The creep that killed seven-year-old Athena Strand after he hit her with his FedEx truck by accident, instead of reporting the accident, has also been charged with a rape and sexual assault he allegedly performed in 2013, due to complaints by his assault victim.
Athena Strand was playing in her driveway at the home of her dad and stepmother in Paradise, Texas on November 30, when the FedEx delivery man, who had just delivered a package to her house (see below about the package), accidentally hit her with his truck. He panicked about the thought of what would happen to him if he reported the accident, so instead, he took her into his truck, strangled her and dumped her in the Trinity River in the nearby city of Boyd. She was found by police two days later.
The child was staying with her father and stepmother. Her stepmother was in the house. Her father was away on a short trip.
Tanner Horner, 31, admitted to police that he killed Athena. He admitted that he hit her with his truck, panicked, and then killed her inside the truck instead of reporting the accident, because he was afraid of the consequences.
Horner was delivering a “You Can Be Anything” Barbie doll package from Athena’s biological mother, Maitland Gandy, as a Christmas gift. Gandy emotionally said that she was planning to bring the girl back to her house for the holidays, but she will be bringing home her ashes instead.
Athena’s father, Jacob Strand, sued FedEx and Big Topspin for negligence on December 13. Big Topspin is the contracting company used to deliver packages for FedEx.
Horner was charged with capital murder and kidnapping.
In addition to the murder and kidnapping charges, Horner has been charged with sexual assault due to a complaint filed by a woman regarding a prior unrelated incident. The victim, who spoke about it after Horner’s arrest for Athena’s murder, said that Horner raped her around nine years ago, in 2013.
Shay Marie, claimed in several social media posts in 2018 and 2019 that Horner molested her when she was only 16 years old. She wrote, “December 6 and 7 marks seven years since you violated me and treated me like you were entitled to my body.” Horner was 23 at the time.
According to jail records, Horner is now also facing three counts of sexual assault of a child under 17 for the accusations by Shay Marie, carrying bonds of $15,000 each. Horner is detained in the Wise County Jail and is held on bonds that total $1,545,000.
