Story perspectives

Texas Jury Recommends Death Penalty for Driver Who Killed 7-Year-Old

5/7/2026

Summary

Story summary

A Texas jury recommended the death penalty for former FedEx driver Tanner Horner, calling him a continuing danger to the community.
Prosecutors said Horner struck 7-year-old Athena Strand with his van, then abducted and strangled her because he feared she would identify him.
The judge kept Horner in Tarrant County custody pending transfer to the Texas Department of Corrections in Huntsville after the trial showed graphic video and parents’ testimony.

History

Historical Context

Since Texas resumed capital punishment in 1976, only a handful of women have faced execution—Karla Faye Tucker became the first woman put to death since 1863 when she was executed on February 3 1998, and Erica Sheppard received a death-penalty recommendation in 1995. The state’s Huntsville Unit and the O'Daniel women’s death row illustrate Texas’s continued reliance on capital punishment for violent offenders.

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Story summary

A Texas jury recommended the death penalty for former FedEx driver Tanner Horner, calling him a continuing danger to the community.
Prosecutors said Horner struck 7-year-old Athena Strand with his van, then abducted and strangled her because he feared she would identify him.
The judge kept Horner in Tarrant County custody pending transfer to the Texas Department of Corrections in Huntsville after the trial showed graphic video and parents’ testimony.

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