Credit: Wise County Sheriff's Office
FedEx Driver Sentenced To Death For Murder Of Little Girl, 7, Made Outrageous Request To Police
The FedEx driver who has been sentenced to death for the murder of a seven-year-old girl made an outrageous request to police following his confession.
Tanner Horner admitted killing Athena Strand after delivering her Barbie Christmas present to her home in the rural town of Paradise, Texas.
The 34-year-old falsely claimed he had hit the youngster with his FedEx work van, prompting him to panic, before strangling her in the back of the vehicle.
However, disturbing footage recorded inside the van revealed at Athena was uninjured when the killer took her as the clip showed her sitting on her knees behind the driver’s seat.
Speaking in court, Wise County District Attorney James Stainton told jurors that Horner told his victim: “Don’t scream or I’ll hurt you,” but Athena fought back anyway, as his DNA was discovered under her fingernails.
Athena’s body was recovered around 11 miles away from her home two days after she went missing.
Horrifying details emerged in court as Stainton said Horner’s DNA was found ‘in places you shouldn’t find DNA on a seven-year-old girl.’
In his closing argument, Stainton told the court: “Tanner Horner is proof why parents hug their children a little tighter. He’s proof of why children are nervous to go play outside.”
FedEx driver admits murder and kidnapping
Horner had been due to go on trial, however last month he changed his plea to guilty, admitting murder and aggravated kidnapping. Now, the jury in Fort Worth, Texas, have voted in favour of the death sentence, meaning he will be executed by lethal injection at a date later to be confirmed.
The killer’s defense team had previously argued that the option of the death sentence should be removed because of Horner’s autism diagnosis. Public defender Steven Goble claimed physical and mental illness played a part in the killing.
“When someone’s brain is what’s injured, you don’t see it,” he said.
Although he acknowledged the evidence against Horner was ‘terrible’ and ‘overwhelming,’ he said the killer’s mother drank alcohol while she was pregnant and claimed the 34-year-old suffered from ‘various mental illnesses throughout his life,’ as well as being exposed to a ‘massive amount of lead.’
However, prosecutors argued that Horner had ‘fantasized’ about murdering the young girl.
“Tanner Horner was driving a FedEx truck, and I believe he had fantasized about this. I believe this was something he had in mind,” they said.
“The experts told you that he fantasized about things. He fantasized about what he wanted to be. He fantasized about being a superhero. I think it’s reasonable to believe that he planned this as well. This was something that was in his mind.”
Athena Strand’s family speak out following death penalty
Speaking in court, Athena’s uncle Elijah Strand told Horner: “You are nothing – you are a footnote in Athena’s story. Her name will forever be remembered, her name will forever be celebrated, and everyone will forget you.
“Athena was more than a headline. She was laughter, curiosity, kindness and innocence.
“And she had dreams that she will never get to chase, birthdays that she will never celebrate and a life she’ll never get to live, because of his actions.”
Athena’s mother, Maitlyn Gandy, added in an emotional statement: “Every breath he takes is one my daughter doesn’t.”
FedEx killer’s outrageous request
Last month, interrogation footage recorded shortly after Horner’s arrest in November 2022 was shown to jurors, in which the killer made an outrageous request to police.
In the recording, he can be heard telling cops, as per NBC: “I imagine that you have, basically, a list and bullet points that you want to know from me. There’s only one thing in this world that I want. I want a month.”
Horner continued: “Even if y’all have to put an ankle monitor on me, GPS monitor, check-ups with you. If you give me a month with my family, so I can have Christmas with my son, I’ll tell you everything.”
When cops told him there was no way he’d be able to get out while being under arrest for murdering a child, he responded: “Either way, that’s basically my price.”
Unsurprisingly, his entitled request was not granted and he has remained behind bars since his arrest. He will continue to do so until his execution.
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