Former FedEx driver gets death penalty for Texas girl’s murder

A Tarrant County, Texas, jury on Tuesday sentenced Tanner Horner, 35, to death for the 2022 killing of 7-year-old Athena Strand. Horner, a former FedEx contractor, had pleaded guilty to aggravated kidnapping and capital murder. He was transferred to a state penitentiary in Huntsville to await his execution. He has appealed his sentence to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.

Horner kidnapped Strand from outside her home in November 2022 after delivering a package, then battered and strangled her before dumping her body in the Trinity River. Investigators found evidence of sexual assault in the case, according to court testimony. Horner’s defense focused on his mental health problems, autism diagnosis, and difficult family background. Jurors deliberated for less than three hours before deciding on the death sentence.

What else happened in court on Tuesday? After the sentencing, Strand’s uncle delivered a statement, telling Horner he had destroyed a family and would face the wrath of God. The uncle quoted Matthew 18:6, which states that it would be better for a person to be drowned with a millstone around their neck than to cause a child to stumble. Horner listened without showing any clear sign of emotion.