FedEx Driver Sentenced After the Murder of 7-Year-Old Athena Strand
FedEx delivery driver Tanner Horner has officially been sentenced by a Texas jury for the tragic murder of 7-year-old Athena Strand.
On April 7, right before his trial was set to begin, the 34-year-old pleaded guilty to charges of capital murder and aggravated kidnapping. He abducted Athena from her father’s home in Texas on November 30, 2022.
Earlier that day, Horner had dropped off a package containing a Christmas gift meant for the little girl—a set of Barbie dolls. He subsequently strangled Athena within the confines of his delivery vehicle and discarded her remains in an adjacent wooded region.
The trial, which unfolded over several weeks, presented harrowing evidence detailing the exact sequence of events inside that delivery truck. According to reports, the video footage was so deeply disturbing that jurors were seen weeping, and Athena’s relatives were forced to exit the courtroom.
During the trial’s opening day, Wise County District Attorney James Stainton issued a stark warning to the jury regarding the extremely graphic nature of the impending evidence.
“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 warned the courtroom, according to details from the New York Post.
“I’ve been doing this for 25 years, and I assure you, brace yourselves.”
The Kidnapping of Athena Strand
In the video evidence played for the court, Horner can be observed hoisting Athena into the back of his truck before climbing into the driver’s seat and pulling away. While trapped inside, Athena repeatedly asks: “Are you a kidnapper?”
Rather than answering her, Horner redirects the dialogue toward mundane subjects like her school and teachers. At one point, as the vehicle appears to decelerate, he tells her, “You’re really pretty. You know that?”
“Is this your house?” Athena asks her abductor.
“No. I don’t live around here,” Horner responds, mentioning that his home is “far away.”
“What are we doing?” the 7-year-old follows up.
“Just hanging out for a minute,” he answers.
Horner subsequently tells Athena to take off her shirt. The brave young girl refuses, firmly stating “no.” She begins crying out for her mother, and shortly thereafter, her desperate cries escalate into terrified screams, overlapping with the sounds of violent banging echoing from inside the vehicle.
Tanner Horner Sentenced to Death by Lethal Injection
Ultimately, a Texas jury sentenced Tanner Horner to death by lethal injection. As noted by the New York Post, the jury deliberated for almost three hours following the conclusion of closing arguments on Tuesday. Upon hearing his sentence read aloud, Horner reportedly displayed zero emotion.
He also maintained a completely stoic expression when Athena’s uncle, Elijah Strand, addressed him directly in court. “You will be judged. You will face the wrath of God,” he declared, pointing straight at Horner.
“But I want you to understand that you are insignificant. You are merely a footnote in Athena’s narrative,” her uncle stated. “Her name will always be remembered. Her name will always be honored.”
Struggling to fight back his tears, the grieving uncle continued: “Everyone will forget you. You sought your 15 minutes of fame. You achieved it. And no one will recall you after this.”
Rest in peace, Athena.