FedEx driver Tanner Horner has been sentenced to death for the murder of 7-year-old Athena Strand by a Texas Jury following a gut-wrenching trial that detailed his psychotic behavior during the killing.

The confessed killer learned his sentence at a court in Fort Worth, Texas, some 40 miles southeast of where Strand’s naked body was dumped in a creek on Nov. 30, 2022.

Jurors deliberated for about three hours after arguments rested Tuesday.

Tanner Horner, bald and bearded, wearing a gray shirt, turns to look as he listens to a victim impact statement.
Tanner Horner listens to a victim impact statement after being sentenced to the death penalty, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026.AP
Horner appeared utterly unmoved by the verdict – with not a flicker of emotion on his face as the judge said he’d die by lethal injection “before the hour of sunrise” at a future date.

And his face was equally blank when he turned to listen to Athena’s uncle, Elijah Strand, address the court.

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Image of Athena Strand inside Tanner Horner's FedEx truck.
The jury was shown harrowing footage of Strand in the back of Horner’s truck.FOX 4 DFW
“You will be judged. You will face the wrath of god,” Athena’s uncle said, pointing at Horner as he spoke.

“But I want you to know that you are nothing. You are a footnote in Athena’s story,” he added. “Her name will forever be remembered. Her name will be forever celebrated.”

Defendant Tanner Horner is removed from the courtroom after being sentenced to the death penalty.
Tanner Horner is removed from the courtroom after being sentenced to death on Tuesday.AP
“Everyone will forget you. You wanted your 15 minutes of fame. You got it. And no one is going to remember you after this,” the uncle said, fighting back tears.

Athena’s mother – her hair dyed the her daughter’s favorite color, pink – also wiped away tears in the gallery, the arm of a loved one around her.

His death sentence was automatically appealed, which is standard procedure when capital punishments are handed down in Texas.

All Horner said during the sentencing was “Yes sir,” when the judge asked him about  the appeal.

Horner was rushed from the room moments after the uncle finished speaking.

The perv fessed up to the killing on the first day of his trial, saying he accidentally hit Strand with his truck and then kidnapped her outside her house in Paradise. He later strangled her to death as he sang along to “Jingle Bell Rock” on the radio.

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Maitlyn Gandy, Athena Strand's mother, crying and embracing her youngest daughter during the sentencing phase of the capital murder trial in Fort Worth, Texas.
Athena Strand’s mother Maitlyn Gandy, center, cries while holding her youngest daughter after the jury sentenced Tanner Horner to the death penalty.AP
Throughout the trial, which was moved from Wise County to Tarrant County due to extensive local media coverage, the jury was presented with truly harrowing pieces of evidence, including audio of Athena’s murder, pictures of her abandoned clothes, and testimony from forensics experts about DNA found around the little girl’s genitals.