Former FedEx driver Tanner Lynn Horner, 34, was sentenced to death for the murder of seven-year-old Athena Strand.
A Tarrant County, Texas, jury handed the sentence down Tuesday after 20 days of testimony during the sentencing phase, where prosecutors sought the death penalty rather than life in prison after Horner pled guilty to capital murder and aggravated kidnapping in April.
🚨 BREAKING: Former FedEx Driver Tanner Horner Sentenced to DEATH for the Brutal Murder of 7-Year-Old Athena Strand.
— The Patriot Oasis™ (@ThePatriotOasis) May 5, 2026
A Texas jury unanimously delivered the death penalty today after Horner pleaded guilty to kidnapping, assaulting, and murdering the innocent little girl.
Athena… pic.twitter.com/ROjwtykomb
The jury deliberated whether Horner would be sent to prison for life, or receive the death penalty, which prosecutors argued was appropriate because he was the “worst of the worst.”
Prosecutor James Stainton described how the driver abducted Strand from her home in December 2022 while he was delivering Barbie dolls to her address in Paradise, a Dallas suburb.
“Stainton said Horner covered the camera in his FedEx truck before attacking Athena and then repeatedly lied to police about what happened and where her body was,” reports USA Today.
Athena’s uncle Elijah Strand delivered a powerful victim impact statement during the trial, telling the jury, “There are no words that truly capture the devastation that Tanner Horner caused us and our family… What he took from this world is not just a child … he took a light, a future, and a piece of every single person who loved her. He took a granddaughter, a daughter, a niece, a cousin and a friend. She would call me Uncle Li-jah for the longest time because she couldn’t say the E-li-Jah part of my name… it was the best thing to see her running up to me with her arms open, screaming Uncle Li-jah. And it’s one of my last memories I have of her. And now I never get to hear that again.”
He also directed comments at Horner, saying, “You did not just take a life, you destroyed a family… You took a girl who trusted the world and repaid that innocence with violence. You chose to cause pain that will last generations … 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, but no one is going to remember you after this.”
During the trial, Stainton described how Horner covered the camera inside his FedEx vehicle, and how his DNA was found under her fingernails and “in places where you shouldn’t find DNA on a 7-year-old girl.”
Prosecutor in murder case of 7 year old girl k*lled by FedEx driver,
— Defiant L’s (@DefiantLs) April 8, 2026
"We have DNA. Not only do we have initial DNA from Athena that has Tanner Horner's… We also have Tanner Horner's DNA in places where you shouldn't find DNA on a 7-year-old girl."pic.twitter.com/cFqR1XnbPh
A judge blocked graphic video and audio from being televised, but courtroom attendees heard Athena’s cries for help and her final moments after Horner covered the camera in his vehicle.
Horner was also seen in body cam footage telling a police officer he’d stripped Athena naked because he “thought it was funny.”
Disturbing video shows Tanner Horner, the FedEx driver who kidnapped and m*rdered 7-year-old Athena Strand, saying he "thought it was funny" to strip off her clothes before k*lling her.
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) April 9, 2026
DEATH PENALTY.pic.twitter.com/KK7L7q0G5U
Footage inside the vehicle showed him phoning his manager after the murder saying he’d have to keep the truck because he’d thrown up in it.
Jury breaks down in TEARS at footage of Tanner Horner killing 7-yo Athena Strand — reports
— RT (@RT_com) April 17, 2026
Horner seen telling FedEx boss he 'threw up' in the truck to have it the next day, where he raped & killed child pic.twitter.com/JJ80sAQaCl
He was later seen stopping at a gas station where he vigorously cleaned the back of the FedEx van.
🚨JUST IN: Jury breaks down in tears after seeing video of 7-year-old Athena Strand asking the FedEx driver who abducted and strangled her “Where are you taking me?”
— Unlimited L's (@unlimited_ls) April 16, 2026
NOTE: This video shows Tanner Horner stopping at a gas station to clean the FedEx truck after killing Athena… pic.twitter.com/8uOU7N3RTd
Footage later showed him delivering in the same area, where he complained about the road being blocked off before a woman walked up to the vehicle saying it was due to an investigation into a missing seven-year-old girl.
NEW: Tanner Horner, who pleaded guilty to murdering 7-year-old Athena Strand, seen on camera reacting to a woman telling him that a "seven-year-old kid" had been kidnapped.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) April 16, 2026
During the trial today, jurors broke down in tears after audio footage was played of Horner killing Athena… pic.twitter.com/ujrM7nunie
In an interrogation room, he complained to investigators that a life sentence would mean he would miss his son’s childhood and attempted to bargain to be released for a month in exchange for more information in the case.
🇺🇸 FEDEX DRIVER WHINES ABOUT PRISON AFTER KILLING 7-YEAR-OLD
— NewsForce (@Newsforce) April 10, 2026
Tanner Horner kidnapped and killed Athena Strand while delivering a Barbie to her home in North Texas.
He complained to police that prison would make him miss his son’s childhood.pic.twitter.com/tmhafjFH0Y
🚨BREAKING: FedEx driver who abducted and strangled 7-year-old Athena Strand told investigators, 'If you give me a month with my family, so I can have Christmas with my son, I'll tell you everything.'
— Unlimited L's (@unlimited_ls) April 10, 2026
Tanner Horner, 34, opened the interview saying, “I imagine that you have,… https://t.co/x2CMeL3BZM pic.twitter.com/BfDcJoh1Xn
The overwhelming evidence prompted Tesla and X entrepreneur Elon Musk to call for a swift death penalty, writing, “Execute him immediately.”
Execute him immediately
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 17, 2026
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9 Responses
Not just executed…he should be slowly executed.
Most likely he won’t last long in prison, the other inmates will take him out.
hang him high
let the crows feast
better yet burn the pedo
When I first saw the black and white photo of the driver, I thought he was black. Look at the jaw lips and facial hair. Spiritually black?
Right decision
yeah but death penalty is an easier punishment than life in prison. lifers ultimately suffer more.
There’s a special place in hell for this piece of shit
Keep in mind, if that guy were a different race, not only would he walk away free, he would become America’s next GoFundMe millionaire. Such is “Justice” in America these days. Even with this highly appropriate verdict it is still a long way to the gallows. In a just world, he would swing tonight.
Locked this piece of shit up asap!