In Tears: During the verdict, Tanner Horner cried uncontrollably and kept repeating three words before his family
Horner, 34, pleaded guilty to kidnapping and murdering Athena Strand, 7, in 2022
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Athena Strand; Tanner Lynn Horner.Credit : Texas EquuSearch/Facebook; AP/Shutterstock
The former FedEx driver who admitted to abducting 7-year-old Athena Strand and brutally killing her in the back of his truck has learned his fate.
On Tuesday, May 5, Tanner Horner, 34, was sentenced to death.
The decision came after Horner pleaded guilty on April 7 to capital murder and aggravated kidnapping in the death of the first-grader.
Jurors were then left to decide whether to sentence him to death or life in prison without parole. The jury came to their verdict after just about 3 hours of deliberations.
Horner stone-facedly listened to the judge deliver his death sentence, and simply said “yes” when asked about the appointment of counsel for his appeal.
On Tuesday, May 5, jurors heard closing arguments from the defense and the prosecution.
Wise County District Attorney James Stainton told the jurors that criminals like Horner are the reason Texas still has the death penalty, according to a live stream WFAA aired on YouTube.
Calling Horner a lethal predator, he said he “is proof why there is evil in society and we can never turn out back.”
During the defense team’s closing arguments, attorney Susan Anderson told jurors she doesn’t envy jurors for the decision they were about to make.
“You hold a man’s life in your hands and your decision will define who you are,” she said. “Are you going to be merciful? Or are you going to be vengeful? I want you to vote for life. Sentence Tanner to life in prison without the possibility of parole.”
Stainton rebutted her argument by asking jurors, “Was Tanner merciful? Was Tanner vengeful? Did he show remorse? No, and I think that’s important.”
Horner, he said, “should never have access to hurt anyone ever again.”
On Monday, May 4, the defense rested its case after arguing why Horner should be spared the death penalty.
A forensic psychologist testified that Horner had been diagnosed with bipolar I disorder and met the criteria for autism.
Then the prosecution had a surprise rebuttal witness testify – Horner’s cousin, who alleged that Horner sexually abused him as a child, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.
Following the death sentence, Athena’s uncle Elijah Strand gave emotional testimony directed at Horner, who watched without expression on his face.
“You did not just take a life, you destroyed a family,” said Elijah.
“You are nothing, you are a footnote in Athena’s story,” he continued. “You wanted your 15 minutes of fame and you got it, and no one’s gonna remember you after this”
A Terrifying Encounter
Athena was in her family’s Wise County driveway on Nov. 30, 2022, when Horner was delivering a package to the home for a company contracted by FedEx, PEOPLE previously reported.
Prosecutors say he abducted her and killed her inside his truck. They showed jurors video and played audio from inside the vehicle during her abduction and subsequent murder.
“Are you a kidnapper?” Athena was heard asking him in video footage from inside the truck that was shown to jurors in Horner’s sentencing trial.
When she asked him where they were going, he replied, “It doesn’t matter,” NBC DFW and the Star-Telegram report.
He became agitated by her questions and ordered her to sit down.
“Don’t scream or I’ll hurt you,” he said, WFAA reports.
Jurors watched as Horner covered the camera inside the truck, NBC DFW reports. But audio of what went on inside was still being recorded.
After telling Athena to take off her shirt, she cried, “No,” WFAA reports.
Then, with terror in her voice, she could be heard saying, “I want my mama. I want my mama.”
Then jurors heard disturbing sounds of banging — and choking, according to the Star-Telegram.
Some jurors were crying when they heard what was happening to the little girl, NBCDFW reports. Her parents left before the video began.
Athena, who stayed calm during her abduction and had the wherewithal to question her abductor, fought back when Horner was attacking her, prosecutors said, according to the Star-Telegram and NBC DFW.
The medical examiner said she died from blunt force trauma, smothering and strangulation.
Her naked body was found on Dec. 2, 2022, in the Trinity River.
