Convicted killer sentenced after pleading guilty in abduction and slaying of young girl taken from her driveway

FORT WORTH, Texas — A Texas jury has sentenced Tanner Lynn Horner to death for the 2022 kidnapping and murder of 7-year-old Athena Strand.

Horner, who pleaded guilty to the charges, faced a capital murder trial where jurors heard disturbing details about the young girl’s final moments. After deliberating for just a few hours, the jury unanimously voted to impose the death penalty.

Athena was abducted from her family’s driveway in North Texas while Horner was delivering a package to the home. Her body was discovered several days later.

In emotional victim impact statements during the sentencing phase, Athena’s family emphasized that their focus remains on honoring her memory. “She will be remembered, not him,” they made clear in court.

The case drew widespread attention across Texas as prosecutors presented evidence of the brutal crime that ended the life of a young girl who was taken in broad daylight from her own home.

Horner is now formally sentenced to death for the kidnapping and murder of Athena Strand.