Ex-FedEx Driver Sentenced to Death for Texas Girl's Murder
In a case that has shocked the nation, a former FedEx driver was sentenced to death on Tuesday after admitting to the kidnapping and murder of a seven-year-old girl while delivering Christmas gifts to her home in Paradise, Texas.
Tanner Horner, 34, pleaded guilty to capital murder and aggravated kidnapping at the start of his trial last month, leading directly to the penalty phase. Prosecutors revealed that Horner struck Athena Strand with his delivery van on November 30, 2022, then kidnapped and strangled her. Her body was discovered two days later, less than 16 kilometers from her home.
During the trial, jurors were shown harrowing surveillance video and audio recordings capturing the little girl's final moments inside Horner's van. Several jurors were moved to tears as they watched Horner lift Athena into the vehicle and drive away, warning her not to scream. Prosecutor James Stainton detailed how Horner covered the camera in his FedEx truck before attacking the girl and then lied to authorities, initially claiming he accidentally hit her and killed her in a panic.
The defense argued for a life sentence, citing Horner's troubled childhood with substance-abusing parents, his struggles with autism and mental illness, and exposure to toxic lead levels. However, after two and a half hours of deliberation, the jury found that Horner posed a continuing threat to society and that no mitigating factors warranted life without parole.
In a tearful victim impact statement, Athena's uncle, Elijah Strand, addressed Horner directly: "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."
This case has drawn widespread attention, highlighting the vulnerabilities of children and the horrific actions of a trusted delivery driver. The death sentence brings a measure of justice for Athena, but the pain for her family endures.
