WISE COUNTY, TX - A man in his thirties who was a driver for FedEx has admitted to killing seven-year-old Athena Strand, bringing a highly emotional trial to its end.
On Tuesday, April 7, Tanner Horner pleaded guilty to one count each of capital murder and aggravated kidnapping, Law & Crime reported. Now, a jury of his peers must recommend whether to give him life in prison or the death penalty.
Horner was set to stand trial for the girl's murder, but moments before proceedings began, he entered a guilty plea, immediately shifting the case into the penalty phase. Since prosecutors are seeking the death penalty, the jury will still determine Horner's punishment.
In opening statements, prosecutor Patrick Berry warned jurors about the disturbing evidence they are expected to see and hear, including audio from inside the delivery van where Athena was killed.
"You're gonna hear what a 250-pound man can do to a 67-pound child," Berry said. "And when I say it's horrible, I mean it. I've been doing this 25 years, and I promise you: buckle up." Berry added that while the view of the actual killing was obstructed, jurors would hear audio capturing the little girl's final moments.
"The one thing you're gonna hear — that is something you can't unhear — is the level of fight that a 7-year-old girl has when she's facing down certain death," he said. "We talk about warriors in America. I'll tell you that little girl right there is a warrior. She fought with the strength of 100 men."
Elizabeth "Ashley" Strand, Athena's stepmother who reported her missing, testified about the lasting trauma on the family, saying her other daughter now runs and hides at the sight of delivery drivers and suffers from nightmares.
Investigators also took the stand, including then-Sheriff Lane Akin, who became emotional recalling the moment he informed the family that Athena's body had been found in a body of water miles from her home. "It was heartbreaking, and they were just devastated," Akin said. "I wish I could have done something to make it better. We were hoping, right to the last minute, that she was alive and well."
Testimony further showed that Horner initially gave investigators inconsistent accounts of his actions, at first claiming he did not remember being at the home before later saying he stopped deliveries because he felt sick.
Athena disappeared from her home on November 30, 2025. Authorities learned that a FedEx package had been delivered to her home around the same time she vanished, according to an arrest warrant affidavit reviewed by Law & Crime.
Investigators then identified the delivery truck and reviewed interior camera footage, which allegedly showed that the driver, later identified as Horner, "had taken a young girl who was visually similar to Athena in his van." The footage also showed Horner speaking with her in the truck.
After being located by authorities, Horner allegedly confessed to striking Athena with his truck before abducting and killing her.
"[Horner] stated that when he was backing up in his FedEx truck, he accidentally hit Athena with the truck, but she was not seriously injured, [and he] panicked and put her in the van," the affidavit states. "[Horner] stated Athena was alive at that time, talking to him, and told him her name was Athena."
He allegedly told investigators that it was then that he decided to kill the child. "[Horner] stated he attempted to break Athena's neck to kill her," the affidavit says. "[Horner] stated, when he attempted to break Athena's neck, it did not work, so he strangled her with his bare hands in the back of the FedEx van."
Horner allegedly said he killed the child because he believed "she was going to tell her father about being hit by the FedEx truck," according to the affidavit.
Authorities said Horner led investigators to a location near the Trinity River in Boyd, Texas, where Athena's body was found roughly 10 miles from her home. At the time, Athena's mother, Maitlyn Gandy, said the package Horner delivered contained a Christmas gift for her daughter — a "You Can Be Anything" Barbie.
She said the girl had been planning to return home to Oklahoma after the holiday break. Jurors will hear additional evidence before deciding whether Horner will spend the rest of his life in prison or be sentenced to death.
On Tuesday, April 7, Tanner Horner pleaded guilty to one count each of capital murder and aggravated kidnapping, Law & Crime reported. Now, a jury of his peers must recommend whether to give him life in prison or the death penalty.
Horner was set to stand trial for the girl's murder, but moments before proceedings began, he entered a guilty plea, immediately shifting the case into the penalty phase. Since prosecutors are seeking the death penalty, the jury will still determine Horner's punishment.
In opening statements, prosecutor Patrick Berry warned jurors about the disturbing evidence they are expected to see and hear, including audio from inside the delivery van where Athena was killed.
"You're gonna hear what a 250-pound man can do to a 67-pound child," Berry said. "And when I say it's horrible, I mean it. I've been doing this 25 years, and I promise you: buckle up." Berry added that while the view of the actual killing was obstructed, jurors would hear audio capturing the little girl's final moments.
"The one thing you're gonna hear — that is something you can't unhear — is the level of fight that a 7-year-old girl has when she's facing down certain death," he said. "We talk about warriors in America. I'll tell you that little girl right there is a warrior. She fought with the strength of 100 men."
Elizabeth "Ashley" Strand, Athena's stepmother who reported her missing, testified about the lasting trauma on the family, saying her other daughter now runs and hides at the sight of delivery drivers and suffers from nightmares.
Investigators also took the stand, including then-Sheriff Lane Akin, who became emotional recalling the moment he informed the family that Athena's body had been found in a body of water miles from her home. "It was heartbreaking, and they were just devastated," Akin said. "I wish I could have done something to make it better. We were hoping, right to the last minute, that she was alive and well."
Testimony further showed that Horner initially gave investigators inconsistent accounts of his actions, at first claiming he did not remember being at the home before later saying he stopped deliveries because he felt sick.
Athena disappeared from her home on November 30, 2025. Authorities learned that a FedEx package had been delivered to her home around the same time she vanished, according to an arrest warrant affidavit reviewed by Law & Crime.
Investigators then identified the delivery truck and reviewed interior camera footage, which allegedly showed that the driver, later identified as Horner, "had taken a young girl who was visually similar to Athena in his van." The footage also showed Horner speaking with her in the truck.
After being located by authorities, Horner allegedly confessed to striking Athena with his truck before abducting and killing her.
"[Horner] stated that when he was backing up in his FedEx truck, he accidentally hit Athena with the truck, but she was not seriously injured, [and he] panicked and put her in the van," the affidavit states. "[Horner] stated Athena was alive at that time, talking to him, and told him her name was Athena."
He allegedly told investigators that it was then that he decided to kill the child. "[Horner] stated he attempted to break Athena's neck to kill her," the affidavit says. "[Horner] stated, when he attempted to break Athena's neck, it did not work, so he strangled her with his bare hands in the back of the FedEx van."
Horner allegedly said he killed the child because he believed "she was going to tell her father about being hit by the FedEx truck," according to the affidavit.
Authorities said Horner led investigators to a location near the Trinity River in Boyd, Texas, where Athena's body was found roughly 10 miles from her home. At the time, Athena's mother, Maitlyn Gandy, said the package Horner delivered contained a Christmas gift for her daughter — a "You Can Be Anything" Barbie.
She said the girl had been planning to return home to Oklahoma after the holiday break. Jurors will hear additional evidence before deciding whether Horner will spend the rest of his life in prison or be sentenced to death.
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