Tanner Horner, the former FedEx driver who killed seven-year-old Athena Strand, will spend the remainder of his life in one of the harshest death-row facilities in the United States.
Horner, 34, received a death sentence earlier this week after pleading guilty in connection with Athena’s November 2022 kidnapping and murder.
Athena was taken from her home near Fort Worth, Texas, on the same day Horner delivered a Christmas gift to the address.
Her body was discovered two days later not far from the family home, and Horner was later arrested and charged with aggravated kidnapping and capital murder.
Following the Texas court’s decision to place him on death row, Horner is expected to be held at the Allan B. Polunsky Unit — a prison widely regarded as one of the most punishing death-row sites in the country.
At the facility, men awaiting execution are housed in segregation and are reported to spend as many as 22 hours per day alone inside cells measuring roughly 60 square feet.
Reports describe death-row cells as sparsely equipped: a metal bunk with a thin mattress, plus a metal desk, toilet, and sink positioned only a short distance from where inmates sleep.
Meals are typically eaten inside the cell, and personal items are restricted — with writing materials such as pen and paper among the few permitted possessions. Access to entertainment common in other facilities is limited, with reading materials often serving as the primary option.
Because the Polunsky Unit houses people convicted of serious violent crimes, staff are said to carry out frequent checks, including overnight monitoring.
Those repeated checks can disrupt sleep, making uninterrupted rest difficult.
Inmates may be allowed about an hour outside their cell for exercise each day, though it is generally conducted in an outdoor cage to prevent prisoners from mixing.
Advocacy group SolitaryWatch has characterized the conditions as ‘inhumane’ and ‘torture’.
Yancy Escobar, the wife of inmate Juan Balderas, who has been on death row for 11 years, told Telemundo Houston last month: “He lives there in a small cell for 24 hours.
“Suddenly, they take him out to shower two, three times a week. The only time you can leave that cell is when you go to shower, and they take you in handcuffs. They put you in there, take off the handcuffs, you shower for 15 minutes, and they take you back to your cell.”
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues or want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, the Childhelp USA National Child Abuse Hotline (1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453) operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and receives calls from throughout the United States, Canada, US Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico.
If you have experienced a child bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact The Compassionate Friends on (877) 969-0010.