Tanner Horner sentenced to death for murder of Athena Strand

FORT WORTH – A former FedEx driver was sentenced to death Tuesday for abducting and killing 7-year-old Athena Strand after delivering a package of Barbie dolls to her Wise County home.  

Tanner Horner, 34, didn’t react as his sentence was read aloud by state District Judge George Gallagher for the November 2022 kidnapping and murder. The decision came after nearly three hours of deliberations and weeks of grueling testimony.

In the front row of the courtroom in downtown Fort Worth, Athena’s mother, Maitlyn Gandy, cried softly after hearing the verdict. Athena’s younger sister sat on her mother’s lap and embraced her. Their family and friends wore shades of pink, Athena’s favorite color. 

Elijah Strand, Athena’s uncle, was the only family member to address Horner in court. 

“You did not just take a life — you destroyed a family,” he said as Horner leaned forward and watched intently. “You took a little girl who trusted the world and repaid that innocence with violence.” 

While Horner was the focus Tuesday, Elijah Strand told him he would go on to become “nothing but a footnote” in Athena’s story.  

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“You wanted your 15 minutes of fame, and you got it,” Elijah Strand said. “But no one’s going to remember you.”  

Gallagher then instructed Horner to be removed from the courtroom.  

“He’s your prisoner, sheriff,” Gallagher said as Horner was led out in handcuffs.

The prosecution pushed for the strongest punishment in their closing arguments, while defense attorneys Susan Anderson and Steven Goble asked the panel to instead give Horner a sentence of life in prison without parole. 

The defense team argued that prosecutors failed to prove Horner would pose a future danger while in prison. Their case hinged on convincing the jury Horner’s troubled upbringing and mental health problems provided enough mitigating circumstances to rule out a death sentence. 

Horner pleaded guilty to the capital murder and aggravated kidnapping of Athena moments before his trial was set to begin last month. The trial was moved to Tarrant County after Horner’s lawyers argued he couldn’t get a fair trial in Wise County. 

Related: Tanner Horner's mother testifies about his childhood at capital murder trial

Horner had just delivered a package to Athena’s home in November 2022 when he abducted her. The box contained Barbie dolls Athena’s family had bought her for Christmas. Video from the truck shows Horner lifting the first grader into the back and then driving away.  

Athena can be heard repeatedly asking Horner where he was taking her and whether he was a kidnapper. 

Jurors were shown photos and video of the first grader kneeling between the seats while Horner drove. Horner later covered the camera lens, but the device continued to record audio of the incident. Horner can be heard telling Athena to undress as the frightened girl pleads with him to leave her alone. 

Athena is heard whimpering and crying. As Horner drives away afterward, she screams repeatedly as he yells at her to be quiet. After shouting at her multiple times, Horner pulls over. Numerous loud bangs are audible before the cries from Athena stop.  

Horner then tossed Athena’s battered body into a river several miles from her home after he strangled and beat her. 

Investigators approached Horner after learning he delivered a package to the house around the time Athena disappeared. He confessed to killing her but claimed he did it because he accidentally hit her with his truck and feared he would get in trouble. 

Related: Tanner Horner's mother testifies about his childhood at capital murder trial

The defense called multiple relatives and friends of Horner’s and expert witnesses to testify. The family members told the jury about the unstable life Horner had growing up, with his mother and father both abusing substances and going in and out of jail. 

“Tanner’s problems began before he was even born,” defense attorney Susan Anderson told the jury, referring to testimony from multiple witnesses about how Horner’s mother drank heavily and smoked cigarettes and marijuana during the early part of her pregnancy with him. 

The experts testified Horner had been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, and lead poisoning. As a result, he tended to “catastrophize” things, making a “mountain out of a molehill,” Anderson told the jury. 

The prosecutor pointed to a bin full of reports submitted by the experts. Nowhere in them did Horner apologize for his actions, Wise County District Attorney James Stainton said. 

“I’m telling you that Tanner Horner is proof why parents hug their children a little tighter,” he said. “He’s proof why children are nervous to go play outside. He’s proof there is evil in society, and we can never turn our back.” 

Stainton said he talked to jurors afterward and expressed concern about their well-being. 

“This is a lot of emotion and a lot of pain and a lot of suffering that they had to walk through together with us,” he said. “I asked every single one of them to their face, ‘How are you? Are you okay? What can we do to help you?’” 

Prisoners are on death row for an average of 11 years before execution, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. 

The appeal process will begin automatically, Stainton said. When the judge asked Horner if he would like to have attorneys appointed to handle his case moving forward, he said, “Yes.”  

It was the only time he spoke during the trial, other than when he entered his guilty plea. 

Staff writer Elissa Jorgensen contributed to this report.