Killer Is Sentenced To Lethal Injection In Texas For Killing First-Grader

Killer Is Sentenced To Lethal Injection In Texas For Killing First-Grader

Author: The Crime Desk May 13, 2026 Duration: 31:55

Justice for a joyful little girl who was abducted outside her rural Texas home and murdered by a stranger driving a delivery truck.

MaryAnn Martinez, the Daily Mail’s Texas bureau chief, was in the courtroom as a jury sealed the fate of 7-year-old Athena Strand’s killer, Tanner Horner.

Athena, a first-grader with an affinity for the outdoors and the color pink, was abused and tortured by Horner, a FedEx driver, before he killed her and callously discarded her tiny frame in a nearby creek on Nov. 30, 2022.

A frantic, multi-day search for Athena ensued. The child’s death traumatized her rural community.

Horner pleaded guilty to murder and kidnapping in April but a jury still had to determine his fate, which in Texas included the possibility of the death penalty. After a five-week trial,

Athena’s family watched as the panel found that Horner should be executed by lethal injection.

On this episode, Martinez discusses the case with host Kayla Brantley and takes us inside the courtroom for the dramatic last moments of the proceeding.

We also learn what is expected to happen next as Horner waits on death row.


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  • Presenter: Kayla Brantley
  • Producers: Shayna Jacobs and Lucy Robson
  • Editor: Chelsey Ranore
  • Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham
  • Executive Producer: Jamie East




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Presenter: Kayla Brantley

Producer: Lucy Robson

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Executive Producer: Jamie East


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From its award-winning origins in the UK, The Trial: USA now turns its exacting focus to American courtrooms. This podcast, produced by The Crime Desk, moves far beyond the sensational headlines to place you inside the tense, often unpredictable theater of the nation's most consequential legal battles. Each episode is built from the ground up, meticulously reconstructing proceedings as the evidence unfolds in real time. You'll hear the pivotal testimony, the surprising objections, and the strategic maneuvers that define a case, all presented with a narrative drive that makes complex testimony accessible and utterly compelling. The series is distinguished by its exclusive access, featuring interviews with the detectives who built the investigation, the experts who dissected the facts, and the victims whose lives were changed. To ensure absolute fidelity to the record, The Trial: USA occasionally employs actors and generated voices to deliver verbatim quotes from court transcripts and documents, a method that underscores its commitment to factual storytelling over speculation. It’s for anyone who wants to understand the true weight of a verdict, feeling the courtroom atmosphere and grasping the human stories behind the gavel's fall.
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