FedEx driver Tanner Horner has been sentenced to death for the murder of 7-year-old Athena Strand by a Texas Jury following a gut-wrenching trial that detailed his psychotic behavior during the killing.
The confessed killer learned his sentence at a court in Fort Worth, Texas, some 40 miles southeast of where Strand’s naked body was dumped in a creek on Nov. 30, 2022.
Jurors deliberated for about three hours after arguments rested Tuesday.
Horner appeared utterly unmoved by the verdict – with not a flicker of emotion on his face as the judge said he’d die by lethal injection “before the hour of sunrise” at a future date.
And his face was equally blank when he turned to listen to Athena’s uncle, Elijah Strand, address the court.
“You will be judged. You will face the wrath of god,” Athena’s uncle said, pointing at Horner as he spoke.
“But I want you to know that you are nothing. You are a footnote in Athena’s story,” he added. “Her name will forever be remembered. Her name will be forever celebrated.”