Newly presented courtroom footage is offering jurors a disturbing look at the actions of admitted killer Tanner Horner in the hours surrounding the death of 7-year-old Athena Strand.
According to the New York Post, the surveillance video, shown during proceedings in Fort Worth, captures Horner inside his delivery vehicle on Nov. 30, 2022 — the same day prosecutors say he abducted and killed the child.
In the footage, Horner is seen methodically wiping down parts of the truck’s interior.
Using a spray and a large roll of paper towels, he cleans the back of the vehicle for several minutes before returning to the driver’s seat.
At one point, he appears to light a cigarette and smoke calmly out of the window.
The video then shows him driving away.
The footage was introduced as part of the ongoing trial, where Horner has already admitted responsibility for the girl’s death.
However, his explanation of how events unfolded has been sharply disputed.
Horner has claimed he acted in panic after accidentally striking Athena with his vehicle.
Prosecutors have rejected that account.
They argue the evidence shows the child was taken from near her home in Paradise, Texas, without being harmed at the time, and that Horner’s version of events is an “absolute lie.”
According to the prosecution, the sequence of events involved an abduction followed by the killing, with the child’s body later left in a creek miles away.
The courtroom has been presented with multiple pieces of evidence as the case moves through its final phase.
Jurors are now weighing what punishment Horner should face.
The decision before them is whether he will receive the death penalty or spend the rest of his life in prison.
The video shown this week has become a central and unsettling element of the trial, offering a visual account of Horner’s actions shortly after the crime occurred.
As the proceedings continue, the footage is expected to play a key role in how jurors evaluate both the timeline of events and the credibility of Horner’s claims.
