Texas jury hands down death penalty in Athena Strand case
A Texas jury sentenced former FedEx driver Tanner Lynn Horner to death for kidnapping and killing 7-year-old Athena Strand in 2022 after he pleaded guilty at the start of the trial; prosecutors highlighted an hour-long audio of the attack and his lies as key evidence, while defense argued mitigating factors including a troubled childhood, autism, and lead exposure. Horner’s sentence will be automatically reviewed by the Court of Criminal Appeals, with Texas maintaining one of the nation’s highest execution rates.