The man who admitted kidnapping and murdering 7-year-old Athena Strand has officially been sentenced to death after a Texas jury heard devastating details about the child’s final moments inside his delivery truck.
Former FedEx contract driver Tanner Horner, 34, received the death penalty on Tuesday after pleading guilty earlier this year to capital murder and aggravated kidnapping in connection with Athena’s 2022 killing.
The sentence followed emotional testimony, disturbing evidence, and chilling audio recordings that prosecutors say captured the young girl desperately trying to understand what was happening to her.
Athena disappeared on Nov. 30, 2022, from her family’s driveway in Paradise while Horner was delivering a package for a company contracted by FedEx.
Prosecutors said Horner abducted the child and murdered her inside the delivery truck before dumping her body near the Trinity River.
During the sentencing proceedings, jurors were shown surveillance footage and played audio recordings from inside the truck — evidence that reportedly left multiple jurors visibly crying in court.
At one point in the recording, Athena can reportedly be heard asking Horner a haunting question:
“Are you a kidnapper?”
When she asked where they were going, prosecutors said Horner coldly responded:
“It doesn’t matter.”
According to courtroom reports, Horner became increasingly agitated by Athena’s questions and threatened her.
“Don’t scream or I’ll hurt you,” he allegedly told the terrified child.
Jurors then heard audio after Horner reportedly covered the truck’s internal camera.
Though the video feed was blocked, the sound continued recording.
Court testimony revealed Athena cried out for her mother during the attack.
“I want my mama,” she could reportedly be heard saying.
Medical examiners later determined Athena died from blunt force trauma, strangulation, and smothering. Her body was discovered days later in the Trinity River.
The emotional case has devastated communities across Texas and beyond since the child’s disappearance first made national headlines.
During closing arguments, Wise County District Attorney James Stainton described Horner as proof that “evil exists in society,” arguing the death penalty was justified because Horner should “never have access to hurt anyone ever again.”
Defense attorneys attempted to spare Horner’s life, presenting testimony from a forensic psychologist who said he had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and met criteria for autism spectrum disorder.
But prosecutors also introduced testimony from one of Horner’s cousins, who alleged Horner sexually abused him as a child — testimony that added another disturbing layer to the proceedings.
Ultimately, the jury deliberated for roughly three hours before choosing death over life imprisonment without parole.
After the sentence was announced, Athena’s uncle, Elijah Strand, delivered a powerful victim impact statement directly toward Horner.
“You did not just take a life,” he said. “You destroyed a family.”
He then told Horner:
“You are nothing. You are a footnote in Athena’s story.”
Throughout the hearing, Horner reportedly showed little visible emotion.
But outside the courtroom, the focus remained on Athena — remembered by loved ones as a bright, brave child who stayed calm even during unimaginable terror.
Nearly four years after her death, her story continues to leave people across the country heartbroken — and searching for answers about how such a tragedy could happen.
