Athena Strand’s father broke down in tears as he faced his daughter’s killer in court — and said he hopes the jury makes the “right decision” in determining whether or not the FedEx driver is sentenced to death.
Jacob Strand made the emotional plea as he left the stand in court on Thursday, where he claimed his life was ruined by the crippling guilt he was left with after his 7-year-old daughter was kidnapped and strangled by FedEx driver Tanner Horner in 2022.
“It made me feel horrible,” Strand said, according to NBCDFW. “You know, like, I should have done something or been there. I wasn’t there to protect them like I should be, like a father’s role.”
Tears began to stream down Strand’s face as he said he initially thought Athena was out playing hide and seek — and was destroyed when he learned she had been found dead, CBS News reported.
“I just kind of held everything in, and it broke me,” he said, adding that turned to alcohol to numb the pain.
“I couldn’t sleep, and I would only eat like every seven days, and I lost like 50 pounds.”
“I just hope that the jury and the justice system makes the right decision,” he said at the conclusion of the emotional testimony.
Here’s the latest on killer FedEx driver who murdered 7-year-old Athena Strand:
Thursday was the eighth day of murder trial for Horner, a former delivery driver who confessed to kidnapping Athena from her rural Texas home, strangling her and dumping her body miles away.
Horner, 34, is awaiting his fate as the jury weighs whether to sentence him to death or life in prison.
Athena had been outside when Horner showed up to deliver one of her Christmas gifts and abducted her.
The hulking delivery driver, who was over 200 pounds at the time of the kidnapping, told the court he first tried to break Athena’s neck to kill her.
When that didn’t work, he strangled her with his bare hands instead.
Her naked body was found days later.
It’s not clear if Athena was sexually assaulted, but prosecutors said Horner’s DNA was found “in places where you shouldn’t find DNA on a 7-year-old girl.”
Horner’s attorneys are expected to argue that his mental health issues and troubled childhood should spare him from death row.