedly told investigators that he had tossed her dead body in a bamboo area near the road. Her body was ultimately found in a different location.
After taking Horner back to the station for more interrogation, Espinoza said Horner changed his story about how Athena died. He said Horner talked about hitting Athena with his truck, putting her in the truck, and then killing her by strangling her.
"Never any accountability as far as what transpired. Obviously, I knew a lot of the facts just because of the investigation, including some facts that I was collecting. So, throughout the course of that interview, I knew he was continuously lying to me and it's very self-serving because he knows if he tells me the truth," Espinoza said before the defense objected.
The law enforcement officer said Horner blamed his long hours, the lack of a backup camera, and things going on in his life.
"Just a lot of blaming everybody else and no accountability," Espinoza said.
12 p.m. Lunch break
The trial was in recess until about 1:05 p.m. while jurors took their lunch break.
10:45 a.m. Body camera video
Jurors began watching body camera video of investigators as they went through what Ranger Espinoza described as a long, arduous process of interrogating Horner and searching for Athena's body. He said it involved multiple locations with Horner lying numerous times about where they could find her body.
10:30 a.m. Morning break
The trial was in recess until 10:35 a.m.
9:32 a.m. Texas Ranger testifies
Jurors heard from Texas Ranger Job Espinoza, who is actually the brother of the first witness. He was on the case as part of the assisting agencies called in to help the Wise County Sheriff's Office.
He talked about arriving at the scene shortly after Horner was arrested. He said a SWAT team was simultaneously making entry into Horner's home. At that time, he still believed Athena could be alive.
"It was pretty much, 'Let me know if she's in there or not,'" he said. "Same thing with the detention of him. 'Let me know if she's in the truck.'"
Espinoza also interrogated Horner after he was arrested. He said his first question was, "Where's she at?" His second question was, "Is she alive?"
The Texas Ranger said Horner told him he could show him where she was and that she was not alive when he put her in the truck. Espinosa said he'd already seen a dash camera video clip of Athena alive in the truck.
"I immediately knew that was a lie," he said.
Espinoza said Horner ended up leading investigators to the place where he said they'd find Athena's body. They did not find her there.
9:10 a.m. Game Warden testifies
Texas Game Warden Joshua Espinoza was the first to testify on Wednesday. He talked about being called in to help find Athena and then making a felony traffic stop to arrest Horner, along with the Wise County sheriff's deputies. He said Horner did not resist the arrest.
Espinoza said he's been a part of many body recoveries, but this one was different for him.
"It was completely different because this was murder, not just an accident," he said.
Day One Recap
Jurors view testimony after Tanner Horner guilty plea
After Tanner Horner pleaded guilty to killing Athena Strand Tuesday morning, jurors heard testimony and photo viewed evidence as they now will decide whether Horner will receive the death penalty. FOX 4's Dionne Anglin has more.
What Happened:
The long-awaited trial opened on Tuesday with the shocking news that Horner pleaded guilty.
During opening statements, the lead prosecutor told the jury to "buckle up" for what will be disturbing evidence. He accused Horner of lying about everything, except the fact that he killed Athena. He said the story Horner told investigators about hitting Athena with his delivery truck is untrue.
The prosecution says audio from Horner's van captures interactions with the 7-year-old.
"First thing Tanner Horner says to Athena when he picks her up. Puts her in that truck, leans down, and he says, don't scream or I'll hurt you," said prosecutor James Stainton. "I’m going to tell you right now. One thing you’re going to hear that is something you can’t unhear is the level of fight that a seven-year-old girl has. When she’s facing down a certain death. We talk about Warrior in America. I’ll tell you that little girl right there is a Warrior. She fought with the strength of 100 men."
The prosecution claims they have DNA evidence from Horner underneath Strand's fingernails and "places where you shouldn't find DNA."
Defense hints at brain damage in opening statements | FULL
Tanner Horner's defense team gave opening statements on Tuesday morning in the punishment phase of his death penalty trial for killing 7-year-old Athena Strand. The attorney asked jurors to spare his life and hinted that brain damage may have played a role in the offense.
The defense did not argue that Horner is innocent, but argued against the death penalty.
Lawyers told the jury that Horner has Asperger's, that his mother drank while pregnant and that he was exposed to lead as a child.
"Tanner unfortunately also suffered various mental illnesses throughout his life. He’s been diagnosed and received treatment for and some of those are ongoing. You’ll hear about those issues," said defense attorney Steven Goble.
Athena's teacher, stepmother and members of law enforcement also took the stand.
The state presented evidence that shows Athena inside Horner's delivery truck on the day that she disappeared. Her stepmother told jurors that there was no reason for her to be in that truck, and she did not have permission to be in the truck.
In the photo, Athena appears alert and unharmed, contradicting Horner's claims that he accidentally hit her with his truck and then killed her in a panic.
Former Wise County sheriff Lane Akin testified that Athena's nude body was found in an area of the Trinity River called Bobo Crossing, which is about 13 miles away from her home by car.
FBI Special Agent Patrick McGuire was the final witness to take the stand on Tuesday. He talked about his initial interviews with Horner and then later obtained dash camera video from Horner's truck, which showed him placing a small girl into the back of his FedEx van.
Athena Strand’s Death
Horner lied about hitting Athena Strand with his truck, prosecutor says
Prosecutors tell jurors that the only thing Tanner Horner actually told the truth about was that he killed 7-year-old Athena Strand. The story about him hitting her with his delivery truck was a lie, according to the state.
The backstory:
Horner was charged with capital murder for the death of 7-year-old Athena Strand outside her family’s Wise County home on Nov. 30, 2022.
A contract delivery driver working for FedEx at the time, Horner was delivering what was meant to be a Christmas present for the young girl.
Package meant for Athena Strand
Horner told investigators he accidentally hit Athena with his van while delivering a package to her home. She reportedly survived, but Horner told authorities he panicked and kidnapped her, later strangling her to death.
Athena was reported missing, and eventually an Amber Alert was issued, leading to 72 hours of searching. She was found dead in Boyd, Texas, not far from her family's home.
Featured
Athena Strand: Tanner Horner strangled 7-year-old after hitting her with his van, arrest affidavit says
The disturbing details of 7-year-old Wise County girl Athena Strand death came to light Thursday in a newly filed arrest affidavit for contracted FedEx delivery driver Tanner Horner.
Athena Alert
Athena Strand (Courtesy: Maitlyn Gandy)
The Impact:
After Athena Strand's case, Texas Legislators passed a new bill that created a version of an Amber Alert known as the ‘Athena Alert.’
The new law allows authorities to issue an Amber Alert for a missing child that doesn’t have to meet all of the initial criteria.
Under the Athena Alert law, an Amber Alert can still go out even though authorities haven’t confirmed a missing child was kidnapped.
The alert would be able to be sent out to a 100-mile area around the disappearance and adjacent counties.
DPS emphasizes that this is not a new type of alert. All alert messages will still be referenced as an Amber Alert.
The Source: Information in this article comes from testimony in the Tanner Horner trial, past FOX 4 coverage, Tarrant County court records and the Texas Legislature.