Tanner Horner previously pleaded guilty to kidnapping and murdering 7-year-old Athena
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2):format(webp)/Tanner-Horner-mugshot-Athena-Strand-050526-e106f358d43d44e8b16dddfc073ee5bb.jpg)
The FedEx driver who previously pleaded guilty to murdering 7-year-old Athena Strand was sentenced to death.
A Texas jury handed down a death sentence to Tanner Horner, 34, who abducted Athena from the driveway of her Paradise, Texas, home and then killed her in 2022.
In April, Horner pleaded guilty to capital murder and aggravated kidnapping, setting up a sentencing trial that ended Tuesday, May 5.
During the sentencing trial, which was streamed by WFAA, Athena’s uncle, Elijah Strand, read an emotional victim impact statement.
“You did not just take a life, you destroyed a family,” Strand testified, as Horner sat expressionless. “You took a little girl who trusted the world and repaid that innocence with violence. You chose to cause pain that will last generations.”
Strand further testified that Horner will “face the wrath of God.”
“You are nothing, you are a footnote in Athena’s story,” he said. “You wanted your 15 minutes of fame, you got it, and no one’s going to remember you after this.”
Horner was delivering a Christmas package when he kidnapped Athena from the driveway of the home where she was staying with her father and stepmother.
The 7-year-old girl suffered blunt force trauma, a medical examiner ruled, and was smothered and strangled.
Athena’s body was found in a river several miles from her home.
News
The last person to speak with James “Weston” Higginbotham has spoken out. It is understood that investigators have asked this person to accurately recount a brief 10-word exchange that took place just before his trip
The investigation into the tragic death of 20-year-old James “Weston” Higginbotham has reached yet another emotionally charged milestone as the last person to speak with him has broken their silence, revealing details of a brief but haunting exchange that occurred only hours before the family departed for Japan. What was planned as a joyful celebration […]
James “Weston” Higginbotham’s family shared that investigators recently questioned him about a diary. They hope a short passage from the notebook will hold the key to unlocking the intense inner struggle he has been trying to conceal for so long
Chilling ChatGPT History Revealed: Mother Uncovers Dark Secret in Weston Higginbotham’s Final Days Before Japan Disappearance. The disappearance of 20-year-old Auburn University student James “Weston” Higginbotham has taken a heartbreaking and deeply disturbing turn. What began as a family vacation in Japan ended in tragedy, but new revelations from his mother about his private ChatGPT […]
Weston’s search history before venturing into the Japanese mountains is filled with shocking details that have left his family stunned
Chilling ChatGPT History Revealed: Mother Uncovers Dark Secret in Weston Higginbotham’s Final Days Before Japan Disappearance. The disappearance of 20-year-old Auburn University student James “Weston” Higginbotham has taken a heartbreaking and deeply disturbing turn. What began as a family vacation in Japan ended in tragedy, but new revelations from his mother about his private ChatGPT […]
Katie’s arduous life, a 27-year-old woman, ended tragically at a bus stop—where she was waiting for her bus to her second job
Tragedy in the Okanogan: The Mysterious River Incident Involving Matt Brown of ‘Alaskan Bush People’ A witness reportedly watched a man drift face-down in the river before disappearing beneath the water. Hours later, Bear Brown received a call that changed everything. In the rugged landscapes of northern Washington state, where the Okanogan River cuts through […]
The sister of a victim in the The Crash movie crash has spoken out in strong criticism after Mackenzie Shirilla unexpectedly received a lot of public attention
Sister of “The Crash” victim infuriated by Mackenzie Shirilla’s newfound fame: ‘She’s loving every second’ “It’s exactly what she’s always wanted,” says Dominic Russo’s sister Christine of his girlfriend and convicted murderer. ‘The Crash’ documentary subject Mackenzie Shirilla Credit: Netflix Key Points Christine Russo, sister of The Crash victim Dominic Russo, is infuriated the Netflix documentary has […]
In a tragic incident that has devastated a community and sparked outrage over road safety, 27-year-old Katie Janeth Osorio was fatally struck by a hit-and-run driver while waiting for a bus to her second job
In a tragic incident that has devastated a community and sparked outrage over road safety, 27-year-old Katie Janeth Osorio was fatally struck by a hit-and-run driver while waiting for a bus to her second job. The young woman, described by friends and family as hardworking and full of life, was standing at a routine bus […]
End of content
No more pages to load
