Horner's Punishment Phase: Jury Decides Fate

0:00It's April 8th. This is Dallas News Today, local news powered by AI. Tanner Horner, the delivery driver accused of killing seven-year-old Athena Strand back in November of 2022, pleaded guilty to. Capital murder and aggravated kidnapping this Tuesday. Now the jury's in the punishment phase, deciding if he gets the death penalty or life without parole. Earlier this week, opening statements kicked off with prosecutors laying out hard evidence like DNA under the girl's fingernails in video from his. Van showing her inside, looking alert and unharmed. That contradicts his old claim of accidentally hitting her with the truck and panicking. Witnesses took the stand too, including Athena's stepmother, who said the girl had no business being in that truck. Plus her teacher-in-law, enforcement folks, the defense asks for mercy, pointing to Horner's ass-burders, possible brain damage from his mom's drinking during pregnancy, and childhood lead, exposure. Meanwhile, an FBI agent testified about tracking Horner down after the delivery.

1:02How he spun stories about a fake green van and dash cam footage, catching him putting the girl in the back of his FedEx rig. The case even sparked Texas lawmakers to pass the Athena alert, easing rules for amber alerts on missing kids. Testimony picks back up Wednesday around 9 a.m. with hours of Horner's interrogation video, so the jury's got plenty more to weigh before they drop. That's the final call.