Tanner Horner’s mom takes witness stand and tells Athena’s family, ‘I’m so sorry’
Former FedEx driver Tanner Horner’s mother shared details of his troubled childhood in a Tarrant County courtroom Wednesday as defense attorneys began presenting their case in Horner’s capital murder trial.
Horner, 34, has already pleaded guilty to kidnapping and killing 7-year-old Athena Strand after delivering a package to her family’s Wise County home on Nov. 30, 2022. The jury will decide if he should receive the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Melissa Horner was one of the first witnesses called by the defense. She told the jurors that her son was different from other children and had a hard time making friends when he started school. A doctor diagnosed Tanner with Asperger’s syndrome, which is a form of autism spectrum disorder, she said.
“He wanted to get along with people, but they weren’t interested in having conversations with him,” Melissa Horner said. “It was very sad to watch.”
Melissa Horner said her son would have “meltdowns” when he couldn’t communicate. He would hit himself on the head or hit a wall.
Tanner’s parents separated when he was around 2 years old. His father, who is now deceased, spent time in prison. Melissa Horner and her son moved in with her mother and second stepfather after the breakup.
Melissa Horner said she wanted to be a good mother, but she struggled to stay sober. She was in and out of residential rehab programs for drug use. Sometimes Tanner was able to go with her and other times he stayed with his grandparents.
“I could have done a lot better,” Melissa Horner said. “I know that.”
Melissa Horner told the jury that her first stepfather started sexually abusing her when she was 4 years old. She was sent to rehab for marijuana at age 14 and began working as a stripper when she was 17.
She began drinking heavily and taking meth during that time in order to work up the courage to go on stage.
“It seemed to fit in with my life,” Melissa Horner said of working at the strip club. “I think when you’re abused at such a young age, it becomes a self concept, you know, this is what I’m here for. I wish I hadn’t, but I did.”
The club was also the place where 17-year-old Melissa Horner met her future husband and Tanner’s father, 29-year-old Terry Horner. He raped her the first night they met, she said, but she married him two years later.
Melissa Horner said she stopped drinking alcohol and using most drugs when she realized she was pregnant with Tanner. She continued to smoke cigarettes and take marijuana, however, because she felt the marijuana helped ease her nausea.
According to Melissa Horner’s testimony, she started using drugs heavily again when Tanner was around 2 years old. Tanner was still a child when he found her in the bathroom after an overdose and thought she was dead.
But Melissa Horner also remembers good times with Tanner and his younger brother. She would play Frisbee with them at the park, she said, and tried to be involved in their lives as much as she could.
Jurors saw photos of Tanner as a young child and then as a teen. A video showed Tanner’s son take his first steps.
Melissa Horner said Tanner was excited when he learned he was going to be a father, but being a new father was also scary for him. Once he called Melissa and asked her to come take the child for a little while.
“He was scared, I think, of hurting the baby,” Melissa Horner said.
Melissa Horner said she initially believed her son when he called her from the Wise County Jail after his arrest and told her he’d hit Athena with his FedEx truck. According to Tanner, he put the 7-year-old in the truck and strangled her in a panic.
On Thursday, April 16, jurors heard video and audio evidence showing Tanner Horner lured Athena into his truck and initiated a string of lies to conceal what he did to the 7-year-old.
Prosecutors have said Horner made multiple attempts to kill the girl as Athena fought back. She died from blunt force trauma, smothering and strangulation, according to the medical examiner. Horner dumped her naked body in the water along the Trinity River, stopped at a truck stop to clean the vehicle, and then continued on to the FedEx station to drop off the truck for the night.
Melissa Horner admitted that she’s been watching the case by livestream, which is against the judge’s orders. Now that she’s seen the evidence against her son, she told the court that she doesn’t know what to say.
She cried as she apologized to Athena’s family.
“I’m so sorry,” she said.
Tanner Horner’s great-aunt took the witness stand briefly to talk about his father’s troubled upbringing. Jurors also heard from Dr. John Edens.
Edens, a professor of psychology at Texas A&M University, testified about studies he’s been involved in that examined whether experts accurately predicted future violence by defendants believed to be a threat.
Edens did not conduct a psychological evaluation of Horner and did not offer an opinion on whether Horner presents a risk of future violence.
Future dangerousness is a key question in death penalty cases in Texas, according to state law. If jurors find that Horner is likely to present a continuing threat to society, then they will consider the question of whether there is any mitigating evidence that would justify a sentence of life in prison instead of death. Mitigating evidence is open to the interpretation of the jurors, but they could consider issues such as the defendant’s mental health.
Another expert witness is expected to testify for the defense when Horner’s trial resumes Thursday.
This story was originally published April 22, 2026 at 11:09 PM.
