Jury sobbed hearing Athena Strand’s last words before FedEx driver sentenced to death

May 30, 2026 by admin

“Is she nice?” he asked after Athena mentioned her teacher’s name.

The audio later captured Athena asking where Horner lived, to which he responded: “far away.”

When the truck appeared to stop, Athena asked what they were doing.

“We’re going to hang out for a minute,” Horner told her.

At that point, Horner ordered the child to remove her shirt, but the little girl refused while continuing to cry and ask to go home.

Choking, screaming and crying are heard – sounds that reportedly suggest Horner was hurting Athena.

As the truck moved again, Athena screamed in the background while “Jingle Bell Rock” played loudly on the radio.

Responding to her cries, Horner repeatedly yelled at her to shut up while threatening to hurt her further.

According to NBC DFW, jurors were sobbing and visibly shaken after witnessing the final moments of the little girl.

Dumped Athena’s body in nearby river

Prosecutors revealed that Athena fought back as Horner made repeated attempts to kill her inside the truck. Before he dumped the child’s body in water near the Trinity River, Athena had died from blunt force trauma, strangulation, and smothering.

The recording later captured Horner coughing heavily – possibly even vomiting – before he uncovered the camera lens. He continued driving while smoking a cigarette, stopping at a store where he picked up paper towels and a spray bottle of cleaning solution that he used to scrub the cab of the FedEx truck.

Then he called his boss and asked to use the same truck for deliveries the next day.

“It kind of smells like barf in here,” he says. “I guess I just ate something bad earlier.”

‘You will face the wrath of God’

The heartbreaking recording became central to the prosecution’s case as jurors decided Horner’s fate.

And less than three hours later, the jury had reached its final decision.

Horner was sentenced to death by lethal injection.

After his sentence was announced, Athena’s uncle stood before the court and described the devastation left behind by her murder.

“There are no words that truly capture the devastation that Tanner Horner caused us and in our family. What he took from this world was not just a child. He took a life, a future, and a piece of every single person who loved her…And we are left trying to honor the beautiful little girl whose life was taken in the most senseless and horrific way,” Elijah said, per NBC News.

Addressing Horner, he then said: “You will face the wrath of God. I want you to know that you are nothing. 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. No one’s going to remember you after this.”

Please keep Athena Strand’s family in your thoughts as they continue to live with this unimaginable loss. Leave your condolences and best wishes in the comments – and share this story so others can do the same.