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Mother Faces Killer, Demands Justice for Daughter
16 Apr
Summary
- Mother testified wearing pink to honor her murdered seven-year-old daughter.
- The FedEx driver admitted to strangling and kidnapping the child.
- The mother spoke of protecting her younger daughter from the truth.
Maitlyn Gandy, the mother of seven-year-old Athena Strand, powerfully testified at the sentencing hearing for Tanner Horner, the FedEx driver responsible for her daughter's murder. Gandy wore pink, a tribute to Athena's favorite color, and confronted Horner, vowing to be her daughter's voice. Horner admitted to strangling and kidnapping Athena in November 2022, after delivering Christmas presents to her home in Paradise, Texas. He claimed he struck her with his truck and then strangled her fearing she would alert her parents.
During her testimony on Wednesday, Gandy described her pain, including having to 'cover up handprint bruises' and prepare her daughter's body. She shared the agonizing drive from Oklahoma to Texas and her initial disbelief upon learning Athena was missing. Gandy also spoke of lying to her younger daughter, Ry, about Athena's death for nearly a year, only revealing the truth on what would have been Athena's eighth birthday. Horner, who has pleaded guilty to capital murder and aggravated kidnapping, previously sent a letter to the family blaming his Asperger's Syndrome for the unpredictable circumstances that led to the crime.
