A jury in Texas sentenced 34-year-old Tanner Horner to the death penalty after he pleaded guilty to the kidnapping and murder of little Athena Strand, just 7 years old. The events took place in November 2022, when Horner, who worked as a FedEx delivery driver, delivered a package to the victim’s home.
The man confessed to having run over the girl with his truck and later strangling her. The girl’s family closed the proceedings with a forceful message: “She will be remembered, you will be forgotten.”
The case shocked the nation because of the brutality against a 7-year-old girl. Although Horner’s defense tried to argue health problems stemming from a diagnosis of fetal alcohol syndrome in an effort to seek mercy, the jury determined that he represents a continuing threat to society.
