Days before his murder trial was set to begin, Tanner Horner pleaded guilty to the death of 7-year-old Athena Strand in November 2022. The FedEx driver hit the child with his truck while delivering Barbies for Christmas. Athena survived and was fine, but Horner decided to take her with him to stop her from telling her parents about the accident. He then assured she’d never tell by killing her. The former FedEx driver entered a guilty plea in 2026, and it was up to the jury to determine his fate. After nearly four weeks of testimony, the jury reached a verdict, deciding Horner will die by lethal injection.
Final arguments may have helped seal Horner’s fate.
According to court documents obtained by the Fort Worth Report, prosecuting attorney James Stainton wanted jurors to consider the emotional toll Horner’s actions took on Athena’s family and all parents who knew her story.
“Tanner Horner is proof why parents hug their children a little tighter. He’s proof of why children are nervous to go play outside,” Stainton said. “He’s proof of why there is evil in society, and we can never turn our back.”
One of Horner’s lawyers, Susan Anderson, tried to sway jurors by downplaying his moral responsibility due to his autism.
“They know that they just don’t quite fit in. They start to see themselves as an outcast,” Anderson said. “They start hanging out with other people that they identify with — other outcasts — and that becomes that self-fulfilling prophecy.”
Jury deliberations ended relatively quickly.
Jurors began deliberations just after 11 a.m. on May 5, 2026, according to CBS News. Less than three hours later, they delivered a verdict. The court sentenced Horner to death. As the judge read the verdict, the 34-year-old stood emotionless. The monster who abducted, sexually assaulted, and murdered an innocent little girl just looked at the judge and accepted his fate.
Athena’s family now has some closure.
Sentencing Horner to death will not bring this family’s little girl back, but it does put an end to this heartbreaking chapter.
Elijah Strand, Athena’s uncle, gave a powerful impact statement directed right at Horner following the verdict, per 9 News.
“Tanner Horner, I want you to hear this directly. You did not just take a life, you destroyed the family. You took a little girl who trusted the world, and repaid that innocence with violence. You chose to cause pain that will last for generations.
“You say you found God, but what you did to Athena stands in direct opposition to everything that you now claim to believe,” the statement continued. “In Matthew 18:6, it says, if anyone causes one of these little ones to stumble, it would be better for them to have a millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned. That is how seriously harm against a child is judged. And you will be judged.”
The statement concluded with this: “You will face the wrath of God. But I want you to know that 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. You wanted your 15 minutes of fame. You got it, and no one’s gonna remember you after this.”
Horner’s now headed to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice in Huntsville. Per Texas law, a death sentence automatically goes to the Texas Criminal Appeals Court for review.
That doesn’t seem quite fair. Athena begged for her life, and Horner took it away. There was no appeal. Why should he get that luxury?
