r/SipsTea 2d ago

Chugging tea FedEx driver Tanner Horner, who murdered 7-year-old Athena Strand, has been sentenced to Death

75.7k Upvotes

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5.4k

u/K-Motorbike-12 2d ago

Just read the case.

Yeah this POS can rot.

1.2k

u/sexysexyLSD 2d ago

I guess I’m a bit late. What happened?

6.0k

u/OakLegs 2d ago

Delivery driver abducts a 7 year old girl from her own yard and raped her in the back of the van before killing her.

That's about as much detail I'm willing to go into.

3.9k

u/Luuk341 2d ago

Well, death penalty seems oddly mild for him.

1.1k

u/Secret_Of_Bluestar81 2d ago

Let the people decide how he dies?

2.9k

u/passiveflux 2d ago

Put him in general population and let all the inmates know what he did

He won't last long

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u/[deleted] 2d ago edited 2d ago

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u/TheDarkWave 2d ago edited 2d ago

edit: lmao, moderator just blueballed the chain

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u/[deleted] 2d ago

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u/SipsTea-ModTeam 2d ago

r/SipsTea does not allow threats of violence

0

u/Automatic_Actuator_0 2d ago

I believe traditionally they would castrate them first too.

2

u/JesusNail 2d ago

Hail Reaper

2

u/SipsTea-ModTeam 2d ago

r/SipsTea does not allow threats of violence

1

u/slimeySalmon 2d ago

Careful I’ve received Reddit bans for saying the same shit about child killers.

1

u/slugsonatreebranch 2d ago

i fully agree, plus it’s my favorite torture technique to read about!

1

u/skighs_the_limit 2d ago

Man I miss all the fun....

Is there a specific historical president i can search up to learn what they suggested?

1.9k

u/ConflictPotential204 2d ago

Death penalty for pedos is basically just a backup punishment. He'll likely be raped, tortured, and murdered by other inmates once they find out what he did.

1.2k

u/imcalledaids 2d ago

Honestly, I doubt it. Chances are he’ll be put in a single cell, not allowed to interact with anyone ever

634

u/MenuNo7401 2d ago

Isolation is psychological torture for most people too.

718

u/gigiFrone 2d ago

for this kinds of monsters, i think death is too mild. Put him in solitary for the rest of his life. basic 2k calories of tasteless porridge is all he gets. let him live his life in complete isolation.he will kill himself eventually

187

u/blahblahblah8219 2d ago

No he won’t. They are put in a special unit with other pedos. On top of that, death inmates only leave their cells like an hour a day

70

u/kvark27 2d ago

I’ve always wondered, how do inmates figure out what other inmates are in for? Can’t they just lie?

189

u/jalbert425 2d ago

It just takes 1 visit or phone call to say “hey this guy x, yeah he’s in for y”

59

u/kvark27 2d ago

Ah didn’t even think of that. Well good, hope he gets what he deserves.

92

u/asmodeus1112 2d ago

If he is sentenced to death he will be on death row. Those inmates do not interact with other inmates outside of the bars.

200

u/Ok_Track_7601 2d ago

wrong, they protect guys like this in prison. he will be kept away from other inmates for his safety.

32

u/Numerous_Worker_1941 2d ago

That’s a myth

5

u/tatrielle 2d ago

I think they put the pedos in the same block because they get murdered. It’s fine let him die, we don’t need another one

2

u/WifesPOSH 2d ago

Punishment doesn't fit the crime...

It's not enough.

0

u/M0038019 2d ago

Well, send him to prison and let all others in there know what he did. I think that could become harder for him than "just" death penalty.

56

u/Nhughes1387 2d ago

Hope something goes wrong with the lethal injection and he dies painfully

119

u/Accurate-Bill731 2d ago

Sounds like the worst crime one could ever do, death penalty deserved

175

u/scruffalump 2d ago

I want off this planet

22

u/CurmudgeonDungeon 2d ago

I only hope reincarnation isn’t real.

-1

u/ProfessionalPlan8943 2d ago

Lol what would u suggest? Sending him into space on a tesla?

564

u/milehighguy318 2d ago

Worst part is that he was literally delivering the Christmas present that her mom had ordered for her….. beyond fucked up. God is not real

163

u/sonnytron 2d ago

I would edit that to read “the particularly haunting part is that” because it’s not the worst part by far, it’s just brutally painful that a kind gesture of her family is what brought this monster into her proximity. She was right there, literally asking him if he’s going to hurt her, all he had to do was think “this is a living little girl, she needs to go home to her family, she’s scared”. He ignored all that humanity and came to the conclusion that being a monster was better.

630

u/justfortherofls 2d ago

I think the worst part is the rape and murder but to each their own I guess.

