Motive revealed: Tanner Horner murdered Athena Strand out of fear of being exposed

Jurors are weighing whether to sentence the FedEx driver to death or life in prison after he pleaded guilty to the aggravated kidnapping and murder of 7-year-old Athena Strand

Athena Strand; Tanner Lynn Horner.Credit : Texas EquuSearch/Facebook; AP/Shutterstock

A forensic psychiatrist testified that Tanner Horner told her he abducted and killed 7-year-old Athena Strand after the child saw him using drugs.

According to Dr. Eileen Ryan, who took the stand in Horner’s trial, he told her he picked up Strand because “she saw him snorting cocaine,” according to NBC DFW.

Ryan told the jury that Horner described becoming overwhelmed and “catastrophizing,” imagining the worst possible consequences if she reported him. She characterized his reasoning as a “jump from Point A to Point Z” that was “completely unreasonable,” per the outlet.

Wise County Sheriff’s Department

Ryan further testified that Horner was afraid of losing his job and, because of his “laser focus” on his son, was distraught over the consequences and feared he could lose his child as well.

She claimed, according to the outlet, that Horner initially denied assaulting the young girl before later admitting to it. She said he appeared deeply ashamed, adding that “the only other time that he had a similar demeanor was talking about his own rape when he was 10,” the outlet reported.

Dr. Amy Fritz, another expert who testified for the defense, also referenced that explanation, telling jurors that Horner’s claim that he abducted Strand after she saw him using cocaine reflected what she described as a “weak theory of mind,” or difficulty understanding another person’s perspective.

Amanda McCoy/Star-Telegram via AP

“If your cause to action is to abduct a child and kill them because you think that they may have seen you do cocaine, you are definitely not understanding their perspective,” Fritz testified, according to NBC DFW. “First of all, a young child may not have any idea of what cocaine is or what it looks like to use it, or that it’s against the law.”

The explanation differs from other accounts Horner has given for the killing.

He initially told investigators he struck Strand with his delivery vehicle and panicked, according to an arrest affidavit previously reviewed by PEOPLE.

NBC DFW/YouTube

In other statements, he claimed an alternate persona he called “Zero” was responsible for the killing, PEOPLE previously reported.

Video and audio shown to jurors from inside Horner’s delivery truck have also been cited in court.

Prosecutors said he told Strand, “Don’t scream or I’ll hurt you,” shortly after forcing her into the vehicle, and at one point ordered her to remove her shirt.

Strand disappeared from her family’s Wise County driveway on Nov. 30, 2022, while Horner was delivering a package to the home, PEOPLE previously reported. Her body was found two days later, on Dec. 2, in a rural creek. The medical examiner determined she died from blunt force trauma, smothering and strangulation.

Horner pleaded guilty to capital murder and aggravated kidnapping on April 7.

Jurors are now deciding whether to sentence him to death or life in prison without the possibility of parole.