Video shows how detail about green van led to Tanner Horner's arrest in Athena Strand's murder, testimony reveals

Tanner Horner continues to face sentencing after pleading guilty to killing 7-year-old Athena Strand in 2022. During the second day of testimony on Wednesday, new details were shared about how investigators were able to obtain the video from within Horner's FedEx truck that showed he had taken the girl after he claims he accidentally hit her with the vehicle.

On Tuesday, FBI Special Agent Patrick McGuire testified that a team led by him started looking into a lead tied to a box of Barbie dolls that had been delivered to the Strand property before the girl went missing. McGuire said that Horner recalled the address after driving by the scene and that he remembered seeing a vehicle, an older green Astro Van missing a lower panel on the driver's door, leaving from there around the time he supposedly made his delivery. That information was shared with authorities set up at a command post in case the details ended up being true.

The detail about the Astro Van appears to have been what led to Horner's eventual arrest. 

Gathering digital evidence

On Wednesday, the court heard from Sgt. Job Espinoza, the lead investigator in the search for Strand from the Texas Rangers. Espinoza said he was called in to support overall search efforts and that the agency provided resources, including investigative support, funding and coordination.

Espinoza said on the second day of the search, which was Dec. 1, 2022, that investigators shifted their focus to the delivery of the package, gathering the digital evidence tied to the delivery.

"My main objective was: who delivered it? What did they see?" he said. "More than anything, to me initially, it's just another set of eyes."

Espinoza said investigators with the FBI learned the box was delivered by FedEx through a third-party contractor called Big Topspin, a Dallas-based delivery contractor Horner was driving for at the time. Investigators contacted Big Topspin to get more information about the driver and vehicle. Horner was identified as the driver, and when interviewed, Espinoza said Horner provided the detailed description of the supposed van.

"As we moved forward in the investigation, there were some key things that stuck out to me," he said. "The driver, Tanner Horner, had made very detailed statements about a green van. So obviously, we have to act on any information we get."

Espinoza said an alert was sent out statewide for the supposed van. He added that Horner's information prompted investigators to analyze cell tower data to see which mobile devices were in the area at the time. Espinoza also said it prompted him to ask about any surveillance footage from the FedEx van itself.

"I'm like 'Hey, do they have video, maybe we can see a license plate on the video,'" he said.

What the video showed

Espinoza said the company that was in charge of camera software used inside FedEx trucks was Velociter, based in North Carolina. He reached out to Velociter, which provided them the video from inside Horner's truck. Espinoza said that, at the time, Velociter provided investigators with two short clips. The clips were provided as Espinoza said law enforcement moved to detain Horner on Dec. 2, 2022.

As that day began, Espinoza said investigators had already locked in the majority of the people they needed to speak to, so they continued to focus on getting the video while also learning more about Horner's delivery route. Espinoza arrived shortly after Horner was detained and spoke with him.

Espinoza shared what the video clips he viewed showed.

"I saw that Athena was alive, and that she was placed in that FedEx van by Mr. Horner," he said, "and based on what I was seeing, it was exigent, and I felt that there was a possibility that Athena was still alive, and we needed to bring her home."

Espinoza affirmed that the video showed Horner placing Strand into the van on Nov. 30, 2022. He also noted the FedEx van Horner was in when Horner was detained was not the same one Horner was in when Strand was abducted, but that the Wise County Sheriff's Office did secure the one Horner used on Nov. 30 after contacting BigTopspin.

The search continues

Espinoza said while Horner was detained, investigators searched the family home in Lake Worth and the truck Horner drove when Strand was abducted. She was not located during either search. At that point, Espinoza said he was still hoping to find Strand alive.

Espinoza also obtained body camera footage from his brother, Game Warden Josh Espinoza. That footage, which was displayed to the jury when Josh Espinoza took the stand prior to his brother, showed Horner's detainment by law enforcement and affirmed that Strand was not found inside the truck Horner was driving on Dec. 2. Josh Espinoza said Horner helped in the search for Strand and gave an address near BoBo's Crossing, but nighttime conditions made the area unsafe to handle a K9 search.

Sgt. Espinoza shared the second question he had for Horner when he was able to get into an interview room with him: "Where's she at?"

Espinoza said Horner's answer was "I can show you."

The second question from Espinoza: "Is she alive?"

Espinoza said Horner's response was that Strand was not alive when Horner put her in the truck.

"I immediately knew that was a lie," Espinoza said, referencing the video clip he had reviewed.