On Tuesday, May 5, one of the most high-profile and ruthless criminal cases in Texas concluded with the suspect being sentenced to death.
Tanner Horner, the 37-year-old FedEx driver convicted of the kidnapping and killing of seven-year-old Athena Strand in 2022, admitted to the crime last month. On Tuesday, he was sentenced to death by lethal injection.
Following the sentencing, a key question that has come up is when Horner will be executed. That is yet to be decided as more appeals are pending.
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When Will Tanner Horner Be Executed?
Tuesday’s sentencing came at a Fort Worth, Texas court after 19 days of testimony. Following his admission to the crime and the guilty plea on April 7, he was facing either life in prison without parole or the death penalty.
The prosecutors went for the latter, and after the deliberations, the jury decided in favor of the death penalty. Ultimately, the judge ruled death by lethal injection.
However, a date for the execution has not been set yet. The case will now automatically be appealed to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals next. This will happen because of the state’s explicit constitutional and statutory mandates.
As a result, the death penalty verdict is still subject to appeal and a date for execution will be set if the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals stays the death penalty verdict.
What Are The Charges Against Tanner Horner?
At the hearing on Tuesday, the jury heard testimony from the investigators about Tanner Horner’s admission, the details of the investigation into Athena Strand’s disappearance and death.
The prosecutors reiterated that Tanner Horner was delivering a FedEx package to Athena Strand’s home in Paradise, Texas, in November 2022. He abducted her in his truck and later killed her.
Prosecutors, additionally, alleged that Horner was acquainted with the seven-year-old and fantasized about killing her.
“The experts told you that he fantasized about things,” the prosecutors argued. “He fantasized about what he wanted to be. He fantasized about being a superhero. I think it’s reasonable to believe that he planned this as well. This was something that was in his mind.”
Horner’s attorneys, meanwhile, argued that their client had a troubled past, history of autism, mental health issues and exposure to lead. They pleaded to keep his sentence to life imprisonment instead of death.
