DALLAS (TCN) — A former FedEx driver has pleaded guilty to the 2022 kidnapping and killing of a 7-year-old girl following the delivery of a Christmas gift to her home.
Athena Strand was last seen on Nov. 30, 2022. Her body was found the next day, and Tanner Horner was identified as a suspect and arrested.
According to an arrest affidavit, he told authorities that he accidentally hit Strand with his delivery truck while backing up. He said he panicked and took the child into the van, where he attempted to break her neck to kill her because he was afraid she would tell her family he had struck her. He said breaking her neck did not work, so he told authorities he had strangled her. Horner was indicted Feb. 16, 2026, on aggravated kidnapping and capital murder charges.
The Associated Press reports Horner pleaded guilty on April 7 and will receive the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole; the jury will decide his punishment. CBS News reports prosecutors argued that Horner’s actions were premeditated because he had reportedly requested to drive the same truck each day, and that Strand’s body was found in water.
Wise County District Attorney James Stainton said Horner lied to law enforcement about what happened to Strand and the only truthful thing he said was that he had killed her. The AP reports video from the truck was shown and Strand was uninjured when Horner brought her inside. Based on the video, Horner told Strand not to scream or he would hurt her.
Stainton warned the jury that what they would hear would be disturbing. “You are going to hear what a 250-pound man can do to a 67-pound child. And when I say it’s horrible, I mean it.”
Horner’s attorney, Steven Goble, advocated for his client to receive a sentence of life in prison. Goble said Horner’s mother drank alcohol when she was pregnant with him and that he had autism and various mental illnesses and had been exposed to lead, according to the AP.
The gift that Horner was delivering with FedEx was a reportedly a box of “You Can Be Anything” Barbie dolls, a Christmas gift for Strand, the AP reports. According to CBS, Strand’s teacher Lisa Thompson was called as a witness at trial and read Strand’s final journal entry for her class. The topic was staying safe from strangers. Thompson said she adored Strand and that the child loved to write, draw, and color, and would often stand up for herself.
According to CBS, the case is moving directly into the sentencing phase. Jurors will be shown more video evidence, including from where Strand’s body was found as well as inside the truck.
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