He killed the girl Athena while “Jingle Bell Rock” was playing, and Texas sentenced him to death.

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Tanner Horner will receive a lethal injection after being found guilty of kidnapping, Sєxually abusing, and murdering Athena Strand during his delivery route

He killed the girl Athena while Jingle Bell Rock was playing, and Texas sentenced him to death.
 

Tanner Horner, a FedEx driver, was sentenced to death after being found guilty of the murder and Sєxual abuse of seven-year-old Athena Strand. He will be executed by lethal injection. Details follow.

He killed the girl Athena while Jingle Bell Rock was playing, and Texas sentenced him to death.
The crime, which occurred on November 30, 2022, shocked Texas from the moment Athena’s naked body was found in a creek about 40 miles northwest of Fort Worth. From the start of the trial, Horner admitted that he accidentally ran over the girl in front of her home in Paradise and that, instead of calling for help, he put her in his delivery truck and kidnapped her.

He killed the girl Athena while Jingle Bell Rock was playing, and Texas sentenced him to death.
What happened inside that truck was documented in one of the most disturbing videos presented in a Texas court in recent years.

He killed the girl Athena while Jingle Bell Rock was playing, and Texas sentenced him to death.
The footage shows the exact moment Horner puts Athena in the vehicle. The girl can be heard asking, “Are you a kidnapper?” He covers the camera and replies, “You’re very pretty. Did you know that?” He then orders her to take off her shirt while she cries, calls for her mother, and screams. Horner threatens to hurt her more if she doesn’t shut up.

He killed the girl Athena while Jingle Bell Rock was playing, and Texas sentenced him to death.
Horner recounted that he strangled her while “Jingle Bell Rock” played on the truck’s radio. Forensic experts described this detail as part of psycH๏τic behavior. The audio from that moment was played in the courtroom.

He killed the girl Athena while Jingle Bell Rock was playing, and Texas sentenced him to death.
Several jurors were unable to hold back their tears. Some attendees left the courtroom. Wise County District Attorney James Stainton had warned them before the hearing what they were about to hear: “You’re going to hear what a 250-pound man can do to a 66-pound child. And when I say it’s horrific, I mean it. I’ve been doing this for 25 years, and I promise you, prepare yourselves.”

He killed the girl Athena while Jingle Bell Rock was playing, and Texas sentenced him to death.
Forensic evidence strengthened the prosecution’s case. Experts could not rule out the presence of Horner’s sperm DNA in the samples from the victim’s Sєxual ᴀssault kit. Furthermore, his Google search history included queries about how FedEx truck cameras worked and whether they recorded continuously, which the prosecution interpreted as evidence of premeditation.

He killed the girl Athena while Jingle Bell Rock was playing, and Texas sentenced him to death.
The weight of the testimony did not rest solely on the technical evidence. Two women testified that Horner raped them when they were minors, at a time when he was just over 20 years old. A man who lived with him during childhood also reported him for similar conduct.

He killed the girl Athena while Jingle Bell Rock was playing, and Texas sentenced him to death.
The defense attempted to mitigate the sentence by arguing mental health issues. They even presented reports confirming that Horner is on the autism spectrum, with a diagnosis of Asperger’s syndrome and a history of chronic mental illness.

He killed the girl Athena while Jingle Bell Rock was playing, and Texas sentenced him to death.
From prison, following a suicide attempt in 2023, the defendant wrote a letter blaming FedEx for changing his work routes weeks before the crime, which, he claimed, disrupted his routine and worsened his condition. However, the jury did not accept these arguments.

He killed the girl Athena while Jingle Bell Rock was playing, and Texas sentenced him to death.
During the reading of the sentence, Athena’s family spoke. Her uncle, Elijah Strand, addressed the condemned man directly with a phrase that summed up the feelings of everyone in the courtroom: “You will be judged. You will face the wrath of God. But I want you to know that you are nothing. You are a footnote in Athena’s story. Her name will be remembered forever. Her name will be celebrated forever. Everyone will forget you.”

He killed the girl Athena while Jingle Bell Rock was playing, and Texas sentenced him to death.
Athena’s mother listened to her brother’s words, her hair dyed pink, her daughter’s favorite color, and wiped away tears surrounded by family. Horner, on the other hand, remained impᴀssive throughout the hearing and only responded “Yes, sir” when the judge informed him about the automatic appeal that, according to Texas law, applies in all capital punishment cases.
He killed the girl Athena while Jingle Bell Rock was playing, and Texas sentenced him to death.
Officially, Horner, 34, has already been transferred to death row in Huntsville, Texas, and is under the custody of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ), sentenced for kidnapping, Sєxual abuse, and murder of Athena Strand.

He killed the girl Athena while Jingle Bell Rock was playing, and Texas sentenced him to death.
For now, Horner will remain in custody awaiting a decision on his execution date.

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