The mother of 7-year-old Athena Strand took the stand Wednesday in the second week of the emotional trial of a former FedEx driver who admitted kidnapping and murdering the young girl.
Tanner Horner, 34, pleaded guilty to capital murder just moments before his Texas trial was set to begin, with jurors now weighing whether he should be sentenced to death or life in prison without the possibility of parole.
On Wednesday, jurors heard from Athena’s mother, Maitlyn Gandy, as she testified about her final moments with her daughter, according to FOX 4.
“Do you remember the last thing you said to Athena?” a prosecutor asked her, the outlet reported.
“I told her that I loved her and that I would see her on Friday,” Gandy replied. “We had a quick drop-off because her daddy was going to take them to the Christmas lights.”
Wearing pink, Athena’s favorite color, Gandy recalled how she immediately drove back to Texas from her home in Oklahoma upon learning about her daughter’s disappearance.
“It felt like I was dying,” Gandy said, according to FOX 4. “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 OK, and I would find her.”
She then went on to describe how she delivered the news of Athena’s death to her 3-year-old sister.
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“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.”
Upon being asked if she had watched the video of Horner strangling Athena to death, Gandy said she was only able to watch a few minutes of it and apologized to the jurors who were required to see the footage.
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“Not anyone in this room besides Tanner Horner asked for what’s on that video, and Athena definitely did not,” Gandy said.
Defense attorney Steven Goble did not cross-examine Gandy, instead offering his condolences as the grieving mother took the stand.
“I am very sorry for your loss,” Goble said, FOX 4 reported.
Horner admitted to abducting Athena while delivering a package containing a Barbie doll to her father’s home in Paradise in 2022. Her body was found on Dec. 2, two days after she was reported missing.
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Horner initially told investigators that he strangled the young girl after accidentally striking her with his delivery vehicle, adding that she wasn’t seriously injured when he panicked and placed her in his van.
On Monday, medical examiner Dr. Jessica Dwyer testified that Athena’s cause of death was blunt force injuries, smothering and strangulation, adding the young girl likely suffered before she died.
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Following the murder, Horner wrote a letter to Athena’s heartbroken family, writing: “To Athena’s family. I wanted to start by saying how sorry I am about Athena. The entire time I’ve known my legal counsel, they continued to tell me how. I don’t need to apologize, didn’t apologize, and the trial? And frankly, I can’t hold it in any longer. I can’t tell you how many countless nights I’ve stayed awake, unable to sleep. I pray for you. For all of you. So many were affected by my breakdown. Not just your family, but my own as well. You’ll never get to see your baby girl grow up. And I’m sorry.”
Before leaving the stand, Gandy addressed questions from the prosecution regarding why she has been in the courtroom for every day of Horner’s trial.
“There were handprint bruises around my daughter’s neck, and because she no longer has a voice,” Gandy said. “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,” Gandy added. “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.”
