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Tanner Horner has been sentenced to death for the murder of Athena Strand. This decision comes nearly a month after Horner, a former FedEx driver, admitted guilt to charges of capital murder and aggravated kidnapping.
A jury in Fort Worth reached this verdict after three hours of deliberation, as reported by People. This followed weeks of arguments from Horner’s defense team, who pushed for a life sentence without the possibility of parole. Both sides concluded their arguments on May 5.
Horner remained stoic in the Texas courtroom May 5, as seen in multiple livestreams of the jury’s verdict.
“It’s the order of the court that you, Tanner Lynn Horner, has been judged to be guilty of the offense of capital murder as found by the jury,” Judge George Gallagher said. “Jury having answered, the special issues make it mandatory that your punishment be death. It is, therefore, the order of this court that your punishment be death.”
According to the Associated Press, jurors determined that Horner poses a continued threat to society, with a high likelihood of future criminal violence.
The judge announced that Horner’s case will automatically proceed to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. He will also be assigned legal representation for his direct appeal process.
The judge noted that Horner’s sentence will automatically be sent to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, and that he will be appointed a lawyer to represent him on direct appeal.
Horner was also asked if he wants a second attorney to represent him on writ of habeas corpus, a legal process where details about Horner’s sentence can be argued in court (and separate from his formal appeal).
In response, Horner simply replied, “Yes.”
Across the five-week trial, jurors heard multiple testimonies—including both of Strand’s parents—and heartbreaking details surrounding the 7-year-old’s killing in November 2022.
One piece of evidence proved especially chilling—audio captured from inside Horner’s delivery truck, with jurors forced to hear recordings of Strand’s abduction and killing. The child’s naked body was found days later in the Trinity River.
“You will face the wrath of god, but I want you to know that you are nothing,” Strand’s uncle Elijah Strand said during his victim impact statement in court May 5. “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.”
Horner’s mother also testified during the sentencing trial, per CBS News, telling her son through tears, “She was just a baby.”