FedEx driver sentenced to death in killing of 7-year-old Athena Strand in North Texas

May 6, 2026

www.statesman.com

By Julianna Duennes Russ

A North Texas jury on Tuesday sentenced a former delivery driver to death for the abduction and killing of 7-year-old Athena Strand.

Tanner Lynn Horner, who pleaded guilty last month to capital murder and aggravated kidnapping, will face execution by lethal injection. Jurors deliberated for just a few hours before handing down the sentence.

The decision follows weeks of graphic testimony and evidence that detailed the final moments of the girl’s life and the actions Horner took after abducting her from her family’s driveway in November 2022…