{"id":91240,"date":"2026-05-06T03:55:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T03:55:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/what-did-tanner-horner-do-man-killed-athena-strand-7\/"},"modified":"2026-05-06T03:55:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T03:55:13","slug":"what-did-tanner-horner-do-man-killed-athena-strand-7","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/what-did-tanner-horner-do-man-killed-athena-strand-7\/","title":{"rendered":"What Did Tanner Horner Do? Man Killed Athena Strand, 7"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Former FedEx driver Tanner Horner<\/strong> pleaded guilty on April 7, 2026, to capital murder and aggravated kidnapping in the November 2022 death of 7-year-old Athena Strand, just as his criminal trial was set to begin in Texas. Jurors were then tasked to decide if the 34-year-old should be sentenced to death or life in prison \u2014 and the evidence presented during the penalty phase has been harrowing.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what is known about the crime, the trial and the disturbing details that have emerged from the courtroom before the jury ultimately sentenced him to death.<\/p>\n

How Tanner Horner Killed Athena Strand<\/h2>\n

Horner stopped at Athena\u2019s home in Wise County, Texas, on November 30, 2022, to deliver a package. According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the package contained Christmas presents intended for the little girl.<\/p>\n

Horner told law enforcement that he struck Athena with his FedEx truck and then strangled her to prevent her from telling her father about the collision, according to his arrest warrant affidavit. He later dumped her body, which was discovered naked in the Trinity River within 10 miles of her father\u2019s home on December 2, 2022.<\/p>\n

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Related: <\/span>Anna Kepner\u2019s Teen Stepbrother Charged With Her Murder: Case Updates<\/span>
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\n\t\t\tFederal authorities have indicted the 16-year-old stepbrother of Anna Kepner, charging him as an adult with murder and aggravated sexual abuse in her killing aboard a cruise ship. The Department of Justice identified the defendant only as \u201cT.H.\u201d If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. With the trial scheduled to begin [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Prosecutors, however, say that account is a lie.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe only truthful thing that Tanner Horner told law enforcement was that he killed her,\u201d Wise County District Attorney James Stainton<\/strong> said in his opening statement, according to the Washington Post.<\/em> \u201cThe pattern and web of lies that he put together, it\u2019s going to be hard for ya\u2019ll to keep up with. It is lie upon lie upon lie upon lie.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stainton argued that Horner abducted Athena without her ever being harmed by a collision. \u201cThe first thing Tanner Horner says to Athena when he picks her up and puts her in that truck, he leans down and he says: \u2018Don\u2019t scream or I\u2019ll hurt you.\u2019 He says that twice,\u201d Stainton told the courtroom.<\/p>\n

Horner was indicted in February 2023 on charges of aggravated kidnapping and capital murder.<\/p>\n

Inside the FedEx Truck: What Jurors Saw and Heard<\/h2>\n

On April 16, 2026, jurors were shown video and audio captured from inside Horner\u2019s delivery truck. The footage was so disturbing that Judge George Gallagher<\/strong> warned the courtroom beforehand: \u201cIf you think you cannot watch it or listen to it, leave now,\u201d WFAA reported.<\/p>\n

The video showed Horner pulling up to the house and walking back to the truck with Athena. He opened the door and lifted her inside.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you a kidnapper?\u201d Athena asked, seemingly realizing she might be in danger, NBC DFW reported. \u201cWhere are you taking me?\u201d<\/p>\n

Horner told her to sit down and not to scream, or he\u2019d hurt her. He then covered the security camera\u2019s lens with a sticky note, leaving only audio of what happened next.<\/p>\n

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Related: <\/span>Babysitter Killed 8-Month-Old Child After Burping Her ‘Aggressively\u2019<\/span>
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\n\t\t\tA Missouri woman was arrested after she killed an 8-month-old child she was babysitting, with police saying that she \u201caggressively\u201d burped the baby and lied about when she was sleeping. Jennifer Johnson was sentenced to life in prison for second-degree murder after she was convicted by a Boone County jury in January, according to court [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

At one point, Horner told the 7-year-old, \u201cYou\u2019re really pretty, you know that?\u201d Audio was later played of the killer ordering her to undress and her asking for her mother in response.<\/p>\n

Before the killing, Horner asked Athena to take off her shirt. She told him her mother had taught her to say \u201cno\u201d to such requests, according to WFAA.<\/p>\n

Jurors began breaking down in tears as the girl\u2019s screams could be heard, along with loud, indistinct banging from the back of the delivery truck. Several of Athena\u2019s relatives excused themselves during this portion of the penalty phase.<\/p>\n

Prosecutors have insisted Athena was not sexually assaulted, but WFAA reporters who were inside the courtroom said the audio appeared to indicate otherwise. They said there was no question that something sexual was going on.<\/p>\n

