{"id":127107,"date":"2026-04-08T17:57:47","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T21:57:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/athena-strands-killer-fedex-driver-told-police-he-kind-of-tossed-7-year-olds-body-into-woods-video-shows-127107"},"modified":"2026-04-08T17:57:47","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T21:57:47","slug":"athena-strands-killer-fedex-driver-told-police-he-kind-of-tossed-7-year-olds-body-into-woods-video-shows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/athena-strands-killer-fedex-driver-told-police-he-kind-of-tossed-7-year-olds-body-into-woods-video-shows-127107","title":{"rendered":"Athena Strand\u2019s killer FedEx driver told police he \u2018kind of tossed\u2019 7-year-old\u2019s body into woods, video shows"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

A former FedEx driver who murdered 7-year-old Athena Strand<\/a> told investigators<\/a> he “kind of tossed” her into the woods after killing her, according to interrogation video shown to jurors as they weigh whether he should be sentenced to death or life in prison without parole.<\/p>\n

The footage shown in court<\/a> captured the moment officers pressed Tanner Horner about the missing Texas child\u2019s whereabouts after searching his home for signs of the young blonde-haired girl.<\/p>\n

“I can show you,” Horner, who pleaded guilty Tuesday to capital murder, told investigators.<\/p>\n

When one officer asked, “Is she alive?” Horner replied: “She wasn\u2019t alive when I put her in the truck<\/a>.”<\/p>\n

After authorities were unable to find her, Horner told police that he: “Just kind of tossed her in.”<\/p>\n

Horner, 34, initially claimed he had accidentally hit Athena with his delivery truck, but he has since admitted to strangling the girl after abducting her while delivering a package to her father\u2019s home in Paradise, Texas<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The hours of evidence shown to jurors Wednesday came as prosecutors used opening statements<\/a> to paint Horner as calculating, violent and remorseless in the killing of Athena.<\/p>\n

“First thing Tanner Horner says to Athena when he picks her up, puts her in that truck, leans down, and he says, \u2018Don\u2019t scream or I\u2019ll hurt you,\u2019” prosecutor James Stainton told jurors in opening statements Tuesday.<\/p>\n

“I\u2019m going to tell you right now. One thing you\u2019re going to hear that is something you can\u2019t unhear is the level of fight that a 7-year-old girl has. When she\u2019s facing down a certain death.”<\/p>\n

Stainton also said that the FedEx driver may have sexually assaulted the young girl.<\/p>\n

“We have DNA. Not only do we have initial DNA from Athena that has Tanner Horner\u2019s DNA under her fingernails. We also have Tanner Horner\u2019s DNA in places where you shouldn\u2019t find DNA on a 7-year-old girl,” Stainton said in court.<\/p>\n

FOLLOW THE FOX TRUE CRIME TEAM ON X<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

“We talk about warrior in America,” he said. “I\u2019ll tell you that little girl right there is a warrior. She fought with the strength of 100 men.”<\/p>\n

WATCH: Tanner Horner pleads guilty to killing Texas 7-year-old<\/strong><\/p>\n

LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? FIND MORE ON THE TRUE CRIME HUB<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

In his opening statement, Stainton told jurors Horner\u2019s shifting accounts to investigators were part of a larger “pattern and web of lies,” arguing the only truthful thing he told law enforcement<\/a> was that he killed Athena.<\/p>\n

SIGN UP TO GET TRUE CRIME NEWSLETTER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Prosecutors said the evidence would show Horner covered a camera, threatened Athena, and carried out a prolonged attack inside the truck before dumping her body in a rural area near Boyd, Texas.<\/p>\n

SEND US A TIP HERE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Stainton told jurors Horner then returned to work, drove the same truck and continued delivering packages as the community searched desperately for the missing child.<\/p>\n

Defense attorney Lindsay Thompson told jurors Horner had suffered from brain damage, autism, mental illness<\/a> and extreme lead exposure, and argued those conditions should be considered as mitigating evidence when the jury decides whether he poses a continuing threat to society.<\/p>\n

