A former FedEx driver accused of murdering a seven-year-old child was sentenced to death on Tuesday, 4 May. The verdict came after the accused, Tanner Horner, pleaded guilty to killing Athena Strand in November 2022 last month.
At the time, Horner reportedly delivered Strand's Barbie Christmas present to her home in Paradise in Wise County. At some point, Athena's stepmother, Ashley Strand, noticed the child was missing and immediately reported it to authorities. Her naked body was found two days later, according to officials in a report by NBC News.
Evidence and Testimony Painted Chilling Picture of Athena Strand's Final Moments
Horner was the last person who saw Athena alive. He was arrested after the discovery of Athena's body and allegedly claimed that he had accidentally hit the seven-year-old with his delivery vehicle.
The 34-year-old claimed he panicked and then placed Strand at the back of the van before breaking her neck, according to an arrest warrant obtained by the Associated Press.
However, his claims were rebuffed. Wise County District Attorney James Stainton told the court that Horner was lying and that Athena was unhurt when he abducted her, Sky News reported. A photo of a girl from a video inside the delivery van was shown to the jury to back up that claim.
Stainton added that Horner had told Athena not to scream if she didn't want to get hurt. The child tried to fight off the 34-year-old and his DNA was discovered under the fingernails of Athena.
'If you don't shut up, I will hurt you worse,' Horner could be heard telling Strand in a recording from inside the van.
Athena died of blunt force injuries with smothering and strangulation.
Who Is Tanner Horner?
Little is known about Horner and the 34-year-old had no criminal history.
However, Dr Eileen Ryan, a professor of psychiatry and behavioural health at Ohio State University, did an evaluation on Tanner and found that the 34-year-old was suffering from Asperger's disorder, autism spectrum disorder, major depressive disorder, ADHD, and bipolar disorder, per Oxygen.com.
She however added that despite this diagnosis, Horner knew what was right from wrong.
How the Case Unfolded and Decided Eventually
Considering he lied about what really happened, it was hardly surprising that Horner was handed the death sentence by lethal injection. As of this writing, no official date on when this will be carried out has been announced.
However, the death sentence to Tanner Horner has not been spared from criticism. According to the defense team of the 34-year-old, the diagnosis of Ryan leans more towards life imprisonment over the death penalty.
The decision was up to the jurors. They had the choice of sentencing Horner to death or life in prison without the possibility of parole. They eventually chose the death sentence. Horner showed no emotion after state District Judge George Gallagher delivered the sentence.
As for the relatives of Athena Strand, the pain of moving on without the seven-year-old was evident. Elijah Strand, the uncle of Athena, didn't hold back his emotions and gave the 34-year-old a strong message.
'You are nothing - you are a footnote in Athena's story,' he said. 'Her name will forever be remembered, her name will forever be celebrated, and everyone will forget you,' he added.
