Tanner Horner sentenced to death for the murder of 7-year-old Athena Strand
Prosecutors cited an hour-long audio recording and repeated lies to police as jurors chose death over life in the killing of Athena Strand.
- On Tuesday, a Texas jury sentenced former FedEx driver Tanner Lynn Horner to death for kidnapping and killing 7-year-old Athena Strand in 2022.
- Horner abducted Athena in November 2022 while delivering Barbies to her home in Paradise, a town of fewer than 500 people about 60 miles from Dallas.
- Prosecutors presented chilling hour-long audio evidence of the attack and testimony that Horner covered his FedEx truck camera before attacking Athena and repeatedly lied to police.
- Defense attorneys argued for life imprisonment, citing Horner's turbulent childhood, autism diagnosis, and lead exposure as mitigating factors warranting leniency instead of death.
- The death sentence triggers automatic review by the Court of Criminal Appeals; Texas currently holds more than 165 people on death row, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.
132 Articles
132 Articles
A package delivery driver from Texas was sentenced to death on Tuesday. 34-year-old Tanner Horner was delivering a Christmas gift to a family in late 2022, after which he abducted and murdered 7-year-old Athena. According to Horner, he panicked. His lawyer had requested a life sentence.
Tanner Horner will be executed by lethal injection for the murder of 7-year-old Athena in November 2022
Tanner Horner gets death penalty in the murder of 7-year-old Athena Strand
Editors note: The below story features descriptions of sexual abuse and the assault of a child. Tanner Horner, the former FedEx driver who murdered 7-year-old Athena Strand, was sentenced to death Tuesday. Jurors returned a swift verdict after just hours of deliberation. They were formally tasked with answering up to two questions: Does Horner pose a continuing threat to society, and, if so, should he be given the death penalty or life in prison…
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