Tanner Horner, former FedEx driver, sentenced to death for killing 7-year-old girl after delivery at her Texas home

Key Points:

• Tanner Horner, a former FedEx driver, was sentenced to death for the capital murder of 7-year-old Athena Strand, whom he abducted while delivering a Christmas gift in Texas.
• Horner pleaded guilty last month just as his trial began, and jurors decided on the death penalty after reviewing a month of testimony, including audio recordings from inside Horner's van capturing Athena's final moments.
• Evidence showed Horner lied repeatedly about the circumstances, initially claiming he accidentally hit Athena with his van, then killed her in panic; jurors found him a continuing threat to society with no mitigating factors to avoid the death sentence.
• The audio recordings revealed Horner's disturbing interactions with Athena, including threats and abuse, while a medical examiner confirmed she died from blunt force injuries combined with smothering and strangulation.
• Horner's defense cited his autism, mental illness, prenatal alcohol exposure, and lead poisoning as mitigating factors, but the jury rejected this and sentenced him to death; the trial was moved to Fort Worth to ensure a fair trial.