Former FedEx employee Tanner Horner pleaded guilty to 7-year-old Athena Strand in a case that shocked , 2022. Horner pleaded guilty to the death of the girl, who disappeared from the backyard of his Paradise home shortly after he delivered a package of dolls — the little girl’s Christmas present.
Now, jurors are asked to decide his sentence, with the options narrowed between life in prison and the death penalty.
BREAKING: Horrifying photo shows 7-year-old Athena Strand being driven to her death after a FedEx driver abducted and strangled her while delivering her Christmas present
Tanner Horner, 34, pleaded guilty to capital murder in the killing of Athena Strand just before his trial…
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“A web of lies”
At the start of the trial, Wise County District Attorney James Staton unleashed a scathing charge, characterizing the perpetrator’s initial statements as a continuous chain of lies.
“The only true thing that Tanner Horner told the authorities was that he killed her,” Staton said.
While the perpetrator initially claimed that he accidentally hit the girl with his truck and choked her in a panic, the evidence paints a much darker picture. According to the prosecution, Athena was safe and sound when Horner put her in his vehicle, telling her, “Don’t scream, because I’m going to hit you.”
Shocking facts: The unequal battle of the 7-year-old
The court was shown a photo from the truck’s dash cam showing Athena alive, kneeling behind the driver’s seat. The prosecutor warned jurors that the material to come is “gristy” as it chronicles the violence inflicted by a 115kg man on a child weighing just 30kg.
Forensic findings confirm the horror:
- DNA of the perpetrator was found under the child’s fingernails, proving that Athena fought for her life.
- DNA was found in places that “should never be found on a 7-year-old girl.”
The defensive line and the “gift” that turned into a nightmare
Horner’s attorney, while admitting the evidence is “overwhelming and horrific,” asked jurors to choose life in prison. He claimed his client suffers from autism and mental illness, while he said his mother drank alcohol during pregnancy and he himself had been exposed to large amounts of lead.
Athena’s stepmother, Ashley Strand, tearfully testified that the package Horner delivered contained a Barbie collection titled “You Can Be Anything You Want.” She described the seven-year-old as a child who loved to run free in the countryside, a freedom that was violently cut short by the man who arrived at their door to bring joy.
