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Former FedEx driver pleads guilty to killing 7-year-old girl after making delivery at her Texas home
Horner admitted the killing after prosecutors said video showed Athena alive in the truck and jurors heard he faces death or life in prison.
- On Tuesday in a Fort Worth courtroom, former FedEx driver Tanner Horner pleaded guilty to killing 7-year-old Athena Strand during a December 2022 delivery. Her body was found two days after she was reported missing in Paradise, Texas.
- Horner told authorities he accidentally struck Athena with his van while backing up and strangled her in panic, but Wise County District Attorney James Stainton called the scenario an 'absolute lie,' saying she was uninjured when placed in the vehicle.
- Audio from inside the delivery truck captured Horner telling Athena, 'Don't scream or I'll hurt you,' twice, while DNA evidence showed his genetic material under her fingernails and 'in places where you shouldn't find DNA on a 7-year-old girl.'
- Jurors began hearing testimony immediately after the guilty plea and must now decide Horner's punishment, choosing between the death penalty or life in prison for the 2022 killing.
- Defense attorney Steven Goble acknowledged the evidence against Horner was 'overwhelming' and 'terrible' while urging jurors to sentence him to life in prison, citing his autism, mental illnesses, and childhood lead exposure.
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23 Articles
Former FedEx driver kills 7-year-old girl after making delivery to her home, pleads guilty in court
A former FedEx driver pleaded guilty Tuesday in the killing of 7-year-old Athena Strand after delivering a Christmas gift to her home in Texas. Tanner Horner now faces either the death penalty or life in prison for the 2022 killing. Jurors will decide his sentence. Athena’s body was found two days after she was reported [...]
Killer FedEx driver told police Athena Strand, 7, was dead when he stuffed her in his truck, chilling bodycam video shows
Chilling bodycam video shows killer FedEx driver Tanner Horner claiming that 7-year-old Athena Grand was dead when he stuffed her in his truck.
·New York, United States
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources23
Leaning Left8Leaning Right5Center7Last UpdatedBias Distribution40% Left
Bias Distribution
- 40% of the sources lean Left
40% Left
L 40%
C 35%
R 25%
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