Warning: This article contains contents which some readers may find distressing.
The family of a seven-year-old girl who was kidnapped and murdered have spoken out after her killer was sentenced to death by lethal injection.
Athena Strand was playing outside her family home in Texas in November 2022 when she was first abducted by Tanner Horner, a FedEx driver.
Chilling audio and video footage later captured the young girl inside Horner's van, with the 34-year-old heard telling Athena that she was pretty and that she should remove her clothes.
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Although there was no sexual assault charge, Horner's DNA was found inside the child's underwear, while audio footage made it clear that he had killed her, despite previous lies about hitting her with his van and panicking.
The driver first pleaded guilty on 7 April, with the jury taking 19 days to decide between the death penalty and life in prison, and they unanimously found that there was a probability that Horner would commit further acts of violence.
Horner had sent the family a letter from jail, apologising for taking 'their little angel away' but it was little solace to a family that had been 'destroyed' by his horrific actions.
Her uncle Elijah bravely took to the stand to remind the driver of the consequences of his shocking crimes.
“You did not just take a life,” he said. “You destroyed a family. You took a little girl who trusted the world and repaid that innocence with violence. You chose to cause pain that will last generations. You say you found God, but what you did to Athena stands in direct opposition to everything that you now claim to believe.”
“You will face the wrath of God,” he continued. “I want you to know that you are nothing. You are a footnote in Athena's story. Her name will forever be remembered. Her name will forever be celebrated and everyone will forget you. You wanted your 15 minutes of fame. You got it. And no one's going to remember you after this.”
Horner's defence lawyers cited a troubled upbringing, mental health issues and an autism diagnosis as the potential reasons for his disturbing actions, but this was quickly rejected by the prosecutors, who claimed that he had long 'fantasised' about committing such a crime.
One lawyer said: “Thousands of people in the world have disabilities. Thousands of people in the world are autistic. And they get up every day. They live their life. They work, they have families, they struggle, they succeed and they fail. But the one thing they never do is use it as a crutch.”
The decision will automatically be appealed to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals but for now, Horner will be moved to prison in Texas, where he will await an execution date.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000, 10am-8pm Monday to Friday. If you are a child seeking advice and support, call Childline for free on 0800 1111, 24/7.
Topics: Crime
James Moorhouse