AWFUL

‘Panicked’ Driver Claimed He Strangled Athena Strand After Accidentally Running Her Over

Tanner Horner allegedly told cops that he strangled the 7-year-old because he feared she’d tell her parents after he hit her with his truck.

The FedEx contract driver accused of killing 7-year-old Athena Strand allegedly told investigators that he strangled her to death out of fear she'd tell her parents that he accidentally hit her with his truck. According to an arrest affidavit released Thursday, Tanner Horner claimed to police that he accidentally backed into Athena on Nov. 30 as she stood in the driveway of her dad’s home in Paradise, Texas. Horner allegedly said he then “panicked” despite her injuries not being serious—and feared getting in trouble, so he coerced the girl into his vehicle and tried to break her neck. Strand eventually died by strangulation, with her body dumped in a nearby pond. The affidavit said that a camera inside Horner’s truck captured him asking Athena her name. Horner, 31, faces charges of with capital murder and aggravated kidnapping.