FedEx driver Tanner Horner has been condemned to death for the murder of Athena Strand. What follows next in this case?
Oxygen delves into the upcoming steps for Horner, who admitted guilt in a Fort Worth, Texas courtroom in April 2026, as reported by NBC News.
At 34, Horner was convicted of the heart-wrenching crime involving the 7-year-old, after confessing to capital murder and aggravated kidnapping related to the 2022 incident. His unexpected plea emerged just as his trial in Texas was about to commence.
Horner was sentenced to death on May 5 after just three hours of deliberation, as seen in footage from the court room. He had no visible reaction to the sentence.
What happens with Tanner Horner now?
Horner is now destined for the Allan B. Polunsky Unit, a prison located near Houston, Texas, as noted by the New York Post. In this facility, death row inmates endure solitary confinement, spending upwards of 22 hours daily in their small, 60-square-foot cells.
He will remain there until his execution by lethal injection. However, this could be a lengthy wait due to the appeals process in Texas. The state initiates an automatic appeal for anyone sentenced to death, as outlined in a guide from the Texas Attorney General’s Office.
According to the guide, multiple execution dates are often proposed in such cases. The execution proceeds only after all appeals have been exhausted, the inmate has pursued all possible appeal rights without success, and any clemency requests have been denied.
Horner’s surviving family members have “the right to request to view the execution,” according to the handbook.
Athena Strand’s family speaks out
Following the verdict, Strand’s uncle Elijah Strand directly addressed Horner in a statement read in the courtroom.
“You did not just take a life, you destroyed a family,” he said, per WFAA. “You took a 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.”
“I want you to know that you are nothing,” he continued. “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 fifteen minutes of fame, you got it, and no one’s gonna remember you after this.”
