Tragic new photo of slain 7-year-old girl emerges after shock guilty plea

8 Apr 2026 • 11:10 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

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  • Tanner Horner, a former FedEx driver, has admitted to the murder of 7-year-old Athena Strand in Texas in a shock plea that came right as his murder trial was set to get underway.
  • A jury is now deliberating whether Horner will receive the death penalty or life in prison for the crime.
  • Athena's body was found two days after she was reported missing in November 2022, with Horner initially claiming he accidentally hit her with his van before strangling her in a panic.
  • The jury was shown an image of Athena taken from a video inside the delivery truck. She was still alive and sitting on her knees behind the driver’s seat.
  • Horner's defense attorney highlighted his client's mental health issues as factors when arguing for a life sentence rather than the death penalty.

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