Texas Jury Sentences Former FedEx Driver to Death for 7-Year-Old's Murder
Tanner Lynn Horner received a death sentence for the 2022 abduction and murder of Athena Strand in Paradise, Texas.
A Texas jury has sentenced Tanner Lynn Horner, a former FedEx driver, to death for the 2022 abduction and murder of 7-year-old Athena Strand in Paradise, Texas. Horner pleaded guilty to the charges on April 7, leading the trial directly into the penalty phase.
Prosecutors presented evidence, including an hour-long audio recording of the attack, which moved some jurors to tears. They argued that Horner's actions warranted the death penalty, describing the case as among the "worst of the worst."
During the trial, it was revealed that Horner was delivering a package containing Barbies to Athena's home when he abducted her. He disabled the camera in his FedEx truck before the attack and provided false information to law enforcement regarding the incident and the location of Athena's body.
The defense introduced testimony about Horner's troubled childhood, autism diagnosis, and exposure to toxic levels of lead, suggesting these factors should mitigate his sentence. However, after approximately four hours of deliberation, the jury rejected these arguments and imposed the death penalty.
Following the sentencing, Athena's uncle addressed Horner directly, stating, "You did not just take a life, you destroyed a family. You took a little girl who trusted the world and repaid that innocence with violence."
In Texas, death sentences are subject to automatic review by the Court of Criminal Appeals. The state currently has over 165 individuals on death row, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.