Killer FedEx driver Tanner Horner may have sexually assaulted 7-year-old Athena Strand before her twisted murder – which the sicko meticulously planned out in advance, a Texas prosecutor said.
The horrifying revelations came as Wise County District Attorney James Stainton argued in support of a jury sentencing Horner to the death penalty during the second part of his murder trial Tuesday.
“We have DNA. Not only do we have initial DNA from Athena that has Tanner Horner’s DNA under her fingernails. We also have Tanner Horner’s DNA in places where you shouldn’t find DNA on a 7-year-old girl,” Stainton said in court.
The DA also revealed Horner may have been eyeing another potential victim before killing Strand – and said the state would play an hour-long video in court to show his meticulous preparation.
“We’re going to show you what Tanner Horner did to prepare for this – covering up the camera, setting this up. And he was there 24 hours before, on the same road, at a different house, with a different girl … the night before. Again, preparation, planning,” he said.
Horner pleaded guilty to the December 2022 slaying, which he carried out after delivering a Christmas gift for Athena to her family’s home.
He faces either the death penalty or life in prison.
