Lauren Crawford joined the CBS News Texas team in July of 2023. Born in Fort Worth and raised in Keller, she is thrilled to be home and telling stories that make a difference in the community. She's a sixth-generation Texan and a third-generation TCU Horned Frog!
The capital murder trial of Tanner Horner is over, but for Athena Strand's family, the grief and trauma are far from done.
After weeks of emotional testimony and graphic evidence, Horner was sentenced to death this week for the murder of 7‑year‑old Athena Strand. The case that shook North Texas now moves into a new phase, one legal experts say could last for years.
Christy Jack, a partner at Varghese Summersett who has handled multiple death penalty cases, said cases involving children carry a weight unlike almost any other.
"It strikes a chord in people unlike any other kind of case," Jack said. "I think the most impactful piece of evidence was the audio tape."
For four weeks, a Tarrant County courtroom was filled with emotional testimony, disturbing evidence, and a family forced to relive the worst moment of their lives.
The death sentence ended the trial, but Jack said the case's impact does not end with a verdict.
"True justice would be bringing her back, but that's impossible," Jack said. "I'm sure that's what her mother thinks about... I'd give all of this up just to have her back."
After the sentence was read, Athena's uncle, Elijah Strand, spoke directly to Horner during a victim impact statement.
"Tanner Horner, I want you to hear this directly. You do not just take a life; you destroy the family," Strand said. "You took a little girl who trusted the world and repaid that innocence with violence."
Strand described a loss that reached far beyond one life, saying Athena’s family is left trying to honor her memory while carrying grief that will never fully go away.
"Her name will forever be remembered... forever be celebrated," he said. "Everyone will forget you."
Prosecutors said the case resonated far beyond Wise County because of the fear and innocence at its center.
"Tanner Horner is proof why parents hug their children a little tighter," Wise County District Attorney James Stainton said. "He's proof why they're nervous to play outside."
The death sentence also triggers an automatic appeals process. Jack said that the process could take years.
"It's been three and a half years since she was abducted and killed," Jack said. "And it's going to be at least twice that long, probably, if I had to estimate, before he's executed. And so, by then, you're talking about almost a decade of their life that will have been spent trying to overcome the grief, trying to overcome the loss."
Jack said death penalty appeals in Texas can include multiple stages, including review by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, post‑conviction claims, and possible federal appeals.
For Athena's family, that means the legal process is not finished.
The trial has ended. The sentence has been handed down. But the impact of Athena Strand's murder -- and the years of legal proceedings still ahead - remains.