FORT WORTH — The mother of Tanner Horner took the stand Wednesday in the penalty phase of his capital murder trial at the Tim Curry Criminal Justice Center, describing her own drug abuse during pregnancy and her son’s troubled childhood as defense attorneys fight for a sentence of life without parole instead of death.
Melissa Horner testified through tears about years of substance abuse that included working as a stripper and using drugs and alcohol heavily in the early months of her pregnancy with Tanner. She told jurors she later struggled with heroin, meth, cocaine and alcohol, spending time in rehab facilities and jail while her young son often stayed with his grandmother.
She recounted an incident in which a little Tanner found her passed out and believed she was dead. Horner was later diagnosed with a form of autism then known as Asperger’s syndrome along with ADHD and faced bullying at school, she said.
Tanner Horner’s mom gets emotional on the stand when asked how she feels about her son pleading guilty to kidnapping and killing Athena Strand, 7. Horner’s mother, while crying and wiping away tears, says, “I’m so mad at him, I just want to tear his a** up. She was just a baby.” pic.twitter.com/9btLc6Y12t
— Court TV (@CourtTV) April 22, 2026
Horner, a former FedEx driver, pleaded guilty earlier this month to the November 2022 kidnapping and strangulation of 7-year-old Athena Strand. He abducted the girl from her Wise County home after delivering a Christmas package and later dumped her body in a North Texas river.
The case was tried in Tarrant County. The prosecution, led by Wise County District Attorney James Stainton, is seeking the death penalty, citing the brutality of the crime. The jury must weigh the severity of the offense, Horner’s future dangerousness and any mitigating factors such as his background and mental health.
The defense began presenting its case this week after the prosecution rested. Testimony from additional family members is expected to continue Thursday.
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