The delivery driver who abducted, abused and strangled seven-year-old Athena Strand to death was sentenced to death on Tuesday, after relatives told him he will “face the wrath of god”.
FedEx worker Tanner Horner, 34, is expected to be executed by lethal injection for the November 2022 killing, when he took Athena in his delivery van before leaving her naked body in a ravine.
A Fort Worth court has been hearing punishment-phase arguments since April 7, after Horner pleaded guilty shortly before his trial was due to begin. As prosecutors outlined the evidence, the local district attorney warned jurors to “buckle up” ahead of “what a 250-pound man can do to a 67-pound child”.
After about two-and-a-half hours of deliberations, jurors returned their decision. They could have sentenced Horner to life in prison without parole, but following 19 days of expert testimony and disturbing evidence, the jury chose the death penalty.
In the weeks of proceedings, jurors were shown and played material recorded inside Horner’s van as the attack unfolded, including a haunting image of Athena standing in the rear of the vehicle, taken just before he blocked the camera.
Even after the lens was covered, the system kept recording audio — more than an hour of it. Jurors had to listen to the footage in court, with some people breaking down and others leaving the courtroom as the sound played.
The audio captured Athena asking the driver, “Are you a kidnapper?” as she was driven away, with Horner offering no reply. He then covered the camera and said: “You’re really pretty. You know that?”
The jury then heard him pull over and order her to remove her shirt. When Athena refused and called out for her mother, Horner could be heard slamming her into the bed of his truck, according to the New York Post.
As Athena’s screams echoed through the courtroom, Horner was recorded telling her to be quiet or he would hurt her “worse”. The violence continued, and the recording took an even more chilling turn as “Jingle Bell Rock” began playing on the radio.
Prosecutors said Horner sang along to the Christmas song while he strangled the seven-year-old.
Although Horner admitted he kidnapped and killed Athena, he repeatedly denied sexually assaulting her. That claim was challenged in court after experts testified that his reproductive DNA was found around her genitals.
Jurors also heard from other alleged victims, including two women and a man, who described past sexual abuse by Horner.
Horner’s defense focused on his mental health, including an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis. A suicide note written while he was in jail — before an unsuccessful attempt — also blamed FedEx for altering his delivery route in the weeks leading up to the attack.
Before deliberations, the prosecution told jurors: “The level of pain, the level of abuse that [Horner] has inflicted upon this little girl and this family are unfathomable,” adding, “The level of lies, the multiple different versions of whatever truth it is, that video.
“Everything you saw is important. Athena is important. Justice for her is important. And justice in this case has one result.”
After the sentence was read, Athena’s uncle Elijah Strand addressed Horner directly, telling him: “You are nothing – you are a footnote in Athena’s story.
“Her name will forever be remembered, her name will forever be celebrated, and everyone will forget you.”
He continued: “Athena was more than a headline. She was laughter, curiosity, kindness and innocence. 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.”
Horner showed little emotion during the proceedings, and at the close of court he indicated to the judge that he plans to appeal his death sentence.