Tanner Horner Pleads Guilty in Athena Strand Murder

Tanner Horner, a 34-year-old former FedEx contract driver, pleaded guilty to capital murder and aggravated kidnapping in the death of 7-year-old Athena Strand, moments before his trial was set to begin Tuesday in Fort Worth, Texas. The unexpected plea came during proceedings at the Tim Curry Criminal Justice Center in Tarrant County, where the case had been moved from Wise County for a fair trial.

Athena disappeared from her father's home in the small town of Paradise on November 30, 2022, while Horner was delivering a package of Barbie dolls intended as her Christmas present. According to an arrest warrant, Horner told investigators he accidentally struck the girl with his delivery van while backing up, but she was not seriously injured. In a panic over potential consequences, he placed her in the vehicle, strangled her inside the truck, and dumped her body about seven miles away along a rural road near the Trinity River. Her remains were discovered two days later on December 2, after an Amber Alert prompted widespread searches.

Authorities arrested Horner the same day her body was found, following his confession that he had abducted and killed the child during the delivery....