OAN Staff Lillian Mann
8:34 AM – Wednesday, May 6, 2026
Former FedEx driver Tanner Horner, who admitted to killing 7-year-old Athena Strand, has been sentenced to death by a Texas jury.
The confessed killer showed no reaction to his sentence, which he received on Tuesday in Fort Worth, Texas, about 40 miles southeast of where Strand’s naked body was left in a creek on November 30, 2022.
Horner, 34, was accused of kidnapping and strangling the child after hitting her with his delivery van while delivering Christmas gifts to her father’s house in the rural town of Paradise in Wise County, Texas.
State District Judge George Gallagher stated that he would die by lethal injection “before the hour of sunrise” at a future date, the New York Post reported.
“Punishment for the offense of capital murder is confined by imprisonment in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for life or by death,” said Gallagher. “Each of you must decide the case for yourself, but only after an impartial consideration of the evidence with your fellow jurors.”
Horner reportedly showed no emotion upon receiving his death sentence, simply saying, “yes,” when the judge asked him about the appeal.
In his closing remarks Tuesday morning, Wise County District Attorney James Stainton told the jurors that criminals like Horner are the reason Texas still has the death penalty.
Jacob Strand, Athena’s uncle, spoke directly to Horner after the verdict was read.
“It was the best thing to see her running up to me with her arms open, yelling ‘Uncle Elijah,’ and it’s one of my last memories I have of her,” Strand recalled. “And now I get to never hear that again.”
“You did not just take a life, you destroyed a family,” he continued. “You will be judged. You will face the wrath of God. And I want you to know that you are nothing. You are a footnote in Athena’s story. Her name will forever be celebrated and everyone will forget you.”
“Athena was more than a headline. She was laughter, curiosity, kindness and innocence,” he said. “And she had dreams that she will never get to chase, birthdays that she will never celebrate and a life she’ll never get to live, because of his actions.”
According to the arrest warrant, Horner told authorities that he strangled the 7-year-old after accidentally hitting her with his van. He alleged that Strand wasn’t seriously hurt after he hit her when backing up, but he panicked and put her in his van.
Throughout the trial, the jury endured extremely disturbing pieces of evidence, including audio of Athena’s murder, pictures of her discarded clothes and testimony from forensic experts regarding DNA found near the girl’s genitals.
Some jurors left the room when horrific audio played and sounds of Athena being strangled filled the room. Video footage from inside the delivery truck captured Horner covering the camera after the girl asked him if he was a kidnapper. Evidence presented in court revealed that he had previously searched online whether the security cameras “constantly record” inside FedEx delivery trucks.
Horner did not respond, instead saying a few moments later, “You’re really pretty. You know that?”
The truck was heard coming to a stop. Horner could be heard telling Strand to take her shirt off, followed by the sound of him slamming her into the truck and strangling her.
Although he denied sexually assaulting Athena, a forensic analyst revealed that Horner’s sperm cell DNA could not be excluded from the swabs in Strand’s sexual assault kit.
Horner’s defense, however, focused on his mental health, arguing that he is on the autism spectrum and that he has struggled with long-term mental illness after being diagnosed with fetal alcohol syndrome disorder as a child.
Horner blamed the incident on his alter ego, named “Zero,” and claimed that he thought the killing was a “nightmare,” until he found Strand’s pants in his backpack the next day.
The accused killer, who was supposed to be delivering Barbie dolls to Strand’s home, was also seen crying during a police interview, complaining that he wasn’t allowed to go home to spend Christmas with his young son.
Prosecutors sought the death penalty, arguing that Horner’s actions were cold and calculated and that he repeatedly lied to investigators.
The decision came after 19 days of testimony and almost three hours of jury deliberations, with both sides resting their cases on Monday and delivering closing remarks on Tuesday morning.
Shortly after his arrest for murder, Horner was charged with three counts of sexual assault of a child relating to separate incidents from 2013 and 2014.
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