Tanner Horner’s mother took the stand for the defense on April 22, testifying about his troubled childhood as he seeks to avoid a death sentence for the murder of 7-year-old Athena Strand.

Horner pleaded guilty on April 7 to capital murder and aggravated kidnapping after abducting Athena Strand from her home in Lake Worth on November 30, 2022. At the time, he was delivering a package of Barbie dolls intended as a Christmas present. According to authorities, he later strangled Athena inside his delivery truck. A medical examiner confirmed she died from blunt force trauma, smothering and strangulation, according to PEOPLE.

On April 22, a Texas jury was shown a photo of Horner as a smiling child as the defense called his mother to testify. His mother’s face was blurred out during the live coverage, and her name was not disclosed.

Tanner Horner’s childhood
During her testimony, she described disturbing details about his upbringing, including her own struggles with heavy drug use and a suicide attempt before he was born.

She said she was working at a strip club when she became pregnant and was drinking heavily at the time, while also using marijuana and smoking cigarettes throughout the pregnancy. She also recalled an incident where Tanner found her passed out in the bathroom after she had used heroin.

“I nodded out one time on the toilet, and I wasn’t using the bathroom or anything, I had just done what I was doing, and I just nodded out, and Tanner came in. He was just a little guy, and he thought I was dead,” Horner’s mother told the defense attorney, according to New York Post, adding: “I’ve never been able to stay sober.”

“It was hard to watch”
She also said he was bullied by classmates and was later diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome.

“He wanted to get along with people, but they just weren’t interested in having conversations with him. It was hard to watch. Very sad. They didn’t like him at all,” she said.

After watching the trial, Tanner’s mother – who was initially lied to about the events surrounding Athena’s death – was asked if she understood what happened and reportedly said: “I don’t know what to say. I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” repeatedly.

Horner faces a minimum sentence of life in prison without parole, as his defense team attempts to spare him the death penalty.