In addition to being charged with capital murder and aggravated kidnapping, Tanner Lynn Horner, 31, a FedEx driver who killed and kidnapped Athena Strand, also faces three counts of sexual assault on a child. He was arrested after being booked into custody. It is unclear whether the young girl’s death and the new charges are connected.
Three Counts of Sexual Assault Plus Murder and Kidnapping
According to Texas jail records, prosecutors charged a FedEx driver who was arrested this month for killing a 7-year-old girl with sexual assault of a minor. He faces three counts of sexual assault against children, according to Wise County jail records. Horner told investigators the girl wasn’t seriously hurt when he accidentally backed his truck into her.
For the murder and kidnapping charges, he is being held on a combined $1.5 million bond. Each accusation of sexual assault carries a $15,000 bond. The prosecution in Strand’s slaying is seeking the death penalty. There is no attorney listed in jail or court records who could represent Horner, foxnews.com posted.
According to Tarrant County court records, Horner’s initial court appearance for the new charges is scheduled for Jan. 5, 2023.
She Might Report to Her Father
Before Athena vanished, the FedEx driver had delivered her Barbie doll’s Christmas present. On November 30, Athena disappeared from the driveway of her Wise County, Texas, home. After a county-wide search, her body was found Friday evening; authorities believe she was killed an hour after her alleged kidnapping. Horner surrendered without incident after guiding investigators to the child’s body, a source posted.
Athena was not seriously hurt when Horner accidentally hit her while backing up his delivery truck, but he panicked and threw her inside the van anyway. He acknowledged that he choked the child out of fear that she would tell his father that she was run over by his truck.
The young girl was inside the truck and was captured on surveillance footage interacting with the driver.
