Texas Driver Convicted in 7-Year-Old's Death, Faces Execution

Athena Strand was seven years old when a FedEx driver arrived at her family’s home in Paradise, Texas, delivering a Christmas gift – and she never came back inside. On April 7, Tanner Horner, 31, pleaded guilty to capital murder at the opening of his trial in a Fort Worth courtroom and now faces either the death penalty or life in prison, with jurors in the penalty phase deciding his sentence, according to the Associated Press.

What Happened That December Afternoon

In December 2022, Horner was working a delivery route when he stopped at the Strand family home near Paradise, a small rural town outside Fort Worth. Athena’s body was found two days after she was reported missing, and Horner was arrested shortly after, telling authorities he had accidentally struck her with his van and then strangled her in a panic.

Prosecutors told the jury that account was a lie. “The only truthful thing that Tanner Horner told law enforcement was that he killed her,” Wise County District Attorney James Stainton said in opening statements, according to the Associated Press. He told jurors that Athena was uninjured when Horner took her, and that DNA recovered from beneath her fingernails linked Horner to the crime, according to CNN.

Surveillance Captured the Final Moments

A camera inside Horner’s delivery truck captured Athena alive in the vehicle – sitting on her knees behind the driver’s seat – and that image was shown to the jury during testimony from her stepmother, according to the Associated Press. Stainton told jurors the evidence would be difficult to hear: “You are going to hear what a 250-pound man can do to a 67-pound child.”

Horner pleaded guilty as his trial began, shifting proceedings directly into the question of punishment rather than guilt.

A Family Robbed Before Christmas

Athena Strand was a seven-year-old in the rural town of Paradise, and the gift Horner had been delivering that afternoon was meant for her. Her stepmother took the stand during the penalty phase and described the search for Athena in the days that followed – the package, the doorbell, the truck that left.

Investigators have not released further information regarding what took place inside the vehicle beyond what was presented during court proceedings.

The Penalty Phase Continues

Jurors are now weighing whether Horner should be sentenced to death or to life in prison. The Wise County District Attorney’s Office is seeking the death penalty, while Horner’s defense attorneys are arguing for a life sentence, according to CNN.

Prosecutors have characterized the case as deliberate – a driver who made a choice, not a panicked man who made a mistake. Tanner Horner has been convicted of capital murder in the death of Athena Strand, and the jury will render its verdict on his punishment in the days ahead.

References: Former FedEx driver pleads guilty to killing 7-year-old girl after making delivery at her Texas home | Former FedEx driver pleads guilty to killing 7-year-old girl after making delivery at her Texas home