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FedEx Driver Gets Death Sentence for Young Girl's Murder
6 May
Summary
- Delivery driver Horner sentenced to death on May 5.
- A box of Barbie dolls was a key investigative lead.
- Horner confessed after investigators reviewed truck footage.
Tanner Horner received a death sentence on May 5, 2026, for his role in the murder of Athena Strand. Strand was reported missing on November 30, 2022, prompting an immediate investigation.
Investigators identified Horner, a FedEx driver, as a person of interest after discovering a box of Barbie dolls delivered to Strand's home shortly before her disappearance. This led authorities to seek out the delivery driver.
Surveillance footage from Horner's FedEx truck proved pivotal. The video showed Horner placing Strand into his van. Further review of audio recordings from the truck captured the events leading up to her death.
Horner confessed to the crime, initially claiming an accident. However, the evidence, including the truck's internal footage, contradicted his fabricated story. He ultimately led authorities to Strand's body.
Strand's uncle expressed profound grief, stating Horner destroyed the family. The legal proceedings concluded with Horner's guilty plea to capital murder and aggravated kidnapping, followed by his death sentence.
