Killer sang ‘Jingle Bell Rock’ as Athena Strand screamed: Reports

FORT WORTH, Texas (Court TV) — Shocking and disturbing evidence played out in a Texas courtroom on Thursday as jurors were forced to hear a 7-year-old girl’s final moments.

Tanner Horner sits in court during his trial on April 16, 2026. (Court TV)

Tanner Lynn Horner, 35, pleaded guilty to kidnapping and killing Athena Strand in the moments before his jury trial began. The trial moved forward, however, because prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. The jury will be tasked with recommending whether Horner lives or dies at the close of evidence.

Athena was abducted from outside her family’s home on Nov. 30, 2022; Horner had been working for a contractor to deliver packages for FedEx and snatched the little girl after delivering a box of Barbies intended to be the child’s Christmas gift.

Warning: The following story contains graphic descriptions of child abuse.

The media was ordered to shut off its cameras on Thursday when prosecutors presented some of the most disturbing evidence in their case against Horner. The van Horner drove on the day he abducted and killed Athena was equipped with cameras both inside and outside. At 4:09 p.m. on Nov. 30, before he approached Athena’s home, he placed what investigators believed to be a sticky note over the camera inside the van, preventing it from recording any video of what happened. The camera’s microphone, however, captured everything. He arrived at Athena’s home at approximately 5:30 p.m.

Tanner Horner is seen driving his truck after killing Athena Strand. (Court Evidence)

Reporters for WFAA who were inside the courtroom as the evidence played described what happened in that van as “torture” and said that jurors were either sobbing while listening to it or glaring at the defendant. The audio captured Horner asking Athena to take off her shirt; she replied that her mother taught her to say “no” to such requests. When Athena asks why this is happening, Horner tells her she’s pretty.

MORE | Mother of murdered 7-year-old Athena Strand has 1 question for her killer

Previous testimony in the case revealed that there was no evidence of sexual penetration of Athena’s body, but people who listened to the audio recording played in court say there was no question that something sexual was going on. Athena can be heard crying throughout the recording.

Death didn’t come quickly for the victim; the audio revealed that Horner attempted to strangle the child multiple times. Reporters said they believed her to be dead several times before they would then later hear a gasp or a moan.

As Horner is driving the van, the radio can be heard playing “Jingle Bell Rock,” courtroom reporters said. Horner is heard trying to sing along as Athena screams in the background, prompting him to repeatedly yell at her to “Shut up.”

Tanner Horner can be seen cleaning the back of his van at a gas station. (Court Exhibit)

The media’s cameras were turned back on after Athena’s death to reveal Horner, smoking a cigarette, driving silently in the van, which has the doors to the back area closed.

After disposing of Athena’s naked body at a river crossing, Horner proceeded to take his van to a gas station to clean it up. Video from inside the van shows him on his hands and knees in the back of the van, scrubbing with cleaning supplies he got at the Love’s gas station. He then places a phone call to someone at work, claiming that he just stopped to clean the van because he had thrown up. Horner asks to be assigned the same van the next day because of the smell. Horner then makes another phone call to an unidentified person, repeating the claim that he had thrown up after eating something that upset his stomach.

MORE | Photo shows 7-year-old Athena Strand in FedEx van before her murder

Before the video ends, Horner can be seen gathering items from the front seat and putting them into a backpack; those items include the jeans and underwear Athena was wearing when she was abducted.

Horner returned to the area where he dumped Athena’s body the next day; video from inside his truck shows him appearing frustrated by blocked roads; when he insists that he has packages to deliver, officers explain to him that they’re searching for a missing girl.

The prosecution rested its case after showing the videos to the jury. The jury will not return to hear the defense’s case until Wednesday; before then, attorneys will conduct evidentiary hearings in their absence. The media’s cameras are not permitted at those hearings.