A FedEx driver, identified as Tanner Horner, has been accused of a heinous crime involving the murder of a seven-year-old girl named Athena Strand. The tragic incident occurred when Horner, while delivering a package of Barbie toys to the girl’s home in November 2022, allegedly kidnapped Athena and subsequently strangled her to death inside his van. Shockingly, during the act, Horner was reportedly heard singing ‘Jingle Bell Rock’ as the child screamed in terror.
The distressing details of the event were revealed in court, where it was disclosed that Horner lured Athena into his delivery van after dropping off packages at her residence in Paradise, Texas. The chilling dashcam footage captured the moment when the girl questioned Horner about his intentions, to which he callously responded. Subsequent audio recordings from the van portrayed a harrowing scene of Athena’s suffering and Horner’s menacing behavior towards the innocent child.
Despite initially denying his involvement, Horner eventually confessed to one charge of capital murder and one count of aggravated kidnapping just hours before his trial was set to commence. The court is now tasked with determining the appropriate sentence for the perpetrator, with the possibility of facing the death penalty or life imprisonment.
According to an arrest warrant, Horner initially claimed that Athena’s death was accidental, stating that he hit her with his van during a delivery and then resorted to extreme measures out of panic. However, the evidence presented in court, including the disturbing audio and video recordings from the van, painted a much darker picture of the events that transpired that fateful day.