Case Summary
FedEx driver Tanner Horner abducted and murdered 7-year-old Athena Strand while on a delivery route in Boyd, Texas. He confessed to the crime and led investigators to her body. After pleading guilty on April 7, 2026, the case entered the death penalty sentencing phase, where a jury will decide whether Horner receives lethal injection.
Key Facts
Weapon
Strangulation / manual
Charges
Capital murder, Aggravated kidnapping
Employer
FedEx Ground (contractor)
Jurisdiction
Parker County, Texas
Sentence Possible
Death penalty or life without parole
Latest News (6 articles)
Crime Junkie: The Murder of Athena Strand
Crime Junkie Podcast
Podcast
Jan 16, 2023
Ashley and Brit cover the heartbreaking case of Athena Strand, the 7-year-old Texas girl abducted and killed by a FedEx delivery driver.
Case Timeline
Dec 2, 2022
Athena Strand, 7, disappears from her family's property in Boyd, TX during a FedEx delivery
Dec 5, 2022
Athena's body is found in a rural area of Parker County; Tanner Horner arrested the same day
Dec 6, 2022
Horner confesses, leads police to body; charged with capital murder and aggravated kidnapping
Jan 2023
Grand jury indicts Horner on capital murder charges
Apr 7, 2026
Horner enters guilty plea to capital murder
Apr 2026
Death penalty jury selection and sentencing phase begins