Tanner Horner Trial Day 8: Evidence in Athena Strand's death presented to jury

FORT WORTH, Texas - The punishment phase in the trial of Tanner Horner will continue Thursday after an emotional day of testimony on Wednesday.

You can watch gavel-to-gavel coverage of the trial on this page and FOX LOCAL.

Thursday's trial is expected to begin around 9 a.m.

Maitlyn Gandy, the mother of Athena Strand, took the stand and described her last moments with her daughter.

Horner pleaded guilty to capital murder and kidnapping in the 7-year-old's death. He admitted to kidnapping Strand while delivering a package to her home on Nov. 30, 2022, and later strangling her.

Prosecutors are believed to be close to resting their case. Once they do, the defense will call witnesses to the stand.

Tanner Horner Trial Daily Recaps

• Day 1 - Tanner Horner pleads guilty
• Day 2 - Tanner Horner discusses alter ego ‘Zero’
• Day 3 - Tanner Horner interrogation shown to jury
• Day 4 - Investigators share details about FedEx ‘abduction van’
• Day 5 - Phone calls with family members, ME testifies
• Day 6 - Women accuse Tanner Horner of sexual assault
• Day 7 - Athena Strand's mother testifies

Athena Strand's mother testifies

Maitlyn Gandy, Athena's mother, was dressed in pink (Athena's favorite color) as she took the stand to testify about her last moments with her daughter on Wednesday. She had dropped her off at her father's house for a visit.

"Do you remember the last thing you said to Athena?" the prosecutor asked.

"I told her that I loved her and that I would see her on Friday. We had a quick drop-off because her daddy was going to take them to the Christmas lights," she recalled.

Gandy talked about some of her favorite things, including movie and popcorn nights with her mom and being outdoors with her dad.

"Athena loved everything. She loved life," she said. 

After learning about her daughter's disappearance, Gandy said she immediately drove back to North Texas from her home in Oklahoma.

"It felt like I was dying. I couldn't breathe, but I knew I had to keep going. I almost tapped on the brakes because I thought I was having a heart attack. But I just told myself that if I kept going, it would be okay, and I would find her," she said.

She broke down when talking about how she later broke the news of Athena's death to Athena's 3-year-old sister.

"I didn't know how to tell her, and I didn't think I was strong enough to tell her. So I lied to her for a long time. I would tell her that she was just staying with her daddy for a little bit longer. And when she asked to FaceTime or to call her, I would tell her that she was at school or she was sleeping," Gandy said. "Until about a year ago, she didn't know the whole truth."

Prosecutors asked Gandy about the fact that she has made it a point to be at every single one of the court hearings.

"There were handprint bruises around my daughter's neck, and because she no longer has a voice, and I want people to know that she's not just some story, she's not just some number. She's not just some picture you see in a headline. 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. Not a single person can take that from her. And I will be her face, and it will be her voice. And I will make sure that every person in this world knows that she was. And we want her in our lives," she said.

Gandy said she was given the opportunity to watch the video of what happened to her daughter but could only watch about a minute or two of it. She apologized to all the innocent people who had to or will have to watch it.

"Not anyone in this room besides Tanner Horner asked for what's on that video, and Athena definitely did not," she said.

Horner's defense did not ask her any questions.

"I am very sorry for your loss," said Steven Goble, Horner's defense attorney.

Athena Strand’s Death

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.

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.

Athena Alert

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.

Athena StrandWise CountyTarrant CountyCrime and Public Safety