Tanner Horner sentenced to death for 2022 kidnapping and murder of Athena Strand

A Tarrant County jury sentenced Tanner Horner to death Tuesday for the 2022 kidnapping and murder of 7-year-old Athena Strand. Horner, 34, pleaded guilty to capital murder of a child under 10 and aggravated kidnapping just before his trial began last month. The trial then transitioned into the sentencing phase, where jurors heard emotional testimony and viewed graphic evidence of Athena’s final moments.

The jury deliberated for over two hours before returning the verdict. After the sentence was read, Judge George Gallagher ordered Horner to remain in Tarrant County jail until he is transferred to the Texas Department of Corrections in Huntsville, where executions by lethal injection are carried out.

Athena’s uncle, Elijah Strand, delivered an emotional impact statement in court. “There are no words that truly capture the devastation that Tanner Horner caused us and our family,” he said tearfully. “He took a daughter, granddaughter, sister, niece, cousin, and friend. She had dreams she will never get to chase, birthdays she will never celebrate, a life she will never live because of his actions.”

Strand told Horner, “You did not just take a life; you destroyed a family. You took a little girl who trusted the world and repaid that innocence with violence. You say you found God, but what you did to Athena stands in direct opposition of everything you claim to believe.” He concluded by saying Horner would be judged and that Athena’s name would be forever remembered while Horner’s would be forgotten.

The crime occurred on November 30, 2022, in rural Wise County. Horner, then a FedEx delivery driver, had gone to the Strand home in Paradise to deliver a Christmas gift. Authorities said Horner accidentally struck Athena with his delivery van while backing out of the driveway. Horner told investigators he panicked, placed Athena in his van, and strangled her out of fear she would tell her father what happened. Athena’s body was found two days later about nine miles from her home.

Wise County District Attorney James Stainton argued in closing that Horner deserved the death penalty, calling his explanations lies. “Tanner Horner is proof why parents hug their children a little tighter,” Stainton said. “He’s proof of why children are nervous to go play outside.”

The defense presented expert witnesses who testified about Horner’s mental health and medical history, including a diagnosis of fetal alcohol syndrome disorder linked to his mother’s heavy drinking during pregnancy. Horner’s mother and grandmother also testified about his childhood. Defense attorney Susan Anderson urged the jury for mercy, saying, “Tanner’s problems began before he was even born.”

The jury found two special issues supporting the death penalty: that Horner posed a continuing threat to society and that mitigating factors did not justify a life sentence without parole. An automatic appeal has been filed on Horner’s behalf, and a lawyer will be appointed for the appeal.

The trial was moved from Wise County to Fort Worth to ensure a fair trial. Horner showed little emotion during the sentencing, occasionally looking at Athena’s uncle as he spoke. The case has left the Strand family with an “emptiness that can never be filled,” Elijah Strand said, remembering Athena as “laughter, curiosity, kindness and innocence.”