The trial of Tanner Horner, who is accused of capital murder in the death of Athena Strand, is scheduled for April in Tarrant County. ARCHIVE PHOTO
The capital murder trial of Tanner Horner is still on track for trial next spring, with jury selection expected to begin in late January.
Horner, 34, is facing a potential death penalty in the 2022 death of 7-year-old Athena Strand.
Wise County District Attorney James Stainton said jury selection is expected to start Jan. 29, 2026.
Because this is a death penalty case, the jury selection, or voir dire, will likely take a couple of months rather than the day or two usually necessary for a regular murder case jury selection. It will include individual questioning of potential jurors, Stainton said.
Opening statements and the beginning of the presentation of evidence is expected to begin April 7 in Tarrant County, where the trial will be held after it was transferred from Wise County last year.
“We believe the majority of the evidence is complete, all of the DNA has been tested, and we don’t anticipate any delays,” Stainton said. “Now it’s just getting ready for trial.”
The 297th District Court in Tarrant County was assigned the case last fall after Horner’s attorneys with the Regional Public Defenders Office (RPDO) successfully argued for a change of venue out of Wise County due to “inflammatory pre-trial publicity” that would prevent a fair trial. 271st District Judge Brock Smith granted the motion, agreeing to move the trial from Decatur to Tarrant County.
Following that order, Smith set the original trial date of March 17, 2025. However, a few days later, Horner said he did not consent to Smith continuing to preside over the case, so the entire case was moved to Tarrant County.
Following the retirement of 297th District Judge David Hagerman in January of this year, Judge George Gallagher was appointed to preside over the case. Gallagher is a former judge of the 396th District Court in Tarrant County.
Strand went missing from her father’s home in Cottondale Nov. 30, 2022. Two days later, investigators tracked down Horner, a delivery driver, on a nearby delivery route and questioned him about the child’s disappearance. He then led investigators to Strand’s body in the Trinity River near Boyd. An autopsy revealed Strand died from “blunt force injuries with smothering and strangulation” and listed the manner of death as “homicide.”
Horner was indicted for capital murder in February of 2023, 2 1/2 months following his arrest. He remains jailed in Tarrant County with bond set at $1.5 million.
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