A Wise County jury took just three hours on Tuesday to decide that 34-year-old Tanner Horner will face the death penalty for the 2022 abduction and murder of Athena Strand.
The former FedEx driver, who previously pleaded guilty to capital murder and aggravated kidnapping, sat stone-faced as the judge read the verdict that ended his high-profile sentencing trial.
The decision followed a grueling week of testimony that detailed the final moments of the 7-year-old’s life. On the day of the murder, Nov. 30, 2022, Horner was delivering a package to the Strand home when he snatched the girl from her driveway. Inside the delivery truck, recorded audio captured Athena’s growing realization of the danger she was in.
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“Are you a kidnapper?” she was heard asking her killer. As she began to cry for her mother, Horner told her, “Don’t scream or I’ll hurt you,” before covering the vehicle’s internal camera. Prosecutors presented evidence that Athena fought back before she was eventually strangled and smothered. Her body was recovered two days later from the Trinity River.
During closing arguments on Tuesday morning, Wise County District Attorney James Stainton argued that Horner represented the exact reason the death penalty exists in Texas.
Calling him a “lethal predator,” Stainton pushed back against the defense’s pleas for mercy. “Was Tanner merciful?” he asked the jury. “Did he show remorse? No.”
The defense team had attempted to spare Horner’s life by highlighting his mental health history. A forensic psychologist testified that Horner has bipolar I disorder and meets the criteria for autism. Defense attorney Susan Anderson urged the jury to choose a life sentence without parole, framing the decision as a choice between mercy and vengeance.
However, the prosecution countered with a surprise rebuttal witness—Horner’s own cousin—who alleged that Horner had sexually abused him during their childhood.
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After the sentence was handed down, Athena’s family finally had the chance to address the man who destroyed their lives. Her uncle, Elijah Strand, spoke directly to a silent Horner in an emotional victim impact statement.
“You did not just take a life, you destroyed a family,” Strand said. “You are nothing, you are a footnote in Athena’s story. You wanted your 15 minutes of fame and you got it, and no one’s gonna remember you after this.”
Horner’s only verbal response during the proceedings was a quiet “yes” when asked if he understood the process for appointing counsel for his mandatory appeal. He will now be transferred to death row.
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