Former FedEx Driver Sentenced to Death for Murder of 7-Year-Old Athena Strand
Tanner Horner, a former FedEx driver, has been sentenced to death for the 2022 abduction and murder of 7-year-old Athena Strand in Paradise, Texas.
A Tarrant County jury has sentenced Tanner Horner to death for the 2022 kidnapping and murder of 7-year-old Athena Strand in Paradise, Texas. Horner, 34, pleaded guilty to capital murder and aggravated kidnapping on April 7, just as his trial was set to begin. The trial proceeded to allow jurors to determine his sentence.
On November 30, 2022, Horner, then a FedEx delivery driver, delivered a package to Athena's home. The package contained a set of Barbies intended as a Christmas gift. After delivering the package, Horner abducted Athena, who was reported missing by her stepmother around 6:10 p.m. that day. Her body was discovered two days later, approximately nine miles from her home.
During the trial, jurors were presented with video and audio evidence from inside Horner's delivery van, capturing Athena's final moments. Horner initially claimed he accidentally struck Athena with his van and killed her in a panic. However, evidence revealed premeditated abuse, including threats and ultimately killing her through blunt force trauma, smothering, and strangulation.
Defense attorneys cited Horner's mental health issues and exposure to toxins as mitigating factors, requesting life imprisonment instead of the death penalty. Despite these claims, the jury concluded there were no sufficient mitigating factors. The emotionally charged trial was relocated from Wise County to Fort Worth due to concerns over impartiality.
Following the sentencing, Athena's uncle addressed Horner, stating, "No one is going to remember you after this."