\u2018Jingle Bell Rock\u2019 Played During the Murder<\/h2>\n

One of the most chilling details to emerge involved the truck\u2019s radio. Reporters said the radio was left on during Athena\u2019s murder, and at one point, the holiday song \u201cJingle Bell Rock\u201d began to play.<\/p>\n

In the audio, Horner can be heard singing along to the tune, but is drowned out by the girl\u2019s screams, WFAA reported. He eventually yells at her to \u201cShut up!\u201d<\/p>\n

Additional security footage showed Horner cleaning up his delivery truck after the murder, sifting through Athena\u2019s backpack and talking his way through a checkpoint that had been set up shortly after her abduction. Footage also showed him enjoying a cigarette as he drove the FedEx truck after the killing.<\/p>\n

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Related: <\/span>Texas Mom Stabbed 17-Month-Old Daughter, Threw Her From Hotel Balcony<\/span>
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\n\t\t\tA mother in Houston, Texas, was found guilty after she stabbed her 17-month-old daughter and threw the young child from a hotel balcony. Channel Yonko\u2019s verdict was revealed on Friday, March 6, in connection to the death of her daughter, Hannah Yonko, according to KHOU, KTRK and Houston Public Media. Prosecutors said that Hannah died [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The Defense Case: Autism and Mental Illness<\/h2>\n

The defense\u2019s case began on April 22, 2026. Horner\u2019s attorney, Steven Goble<\/strong>, asked jurors to consider a life sentence rather than death.<\/p>\n

Goble said that based on the evidence, what Horner did was \u201coverwhelming\u201d and \u201cterrible,\u201d according to the Washington Post. But he argued that Horner has Autism and has experienced \u201cvarious mental illnesses throughout his life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen someone\u2019s brain is what\u2019s injured, you don\u2019t see it,\u201d Goble said in the courtroom.<\/p>\n

Horner\u2019s Mother Breaks Down on the Stand<\/h2>\n

Horner\u2019s mother, referred to as Mrs. Horner<\/strong> by attorneys, took the stand on April 22, 2026, and broke down in tears.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am so mad at him. I want to just tear his ass up,\u201d she said through tears, according to CBS News. \u201cShe was just a baby.\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked by the defense if she loved her son, Mrs. Horner responded, \u201cOf course, I love my son. I don\u2019t love who did that, though. I don\u2019t know who that was.\u201d<\/p>\n

She told the prosecution that Horner initially told her \u201che abducted the little girl, he panicked and strangled her.\u201d Asked what her understanding of the event was now that she had watched the livestream of the trial, she said through tears: \u201cI don\u2019t know what to say, I\u2019m so sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mrs. Horner also testified about her difficult upbringing, and told the jury her stepfather sexually abused her. She described struggles with drug abuse and mental health issues and said she used heroin for 25 years and is now on methadone.<\/p>\n

Additionally, she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizoaffective disorder.<\/p>\n

She met her son\u2019s father, Terry Horner, when she was a teenager working at a Fort Worth strip club. She claimed Terry raped her on the night they met, though she later married him at 19.<\/p>\n

She continued using drugs throughout Horner\u2019s childhood and was arrested on drug and prostitution charges, serving time in jail. She said Horner had a hard time making friends and communicating with other kids growing up, and that he was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome and ADHD. She said he was bullied at school.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Related: <\/span>Man Accused of Sexually Abusing a Child From Jail Gets Life Sentence<\/span>
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\n\t\t\tA Texas man was sentenced to life in prison after authorities said he continued to sexually abuse a child \u2014 who he is alleged to have abused previously \u2014 while he was in jail awaiting a murder trial. Anthony Dewayne Taylor, 46, of Frisco, was sentenced on a charge of sexual performance of a child, [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Closing Arguments in Athena Strand\u2019s Murder Trial<\/h2>\n

Closing arguments took place on May 5, 2026. Stainton argued that Horner should receive the death penalty, saying that criminals like Horner are \u201cproof why there is evil in society and we can never turn back.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what it took to beat the life out of her, and I think that\u2019s key to this entire case,\u201d he said, per NBC FW. \u201cIf the facts were not bad enough, if the sexual assault wasn\u2019t bad enough, the level of violence that one person can inflict on a child, including stomping them with a pair of shoes.\u201d<\/p>\n

During the defense team\u2019s closing arguments, Goble told jurors that their decision came down to their individual moral judgement.<\/p>\n

He also argued that the prosecution was unable to prove that Horner sexually assaulted Athena.<\/p>\n

Tanner Horner Sentenced to Death<\/h2>\n

Just four hours after the closing arguments on May 5, 2026, the Texas jury sentenced Horner to death.<\/p>\n

People in the courtroom cried as Strand\u2019s uncle shared his last memories of the young girl, as well as how her murder impacted the family.<\/p>\n

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