A former FedEx driver has pleaded guilty to killing a 7-year-old girl after making a delivery at her home in Texas, with jurors now set to decide whether he will face the death penalty or life in prison.
Tanner Lynn Horner, 31, admitted in court to the 2022 killing of Athena Strand in the rural town of Paradise, near Fort Worth. Her body was discovered two days after she was reported missing.
Prosecutors say Horner kidnapped and killed the child after dropping off a Christmas package at her home. While he initially told authorities he accidentally struck her with his van and panicked, prosecutors argued that version of events is false.
“The only truthful thing that Tanner Horner told law enforcement was that he killed her,” Wise County District Attorney James Stainton said. He described the defendant’s statements as “a pattern and web of lies.”
Jurors were shown video evidence from inside the delivery truck, where Athena was seen alive, kneeling behind the driver’s seat.
According to prosecutors, Horner threatened the girl after putting her in the vehicle, warning her not to scream. Evidence presented in court indicated that Athena fought back, with Horner’s DNA found under her fingernails.
Authorities said Horner ultimately strangled the child in the back of the van. He later led investigators to where he had left her body.
The defense acknowledged the strength of the evidence but urged jurors to consider Horner’s background, including claims of autism, mental illness, and exposure to harmful substances before birth.
His attorney asked the jury to impose a life sentence rather than the death penalty.
During testimony, Athena’s stepmother said the package delivered that day was a Christmas gift — a box of “You Can Be Anything” Barbie dolls. She described the young girl as someone who loved living in the countryside, where she could “run wild and free.”
The trial was moved to Fort Worth from Wise County after concerns were raised about ensuring a fair trial.
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