Former FedEx driver pleads guilty to killing 7-year-old girl after making delivery at her Texas home
ABC7 Los Angeles • • nation
Key Points:
- Tanner Horner, a former FedEx driver, pleaded guilty to killing 7-year-old Athena Strand in Texas, claiming he accidentally struck her with his van and then strangled her in panic; jurors will now decide between the death penalty or life imprisonment.
- Wise County District Attorney James Stainton refuted Horner's account, stating Athena was uninjured when taken into the van and that Horner threatened her not to scream, with evidence showing a violent struggle including Horner's DNA under Athena's fingernails.
- Horner admitted to strangling Athena after failing to break her neck, and led investigators to her body; his defense cited his autism, mental illnesses, prenatal exposure to alcohol, and lead poisoning, requesting a life sentence instead of death.
- Athena's stepmother testified that Horner delivered a Christmas gift to Athena shortly before her death, describing Athena as a lively child who enjoyed rural life; the trial was moved to Fort Worth to ensure a fair process.
