Disgraceful excuse of FedEx driver who abducted and killed Athena Strand, 7, while delivering her Barbie Christmas present... as his self-pitying letters to her family are revealed

By WILL POTTER, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 18:15, 13 April 2026 | Updated: 18:20, 13 April 2026 A FedEx driver who abducted and murdered a seven-year-old girl while delivering her Christmas present blamed his employer for changing his route and triggering his autism. Tanner Horner, 34, wrote a disgraceful letter to Athena Strand's grieving family from his jail cell months after he killed her in November 2022, his sentencing hearing was told on Monday.  Jurors are being given evidence to help them decide whether Horner should be executed for abducting Strand from outside her home in Paradise, Texas, while she played outside unattended.  He was delivering a box of Barbies that were due to be Strand's Christmas present when he abducted and strangled the youngster before dumping her body in a creek.  A now-infamous grab from a video camera inside his delivery van showed a concerned-looking Strand being driven to her death.  A January 2023 letter sent by Horner to Strand's family said: 'I have Asperger's Syndrome. I don't do well with changes or things that are unpredictable. 'When I first started out as a driver at FedEx, I was given a singular route and that route wouldn't change for a while.  'After a bit my employer started making random changes to my route, adding stuff from other routes so they could make more money.  'I don't do well with change, I can have meltdowns when unexpected changes to my daily routine happens.'  Tanner Horner, 34  who abducted and killed Athena Strand in November 2022 (pictured during the abduction), blamed the murder on the delivery company FedEx changing his driving routes in a self-pitying letter to her family Horner, 34, wrote a disgraceful letter to the seven-year-old's grieving family from his jail cell months after he killed her in November 2022, blaming FedEx for altering his routes on the child's death  In his trial on Monday, jurors were shown letters Horner wrote shortly before he attempted suicide in his cell in early 2023, where he said his thoughts were with his own family  Horner moaned about the impact of his vile crime on his own family in the shocking letter to Strand's loved ones.  'So many people were affected by my breakdown. Not just your family but mine as well. You're never going to get to see your baby girl grow up... now my son is going to grow up without his father and protector,' he wrote.  Horner said he was extremely stressed by not being able to drive the exact same route in his FedEx truck every day, which he blamed on murdering Strand.  He said that his frustration with driving varying routes led him to have a 'suicidal episode' shortly before killing the seven-year-old, writing that the 'only thing that stopped me was thinking of my son growing up without his father.'  'I got put on medication and a week later I was back at work. I let my employers know I needed to keep a consistent routine and I wouldn't have any issues, and I was ignored,' he wrote.  'When I returned they did the opposite of what was good for someone like me. They put me on a different route every day.'  Horner has Asperger's syndrome, an Autistic spectrum disorder whose sufferers may struggle to cope if their usual daily routine is disrupted.  The seven-year-old was kidnapped and strangled by Horner when he was delivering gifts to her family home in North Texas in November 2022  Horner seen in court. He was set to go on trial before abruptly pleading guilty on the eve of the trial two weeks ago, and jurors are now hearing evidence as they decide if he should face the death penalty Horner said his demands to FedEx 'went in one ear and out the other', and says 'in hindsight I think they were trying to get me to quit, which in retrospect was kind of scammy.'  In his self-pitying account of killing Strand, the driver said that the young girl was in the 'wrong place at the wrong time.'  'I'm sorry I allowed my mental state to be unstable. I'm sorry I took your little angel away from you. She didn't deserve it. My son didn't deserve to lose his father,' he wrote.   'My mother didn't deserve to lose her son. My fiancé didn't deserve to have her wedding day stripped away from her. I pray my death eases your suffering,' he concluded.  Horner's letter also included a 'side note' continuing his frustrations with FedEx, disregarding his role in Strand's murder and writing that the delivery company was 'negligent when it comes to safety.'  Strand was abducted from her family's home in Paradise, Texas, on November 30, 2022 At Horner's trial on Monday, prosecutors also revealed the first images of the creek where Horner dumped Strand's body, as an agent said he waded in waist-deep water to retrieve her remains Horner's letter also included a 'side note' continuing his frustrations with FedEx, disregarding his role in Strand's murder and writing that the delivery company was 'negligent when it comes to safety' In another letter addressed to detectives, Horner also tried to evade accountability for killing Strand by alluding to another person being responsible.  He said another man was present when he took Strand, alleging that the man pulled a 'rifle' on him and told him to murder Strand.  Prosecutors say there is no evidence of anyone else being responsible for Strand's murder. At Horner's trial on Monday, prosecutors also revealed the first images of the creek where Horner dumped Strand's body, as an agent said he waded in waist-deep water to retrieve her remains.  Medical examiner Jessica Dwyer testified that Strand was found naked in the water with her hands covered by plastic bags.  Dwyer said that during the autopsy, it was determined that Strand's body showed evidence of trauma to her head, neck, chest and back.  A forensics expert previously testified last week that when police found Strand's body, she had markings pressed into her face that matched the floor of Horner's FedEx vehicle.  Earlier in his trial, it was revealed that Horner also made an audacious request to investigators to be given a month to enjoy Christmas with his son when he was first arrested in November 2022 Earlier in his trial, it was revealed that Horner also made an audacious request to investigators to be given a month to enjoy Christmas with his son when he was first arrested in November 2022.  Horner was seen in footage played at his trial on Thursday being questioned after cops arrested him in November 2022, as they pressed him for the location of Strand's body. The jury was told that Horner requested to have the interview with investigators, and he began the conversation by telling them: 'I imagine that you have, basically, a list and bullet points that you want to know from me.' 'There's only one thing in this world that I want,' Horner said. 'I want a month.' He continued: 'You can't do that, I understand. Even if y'all have to put an ankle monitor on me, GPS monitor, check-ups with you. 'If you give me a month with my family, so I can have Christmas with my son, I'll tell you everything.' Police told the suspect that his entitled request was likely impossible, as he was under arrest for the murder of the child. 'Either way, that's basically my price,' Horner responded. The request was not granted. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. 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