Tanner Horner Sentenced To Death For Kidnapping And Killing 7-Year-Old Athena Strand

A Texas jury sentenced former FedEx driver Tanner Horner to death for the 2022 kidnapping and killing of 7-year-old Athena Strand, after Horner pleaded guilty to capital murder and aggravated kidnapping.

“Athena Strand’s stepmother thought she was simply hiding when the 7-year-old disappeared from their home in rural Texas on November 30, 2022”

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The sentencing concluded in Fort Worth, where the punishment phase followed Horner’s guilty plea, and jurors were tasked with deciding whether Horner posed a continuing threat to society and whether mitigating factors warranted life instead of death.

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The Toronto Sun reported that Horner, 34, was sentenced to death on Tuesday, and it said prosecutors told jurors he kidnapped and strangled Athena Strand while delivering what would have been her Christmas gift to her Texas home.

KABB said the jury determined the punishment for 34-year-old Tanner Horner on Tuesday, and it described the case as the 2022 murder of a 7-year-old girl he kidnapped and strangled after delivering a Christmas gift to her Texas home.

True Crime News described the case as a death sentence for the former FedEx driver who pleaded guilty to the 2022 kidnapping and murder of 7-year-old Athena Strand, and it said Horner was sentenced to death on May 5.

People likewise reported that Horner, 34, was sentenced to death on Tuesday, May 5, after he pleaded guilty on April 7 to capital murder and aggravated kidnapping.

In the courtroom, People said Horner listened to the judge deliver his death sentence and “simply said "yes" when asked about the appointment of counsel for his appeal.”

Prosecutors said Horner abducted Athena Strand after hitting her with his delivery van in front of her home in Paradise, Texas on Nov. 30, 2022, and the case centered on what happened after he took her into his delivery vehicle.

The Toronto Sun said Horner was accused of kidnapping and strangling Athena Strand after hitting her with his delivery van in front of her home in Paradise, Texas on Nov. 30, 2022, and it said her body was found two days after she was reported missing on Dec. 2, 2022, less than 16 kilometres away from her home.

CBS News

KABB said Horner was sentenced for the 2022 murder of a 7-year-old girl he kidnapped and strangled after delivering a Christmas gift to her Texas home, and it said the jury heard audio that captured the child’s final moments inside his delivery van.

CBS News reported that investigators alleged Horner accidentally struck the child with his delivery truck while backing out of the driveway, and that Horner told investigators Athena did not appear seriously injured but that he panicked, placed her into his van and strangled her out of fear that she would tell her father what had happened.

CBS News also said Athena’s body was found about 9 miles away from her home, southeast of Boyd, and it said Horner was on Feb. 16, 2023, for aggravated kidnapping and capital murder of a person under the age of 10.

True Crime News added that Athena was last seen alive outside her family’s home in Paradise, Texas, on Nov. 30, 2022, and it said her body was found naked in a river the following day.

People described the evidence shown to jurors as video and audio from inside the vehicle during her abduction and subsequent murder, and it quoted a moment from the recording where Athena asked, “Are you a kidnapper?” and Horner replied, “It doesn’t matter.”

During the sentencing phase, prosecutors and defense presented competing narratives about Horner’s actions and his background, with prosecutors emphasizing brutality and premeditation while the defense argued for life without parole based on mental health and childhood history.

“Former FedEx driver sentenced to death for killing 7-year-old girl after delivering gift DALLAS (TNND) — A former FedEx driver was sentenced to death for the 2022 murder of a 7-year-old girl he kidnapped and strangled after delivering a Christmas gift to her Texas home”

KABB

The Toronto Sun said prosecutor James Stainton told jurors in opening statements that Horner was delivering Barbies to Athena’s house when he abducted her, and it reported that Stainton said Horner covered the camera in his FedEx truck before attacking the little girl and then repeatedly lied to authorities.

CBS News said prosecutors warned jurors about potentially graphic content, including video and audio expected to last for about an hour, and it quoted prosecutors describing delivery drivers bringing “joy and happiness” in their job.

