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, 34, 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 unexpectedly pleaded guilty to the November 2022 slaying, which he carried out after delivering a Christmas gift for Strand to her family’s home.
Chilling bodycam footage shown to the jury Wednesday showed the callous killer telling police during his arrest that he “tossed” the girl’s body into the woods shortly after hitting her with his van near the Paradise, Texas, home.
However, cops didn’t believe his claim that Strand “wasn’t alive” when he put her in the vehicle – which was later proven by a photo showing the terrified youngster alive and kneeling near where Horner sat in the driver’s seat.
Authorities eventually found her body in an area of the Trinity River called BoBo Crossing.
Now, the jury will reportedly hear horrifying audio of the moment Horner — who allegedly covered the in-cab camera — strangled the 67-pound child inside the truck.
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“You’re going to hear what a 250-pound man can do to a 67-pound child,” Stainton said, adding that the little girl “fought with the strength of 100 men.”
“It’s horrible. One thing you can’t unhear is the level of fight in a 7-year-old girl when she’s facing certain death. This is the level of cold-heartedness that you’re going to see,” he added.
Horner faces either the death penalty or life in prison.
His defense team has claimed he suffers from mental illness and lead poisoning, as they argue for him to face life in prison without parole.
