{"id":23457,"date":"2026-07-19T14:06:51","date_gmt":"2026-07-19T14:06:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thetwistzone.com\/?p=23457"},"modified":"2026-07-19T14:06:51","modified_gmt":"2026-07-19T14:06:51","slug":"chilling-six-word-threat-fedex-driver-made-to-7-year-old-before-she-was-murdered","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thetwistzone.com\/?p=23457","title":{"rendered":"Chilling six-word threat FedEx driver made to 7-year-old before she was murdered"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A chilling new detail has emerged in the murder case of seven-year-old&nbsp;Athena Strand, highlighting the terrifying reality of her final moments.&nbsp;Tanner Horner, 34, has pleaded guilty to capital murder and aggravated kidnapping after abducting Athena from her father\u2019s home in Texas while delivering a package. He claimed he panicked after accidentally backing into her, though prosecutors say she was not seriously injured, making his actions a deliberate choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Prosecutors are now focusing on disturbing evidence, including audio recorded inside Horner\u2019s van. According to prosecutor&nbsp;James Stainton, Horner\u2019s first words to Athena were: \u201cDon\u2019t scream or I\u2019ll hurt you.\u201d Jurors were warned about the graphic nature of the case, as officials described repeated lies during the investigation\u2014except for Horner\u2019s admission to the killing. Forensic evidence, including his DNA under Athena\u2019s fingernails, suggests she fought back fiercely during the attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Athena\u2019s body was later found about 13 miles away near the Trinity River. While Horner\u2019s defense is not contesting his guilt, they are focusing on sentencing, arguing for leniency by citing his mental health issues, including Asperger\u2019s, prenatal alcohol exposure, and lead exposure during childhood. The case now moves forward as jurors decide whether he will face the death penalty or life imprisonment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A chilling new detail has emerged in the murder case of seven-year-old&nbsp;Athena Strand, highlighting the terrifying reality of her final moments.&nbsp;Tanner Horner, 34, has pleaded guilty to capital murder and &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23458,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23457","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Chilling six-word threat FedEx driver made to 7-year-old before she was murdered - Thetwistzone<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/thetwistzone.com\/?p=23457\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Chilling six-word threat FedEx driver made to 7-year-old before she was murdered - 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