Athena Strand: FedEx driver admits to killing 7-year-old girl in chilling case

A FedEx driver has pleaded guilty to the abduction and murder of seven-year-old Athena Strand, as prosecutors revealed a disturbing image showing the child alive inside his delivery van shortly before her death.

According to US court proceedings, 34-year-old Tanner Horner admitted to capital murder of a child under 10 and aggravated kidnapping over the November 2022 killing in Texas. His trial had been due to begin before the unexpected plea.

Jurors will now decide whether he faces the death penalty or life in prison without parole.

Image contradicts suspect’s account

Prosecutors presented a black-and-white image taken from a camera inside the delivery truck, showing Athena alive and on her knees behind the driver’s seat on the day she was abducted.

They said the footage challenges Horner’s earlier claim that he acted in panic after accidentally hitting the child with his vehicle outside her home in Paradise, Texas.

“She was very much alive and uninjured when he put her in the truck,” Wise County District Attorney James Stainton told jurors.

Authorities said Horner then decided to kill her out of fear she would report the incident.

Details of the crime

Investigators said Horner told police he grabbed the child and placed her in his van, warning her not to scream. He later admitted to strangling her inside the vehicle before disposing of her body in the Trinity River, about 10 miles from her home.

Police were able to identify Horner after confirming he had delivered a package to Athena’s home shortly before her disappearance. The parcel reportedly contained Barbie dolls intended as a Christmas gift.

He later led officers to the child’s body, two days after she had been reported missing.

Prosecutors are expected to present further evidence during sentencing, including audio recorded inside the van at the time of the killing.