LISTEN TO THE NEW ‘CRIME & JUSTICE WITH DONNA ROTUNNO’ PODCAST<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Thompson also told jurors Horner had accepted responsibility by pleading guilty and would spend the rest of his life in prison if sentenced to life without parole.<\/p>\n

Athena disappeared in November 2022 from her father\u2019s property in Paradise, a small town northwest of Fort Worth<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Authorities said Horner was delivering a package containing Barbie dolls<\/a> intended as a Christmas gift for the 7-year-old when he abducted and killed her.<\/p>\n

Her body was found less than 10 miles from the home after a massive search involving law enforcement officers, volunteers, dogs, horses and off-road vehicles.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Source – https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/us\/athena-strand-killer-fedex-driver-told-police-kind-tossed-7-year-olds-body-woods-video-shows <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A former FedEx driver who murdered 7-year-old Athena Strand told investigators he “kind of tossed” her into the woods after killing her, according to interrogation […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"twitter_2902945987_2902945987":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[16563],"tags":[],"stock_ticker":[],"class_list":["post-127107","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-market-news","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAthena Strand\u2019s killer FedEx driver told police he \u2018kind of tossed\u2019 7-year-old\u2019s body into woods, video shows - Wall Street PR<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/athena-strands-killer-fedex-driver-told-police-he-kind-of-tossed-7-year-olds-body-into-woods-video-shows-127107\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Athena Strand\u2019s killer FedEx driver told police he \u2018kind of tossed\u2019 7-year-old\u2019s body into woods, video shows - Wall Street PR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A former FedEx driver who murdered 7-year-old Athena Strand told investigators he “kind of tossed” her into the woods after killing her, according to interrogation […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/athena-strands-killer-fedex-driver-told-police-he-kind-of-tossed-7-year-olds-body-into-woods-video-shows-127107\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Wall Street PR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WallStreetPR\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-08T21:57:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/businessman-showing-business-evolution1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"715\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"423\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/athena-strands-killer-fedex-driver-told-police-he-kind-of-tossed-7-year-olds-body-into-woods-video-shows-127107#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/athena-strands-killer-fedex-driver-told-police-he-kind-of-tossed-7-year-olds-body-into-woods-video-shows-127107\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/person\/6e00efa2abc413bdc0bca51a90c54d36\"},\"headline\":\"Athena Strand\u2019s killer FedEx driver told police he \u2018kind of tossed\u2019 7-year-old\u2019s body into woods, video shows\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-08T21:57:47+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/athena-strands-killer-fedex-driver-told-police-he-kind-of-tossed-7-year-olds-body-into-woods-video-shows-127107\"},\"wordCount\":661,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Market News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/athena-strands-killer-fedex-driver-told-police-he-kind-of-tossed-7-year-olds-body-into-woods-video-shows-127107\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/athena-strands-killer-fedex-driver-told-police-he-kind-of-tossed-7-year-olds-body-into-woods-video-shows-127107\",\"name\":\"Athena Strand\u2019s killer FedEx driver told police he \u2018kind of tossed\u2019 7-year-old\u2019s body into woods, video shows - Wall Street PR\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-08T21:57:47+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/athena-strands-killer-fedex-driver-told-police-he-kind-of-tossed-7-year-olds-body-into-woods-video-shows-127107#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/athena-strands-killer-fedex-driver-told-police-he-kind-of-tossed-7-year-olds-body-into-woods-video-shows-127107\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/athena-strands-killer-fedex-driver-told-police-he-kind-of-tossed-7-year-olds-body-into-woods-video-shows-127107#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Athena Strand\u2019s killer FedEx driver told police he \u2018kind of tossed\u2019 7-year-old\u2019s body into woods, video shows\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/\",\"name\":\"Wall Street PR\",\"description\":\"Latest News From WallStreet\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Wall Street PR\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/brand-logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/brand-logo.png\",\"width\":537,\"height\":70,\"caption\":\"Wall Street PR\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WallStreetPR\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/WallstreetPRs\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/person\/6e00efa2abc413bdc0bca51a90c54d36\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/360_F_336393115_5gCUfwn76x3MJaCJMYDKLoRebkC8QyrL-300x300.