Chilling new photo of Athena Grand, 7, moments before her death revealed as killer FedEx driver makes shocking guilty plea
A shocking new photo has emerged, showing 7-year-old Athena Strand moments before she was strangled and thrown into a river by a FedEx driver who abducted her from her Texas home while delivering her Christmas present. The disturbing image of the terrified young girl in the back of the delivery van was revealed in a Fort Worth courtroom after the killer, Tanner Horner, pleaded guilty to capital murder of a child under 10 and aggravated kidnapping.
The unexpected plea came as Horner’s murder trial was about to begin. Jurors will now determine whether he will be sentenced to death or life in prison without parole. Prosecutors presented a black-and-white security image showing Athena alive and on her knees behind the driver’s seat of the delivery truck on the day of the kidnapping. This image contradicts Horner’s account to police that he accidentally backed into the girl and panicked, leading to her abduction.
Horner admitted to putting Athena in the truck alive and uninjured, but later decided to kill her out of fear that she would reveal the accident to her father. He confessed to trying to break her neck before strangling her with his bare hands and dumping her body in the Trinity River. Police were able to track down Horner after discovering that he had delivered a package, including Barbie dolls for Athena, to her house before her disappearance.
The killer FedEx driver led authorities to Athena’s body two days after she was reported missing. Prosecutors plan to play jurors audio of the moment Horner strangled the 67-pound child to death inside his delivery truck. They described Athena’s fierce fight for survival and the heartbreaking sound of a young girl facing certain death.
The heinous crime has shocked the community, and the trial will reveal the full extent of Horner’s cold-heartedness. The level of brutality and cruelty displayed in this case is truly horrifying. The family of Athena is devastated by the loss of their beloved daughter, and justice must be served for this innocent child.
