FedEx driver who killed girl, 7, made chilling phone call to his mother
Warning: This article contains details which some readers may find distressing.
The FedEx driver who murdered a seven-year-old girl while delivering her Christmas gift 'confessed' to her killing during a phone call with his mother.
On 30 November 2022, seven-year-old Athena Strand was playing outside her home in Texas when FedEx driver Tanner Horner arrived with a parcel for the family, a set of ‘You Can Be Anything’ Barbie dolls, which was intended to be a Christmas gift for the youngster.
However, Athena would never get to open her present as Horner abducted and subsequently killed her before dumping her body. A medical examiner determined that Athena had been killed by blunt force injuries, strangulation and smothering.
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Horner was subsequently arrested and charged with Athena's abduction and murder, later pleading guilty to charges of Capital Murder and Aggravated Kidnapping at the start of his trial last month.
Horner has been sentenced to death for his crimes and will likely be executed via lethal injection.
During the sentencing phase of his trial, a phone call between Horner and his mother, in which the former delivery driver appeared to confirm that he had killed Athena, was played to the court.
"What did you do? Did she die on her own?" his mother is heard saying in the clip, to which Horner responds: "No."
"Oh my god, his mother then says, prompting Horner to reply: "I know."
Distressing footage capturing Athena's final moments was also played to the court, with the youngster at one point heard asking Horner whether or not he was a kidnapper.
In audio captured from inside the truck, Athena can be heard repeatedly asking the delivery driver: "Are you a kidnapper?"
She then asked Horner where he was taking her, to which he responded by demanding that she sit down and threatening to hurt her if she screamed.
Horner could then be seen covering up the camera inside the truck, before telling Athena: "You’re really pretty, you know that?"
He then pulled over and told her they would 'hang out for a minute'.
Athena can also be heard sobbing and asking for her mother in the audio, which reportedly left those in the courtroom visibly shaken.
It has also been revealed that Horner wrote an unsent letter addressed to Athena's family while behind bars, in which he expressed remorse for murdering the youngster.
"I've done a terrible thing to your family and I'm sorry. I can't tell you how many countless nights I've stayed awake, unable to sleep, he wrote. "I pray for all of you. So many people were affected by my breakdown."
Athena's family also gave their own impact statement in court, in which her uncle, Elijah Strand, spoke of how Horner had 'destroyed a family' through his actions.
"You took a little girl who trusted the world and repaid that innocence with violence," he said.
Horner will be held at the notorious Polunsky Unit in West Texas while he awaits his sentence. According to UNILAD, the prison is one of the most brutal death row institutions in the country, with inmates confined to 60 square-foot wide cell for 22 hours a day.
Timeline of the investigation into Athena Strand’s murder
30 November 2022
Tanner Horner delivers a Christmas present to Athena Strand’s home, a box of ‘You Can Be Anything’ Barbie dolls.
Athena had got into an argument with her stepmum Elizabeth Strand, and it's believed she went outside to go to her makeshift bedroom in a converted storage shed, where she was staying during home renovations.
Horner kidnaps her. She is thought to have died about an hour after her disappearance.
CBS reports that police track down Horner the same day through digital evidence.
1 December 2022
Texas' Department of Public Safety issues an amber alert to try and find Athena. Two hundred civilians helped scour over 50 acres of land without success.
Athena Strand went missing in November 2022 (CBS Texas)
2 December 2022
Police find Athena’s naked body dumped near a river in Boyd, around nine miles from her home. Horner gives the police two false locations, before telling them where to find the body.
He originally says he ran over Athena and panicked, before admitting to killing her.
He is charged with capital murder and aggravated kidnapping and held on a $1.5 million bond.
6 March 2023
Horner pleads not guilty during his arraignment in Wise County.
Technicalities such as who should represent Horner and concerns around pre-trial publicity are said to have slowed down legal proceedings.
7 April 2026
Horner changes his plea to guilty just as his trial is about to begin.
Jurors are instead asked if he should receive the death penalty or life in prison.
They are asked two questions. First, do you consider Horner to be a continuing threat to society? Second, are there mitigating circumstances that should exclude Horner from receiving the death penalty?
5 May 2026
Tanner Horner is sentenced to death by lethal injection.
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.
Brenna Cooper