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/360_F_336393115_5gCUfwn76x3MJaCJMYDKLoRebkC8QyrL-300x300.jpg\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/author\/admin\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Athena Strand\u2019s killer FedEx driver told police he \u2018kind of tossed\u2019 7-year-old\u2019s body into woods, video shows - Wall Street PR","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/athena-strands-killer-fedex-driver-told-police-he-kind-of-tossed-7-year-olds-body-into-woods-video-shows-127107","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Athena Strand\u2019s killer FedEx driver told police he \u2018kind of tossed\u2019 7-year-old\u2019s body into woods, video shows - Wall Street PR","og_description":"A former FedEx driver who murdered 7-year-old Athena Strand told investigators he “kind of tossed” her into the woods after killing her, according to interrogation […]","og_url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/athena-strands-killer-fedex-driver-told-police-he-kind-of-tossed-7-year-olds-body-into-woods-video-shows-127107","og_site_name":"Wall Street PR","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WallStreetPR\/","article_published_time":"2026-04-08T21:57:47+00:00","og_image":[{"width":715,"height":423,"url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/businessman-showing-business-evolution1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"admin","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/athena-strands-killer-fedex-driver-told-police-he-kind-of-tossed-7-year-olds-body-into-woods-video-shows-127107#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/athena-strands-killer-fedex-driver-told-police-he-kind-of-tossed-7-year-olds-body-into-woods-video-shows-127107"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/person\/6e00efa2abc413bdc0bca51a90c54d36"},"headline":"Athena Strand\u2019s killer FedEx driver told police he \u2018kind of tossed\u2019 7-year-old\u2019s body into woods, video shows","datePublished":"2026-04-08T21:57:47+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/athena-strands-killer-fedex-driver-told-police-he-kind-of-tossed-7-year-olds-body-into-woods-video-shows-127107"},"wordCount":661,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization"},"articleSection":["Market News"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/athena-strands-killer-fedex-driver-told-police-he-kind-of-tossed-7-year-olds-body-into-woods-video-shows-127107","url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/athena-strands-killer-fedex-driver-told-police-he-kind-of-tossed-7-year-olds-body-into-woods-video-shows-127107","name":"Athena Strand\u2019s killer FedEx driver told police he \u2018kind of tossed\u2019 7-year-old\u2019s body into woods, video shows - Wall Street PR","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-04-08T21:57:47+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/athena-strands-killer-fedex-driver-told-police-he-kind-of-tossed-7-year-olds-body-into-woods-video-shows-127107#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/athena-strands-killer-fedex-driver-told-police-he-kind-of-tossed-7-year-olds-body-into-woods-video-shows-127107"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/athena-strands-killer-fedex-driver-told-police-he-kind-of-tossed-7-year-olds-body-into-woods-video-shows-127107#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Athena Strand\u2019s killer FedEx driver told police he \u2018kind of tossed\u2019 7-year-old\u2019s body into woods, video shows"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#website","url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/","name":"Wall Street PR","description":"Latest News From WallStreet","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization","name":"Wall Street PR","url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/brand-logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/brand-logo.png","width":537,"height":70,"caption":"Wall Street PR"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WallStreetPR\/","https:\/\/x.com\/WallstreetPRs"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/person\/6e00efa2abc413bdc0bca51a90c54d36","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/360_F_336393115_5gCUfwn76x3MJaCJMYDKLoRebkC8QyrL-300x300.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/360_F_336393115_5gCUfwn76x3MJaCJMYDKLoRebkC8QyrL-300x300.jpg","caption":"admin"},"url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/author\/admin"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127107","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=127107"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127107\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=127107"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=127107"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=127107"},{"taxonomy":"stock_ticker","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/stock_ticker?post=127107"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}