FedEx driver Tanner Horner has been sentenced for the murder of 7-year-old Athena Strand by a Texas jury.
Tanner Horner, 34, pleaded guilty to capital murder and aggravated kidnapping on April 7, just before his trial was set to begin. He abducted Athena Strand from her father’s home in Texas on November 30, 2022.
That day, Horner had delivered a package meant as a Christmas gift for the young girl, containing Barbie dolls. He later strangled Athena inside his delivery truck before leaving her body in a nearby wooded area.
The trial had been ongoing for weeks, with disturbing evidence presented showing what happened inside the delivery truck. According to reports, the footage was so gut-wrenching that jurors were seen crying, while Athena’s family had to leave the courtroom.
During the first day of the trial, Wise County District Attorney James Stainton warned jurors about the brutal evidence they would see.
“You’re going to hear what a 250-pound man can do to a 67-pound child. And when I say it’s horrible, I mean it,” he told the jury, according to the New York Post.
“I’ve been doing this 25 years, and I promise you, buckle up.”
Kidnapping of Athena Strand
In footage shown in court, Horner lifts Athena into his truck before getting behind the wheel and driving away. Inside the truck, Athena repeatedly asks, “Are you a kidnapper?” Instead of answering, Horner asks her about school and her teachers. At one point, he tells her, “You’re really pretty. You know that?” as the truck appears to stop.
“Is this your house?” Athena asks her kidnapper.
“No. I don’t live around here,” Horner replies, adding that he lives “far away.”
“What are we doing?” the 7-year-old then asks.
“Hang out for a minute,” he responds.
Horner then asks Athena to take off her shirt, but the little girl refuses, saying “no.” She begins asking for her mother, and shortly after, her cries turn into screams, with loud banging sounds coming from inside the truck.
Tanner Horner sentenced to death by lethal injection
Now, Tanner Horner has been sentenced to death by lethal injection by a Texas jury. According to the New York Post, jurors deliberated for nearly three hours after closing arguments concluded Tuesday. When the sentence was delivered, Horner reportedly showed no emotion.
He also reportedly remained expressionless when Athena’s uncle, Elijah Strand, addressed the court, saying: “You will be judged. You will face the wrath of God,” while pointing at Horner. “But I want you to know that you are nothing. You are a footnote in Athena’s story,” he said. “Her name will forever be remembered. Her name will forever be celebrated.”
Her uncle fought back tears as he continued: “Everyone will forget you. You wanted your 15 minutes of fame. You got it. And no one is going to remember you after this.”
Rest in peace, Athena.
