7-year-old Athena Strand vanished in Nov, 22, and her body was found weeks later when Tanner Horner led investigators to the spot where he dumped her

On Tuesday, the 34-yearold FedEx Driver Tanner Horner he was sentenced to death for murder

Horner was delivering packages to Athena’s family home in Paradise, Texas, before he scooped her up, placed her in his truck and shut the door

Athena fought for her life in the back of his truck before he brutally killed her

Medical examiner ruled Athena died because of blunt force injuries with smothering and strangulation.

He pled guilty to capital murder and aggravated kidnapping on April 7, hours before his trial was set to start

Horner told investigators that an alter ego of his, Zero, ‘kind of took over’ after he failed to calm Athena down

Tanner Horner [photo], makes his appearance in court for sentencing on Tuesday, where he was sentenced to die. He had pled guilty to the kidnap and murder of 7-year-old Athena Strand on April 7 – just before his trial was to begin

The 34-year-old FedEx driver who kidnapped and killed little Athena Strand will be pay with his life after a jury sent him to death row on Tuesday.  
Tanner Horner was delivering packages to Athena’s family home in Paradise, Texas, in November 2022, when he scooped the seven-year-old who was playing outside, placed her in his truck and shut the door. 
Athena, according to prosecutors, fought for her life in the back of Horner’s truck before he killed her.  
On April 7, hours before his trial was scheduled to start, the suspect pled guilty to capital murder and aggravated kidnapping.

At sentencing on Tuesday, it took the jury just under three hours of deliberation to send Horner to death row for kidnapping and murdering Athena Strand [photo], in 2022. The seven-year-old was playing in front of her home when the delivery man abducted her

The panel of jurors, comprising of an even split between men and women, took two hours and 50 minutes to deliberate on whether Horner deserved to die. 
Horner was emotionless as the execution sentence was announced on Tuesday.  
After the decision was handed down, Athena’s uncle Elijah Strand faced her killer directly, saying: ‘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.’

Horner had been delivering a box of Barbies that were due to be Strand’s Christmas present when he took the youngster, strangled her and dumped her body in a creek. The FedEx driver and his victim are seen inside the truck’s camera following the kidnapping

He added that words couldn’t capture the devastation caused to every person who loved Athena when Horner robbed them of their trust in the world, forever changing who they are as a family.
‘Athena was more than a headline. She was laughter, curiosity, kindness,’ Strand said. ‘And she had dreams that she will never get to chase. Birthdays that she will never celebrate in a life she’ll never get to live because of his actions. Our family has been left with an emptiness that can never be filled.
‘We are left to carry grief that never fades. We are left with questions that will still never have answers. And we are left trying to honor the beautiful little girl whose life was taken in the most senseless and horrific way.’
In the closing arguments on Tuesday, Wise County District Attorney James Stainton called seven-year-old Athena a ‘warrior’ for withstanding the traumatic ordeal before her untimely death in the back of the FedEx van. 

Horner investigators beat the child to death, at a point using his shoes. Wise County District Attorney James Stainton holds the shoes Tanner Horner wore when he killed Athena Strand

The DA showed the jury the shoes Horner was wearing on the day of the murder – dropping them onto a table in front of the jury at the sentencing hearing.
Stainton said: ‘This is what it took [pointing at shoes] to beat the life out of her.’
Jurors, some of whom were sobbing in court, had to listen to excerpts from more than an hour of video and audio that captured Athena’s final moments. 
‘If you want mercy, if you want someone to consider giving you life in prison when you gave no life to her, when you gave no mercy here,’ he added. 
Horner was the reason why Texas still has the death penalty and ‘proof why there is evil in society and we can never turn back,’ Stainton said.
With his execution date yet to be set, the convict will now be moved to the Allan B. Polunsky Unit in West Livingston, Texas, where inmates on death row are housed.

Athena Strand was abducted by Horner, the FedEx driver who arrived at her Texas home to drop off a package containing a box of Barbie dolls – a Christmas gift for the little girl

Athena was supposed to receive the box of Barbies on Christmas Day

Previous evidence showed that Horner called Athena ‘sweetie’ and tried to make small talk by asking her age, where she goes to school, her teacher’s name and whether her teacher was nice when he put her inside his abduction van.
Harrowing audio revealed after the trial showed Athena questioning her kidnapper: ‘Is this your house?’ Horner replied: ‘No, I don’t live around here’. 
‘Where are we going? What are you doing?’ the little girl asked a few moments later. Horner answered: ‘We are going to hang out for a while.’
The killer then ordered the child to remove her shirt and shushed her when she questioned why. She started to cry and asked for her mother.

The ‘monster’, Tanner Horner during questioning by investigators investigating the disappearance of Athena Strand

‘Are you a kidnapper?’ Athena asked through her tears and pleas to go home. ‘Why are you doing this?’
Horner replied: ‘Because you are pretty. You know that?’ 
Strand’s body was found around nine miles away from her home, two days later. 
Jurors also had to listen to heart-wrenching testimony from both of Strand’s parents during the trial, which was fast tracked to the sentencing phase after Horner entered his guilty pled. 
Medical examiner Dr Jessica Dwyer ruled Athena died because of blunt force injuries with smothering and strangulation.

Horner who told investigators that an alter ego of his, Zero, ‘kind of took over’ after he failed to calm Athena down, appeared stoic as he was led out of the court room after receiving the death penalty on Tuesday for the abduction and murder

The medical examiner’s report said Athena’s body did not show signs of sexual trauma. But Jacqueline Ferrara, a former forensic analyst with the Texas Department of Public Safety, testified at Horner’s trial that male DNA had been found on swabs from Athena’s rape kit.
Horner initially told authorities that he accidentally hit Athena with his van and then strangled her in a panic.
Prosecutors called that an ‘absolute lie’ and said Athena was not hurt before he abducted her, with footage showing Athena conscious and seemingly physically unharmed inside the truck. 
Horner who told investigators that an alter ego of his, Zero, ‘kind of took over’ after he failed to calm Athena down, led investigators from the Wise County Sheriff’s Office to the spot he had left Athena’s body.