Tanner Horner Sentenced to Death for Murder of 7-Year-Old Athena Strand

FORT WORTH, Texas – A Texas jury has sentenced Tanner Lynn Horner to death for the capital murder of seven-year-old Athena Strand, a case that prosecutors described as involving some of the most brutal evidence they had ever encountered.

The jury deliberated for three hours before returning with the death penalty, after a four-week trial that included intense testimony, evidence, and expert witnesses. Horner had pleaded guilty to the crime moments before his trial began last month.

As the judge formally handed down the sentence, the courtroom was packed with emotion. Family members of Athena Strand sat nearby, unable to hold back tears.

“The order of the court that you, Tanner Lynn Horner, being adjudged to be guilty of the offense of capital murder as found by the jury, the jury having answered the special issues making it mandatory that your punishment be death,” the judge announced. “It is therefore the order of this court that your punishment be death before the hour of sunrise on a date to be determined by this court.”

Following the sentencing, Athena’s family addressed the court directly, speaking about the loss they said will last a lifetime.

“There are no words that truly capture the devastation that Tanner Horner caused us and our family,” a family spokesperson said. “What he took from this world was not just a child. He took a light, a future, and a piece of every single person who loved him.”

Jurors unanimously answered the questions required under Texas law to impose the death penalty. The case will now automatically move into the appeals process.

Speaking outside the courthouse, prosecutors reflected on the evidence presented during the trial. One prosecutor noted that the evidence was “some of the most brutal evidence that you will ever have to hear,” adding, “that will haunt me.”