CBS News also said prosecutors argued Horner’s actions were premeditated because he ensured he had the same FedEx truck each day, and it said prosecutors noted the first words Horner said to Athena were “Don't scream or I'll hurt you”.

The defense, according to Toronto Sun and CBS News, pointed to Horner’s childhood with parents who had substance abuse issues, his struggles with autism and mental illness, and his exposure to toxic amounts of lead, while CBS News said Horner lives with autism and had a history of mental illness and lacked access to services until he turned 18 years old.

People reported that a forensic psychologist testified that Horner had been diagnosed with bipolar I disorder and met the criteria for autism, and it said the defense team argued these factors should contribute to a life sentence in prison rather than the death penalty.

People also quoted defense attorney Susan Anderson telling jurors, “You hold a man’s life in your hands and your decision will define who you are,” and it quoted her urging, “I want you to vote for life. Sentence Tanner to life in prison without the possibility of parole.”

In rebuttal, People said Wise County District Attorney James Stainton asked jurors, “Was Tanner merciful? Was Tanner vengeful? Did he show remorse? No, and I think that’s important.”

The sentencing proceedings included direct statements from family members and sharply worded arguments from prosecutors and defense attorneys, reflecting the case’s impact on Athena Strand’s relatives.

The Toronto Sun said Athena’s uncle, Elijah Strand, delivered a tearful victim impact statement telling Horner, “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. You chose to cause pain that will last generations. You say you found God, but what you did to Athena stands in direct opposition of everything you claim to believe.”

Toronto Sun

People also quoted Elijah Strand, saying, “You did not just take a life, you destroyed a family,” and it added, “You are nothing, you are a footnote in Athena's story,” and “You wanted your 15 minutes of fame and you got it, and no one's gonna remember you after this.”

WFAA’s report focused on the jury sentencing Horner to the death penalty, and it framed the decision as the outcome of the punishment phase.

People quoted Wise County District Attorney James Stainton calling Horner “a lethal predator” and saying he “is proof why there is evil in society and we can never turn out back.”

People also quoted Stainton’s argument that “should never have access to hurt anyone ever again.”

On the defense side, People quoted attorney Susan Anderson saying, “You hold a man’s life in your hands and your decision will define who you are,” and it quoted her urging jurors to “vote for life” and “Sentence Tanner to life in prison without the possibility of parole.”

In the courtroom, People said Horner “stone-facedly listened to the judge deliver his death sentence,” and it recorded his “yes” response when asked about counsel for his appeal.

After the death sentence, the sources describe the next procedural steps and the conditions of where Horner would be held, while also recounting the evidence and arguments that shaped the jury’s decision.

“Horner, 34, pleaded guilty to kidnapping and murdering Athena Strand, 7, in 2022 Texas EquuSearch/Facebook; AP/Shutterstock The former FedEx driver who admitted to abducting 7-year-old Athena Strand and brutally killing her in the back of his truck has learned his fate”

People

True Crime News said the jury deliberated for about three hours on whether Horner should die by lethal injection or be sentenced to life behind bars, and it said his execution date has not yet been set.

True Crime News

True Crime News also reported that NBC Dallas Fort Worth said Horner will be transferred to the Allan B. Polunsky Unit in West Livingston, Texas, where death row inmates are housed.

People reported that the jury came to their verdict after just about 3 hours of deliberations, and it said Horner “simply said "yes" when asked about the appointment of counsel for his appeal,” indicating the case would move into the appellate process.

The KABB report said the verdict came following about a month of testimony and evidence, including audio that captured the child’s final moments inside his delivery van, and it said the defense had sought a sentence of life in prison without parole.

CBS News described the procedural timeline leading into sentencing, saying that after Horner entered his plea, Judge George Gallagher ordered a brief five-minute recess and then told jurors the trial moved into deciding his punishment.

CBS News also said prosecutors warned jurors about potentially graphic content, including video and audio expected to last for about an hour, and it said the prosecution asked a teacher witness about Athena’s final journal entry for class and whether she had a tomorrow.

In the sentencing arguments, People said Stainton rebutted the defense’s plea for mercy by asking, “Was Tanner merciful? Was Tanner vengeful? Did he show remorse? No, and I think that’s important.”