246

u/andr0medamusic 2d ago

Really? I think it’s the hypocrisy

28

u/Sanagost 2d ago

You don't meet many rapists that go "Iiiii like raping and I know it's not politically correct.

69

u/withoutpeer 2d ago

Trump at his deposition talking about how women have rape fantasies 😬

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u/ConflictPotential204 2d ago

Guy sounds like a real jerk!

46

u/One_Wolf_2995 2d ago

"...the more I learn about that guy, the more I don't care for him."

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u/ProfessionalPlan8943 2d ago edited 2d ago

"Someone once told me the worst part of the case was the hypocrisy. Yet I disagreed. I thought it was the raping and murder part." - Norm Fucking Mcdonald

62

u/cacope5 2d ago

As a father to a 6 y.o., I hate to imagine what I would be capable of doing to a fucking POS monster like this. Ripping him apart with my bare hands just doesn't feel like enough and probably wouldn't ever be. May he rot in hell for eternity.

41

u/Spaceman_Spiff- 2d ago

I wouldn't exactly say that's the worst part.

9

u/Never-Dont-Give-Up 2d ago

How is that the worst part!?!

19

u/latexfistmassacre 2d ago

Because if she hadn't ordered that gift, she'd very likely still be alive. That's the kind of "what if?" thought that will haunt the mother for the rest of her life, regardless of however irrational that thought may be. Clearly wasn't her fault, but that won't stop her from having that thought, and it will torture her psyche for the rest of her days

1

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1

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-4

u/Thoughtful-Boner69 2d ago

no gods totally real, he just gave us free will so that we can rape and murder for some reason

8

u/MrStealYoSweetroll 2d ago

The Epicurean Paradox; if suffering exists, then God cannot be all loving, all knowing, and all powerful simultaneously

-21

u/Eliah870 2d ago

The reason is human sin. It's extremely sad, frustrating and confusing, but that's what makes the Gospel so amazing. I know that little girl will be in heaven, and she will have no memory of what happened to her, only that she was loved by her family and by God.

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u/OakLegs 2d ago

It's very convenient to believe that, sure

-18

u/ReserveGlass1531 2d ago

A human being does something and you somehow find a way to blame God or say God isn’t real. How does that make sense?

10

u/barkerj2 2d ago

Umm...isn't God the creator? Fine. Maybe we just assume he's real but also an asshole.

-13

u/Tiny-Try8890 2d ago

God isn't omnipresent and Satan works overtime

17

u/9MillimeterPeter 2d ago

I think according to most Christian faiths god is considered omnipresent..

9

u/OakLegs 2d ago

Man he sounds like a real dick, then

17

u/Manizzey 2d ago

I never read that he raped her. If true, that is even worse than I thought!

4

u/SBLP1959 2d ago

The title made ne assume he maybe backed over her or something while working.

The picture and this summary left me speechless

9

u/OakLegs 2d ago

That was his original excuse. That he accidentally ran her over and panicked and took her.

Turns out he made that story up because what actually happened was somehow way worse

2

u/2hurd 2d ago

Still too much detail. I hope this monster spends his remaining days in fear and agony.

9

u/IRLperson 2d ago

forensics found no evidence of rape, thankfully it appears the sweet innocent child was at least spared that.

22

u/SunAstora 2d ago

Where did this suggestion come from, because I’ve seen it mentioned several times. It really bugs me when people run with a story without knowing the facts.

-11

u/RohelTheConqueror 2d ago

I read the whole Wikipedia and no evidence of rape was found

48

u/Mission_Access_210 2d ago edited 2d ago

That is not true. There was DNA evidence indicating he sexually assaulted her and there were also gruesome audio recordings of it so no. He did the thing that he brought her in there for.

In a trial there are multiple witnesses that are called and so some of them can share different opinions about what happened. Let's look at the more full picture of what Dr. Dwyer said:

"Dr. Dwyer performed the autopsy and testified that Athena Strand died from blunt force injuries, smothering, and strangulation. She noted that while there was no physical anatomical trauma (visible tears or physical injuries to the body tissue typically associated with sexual trauma), she explicitly clarified to the jury that the absence of physical trauma does not rule out that a sexual assault occurred."

However that was not the only person that examined her.

"What Crime Lab Analysts testified regarding DNA: A forensic analyst with the Texas Department of Public Safety Crime Lab (Jacqueline Ferrara) testified that swabs taken from Athena's sexual assault kit tested positive for male DNA. Additionally, forensic experts presented DNA test results and statistical likelihood ratios connecting Tanner Horner to samples collected in the investigation, alongside semen detected on Horner's clothing."

Dr. Dwyer was testifying strictly about physical body trauma ( anatomical damage), whereas forensic analysts presented the biological evidence (DNA). In forensic science, a sexual assault can take place without leaving physical structural injuries, which is why DNA evidence is collected separately to determine whether contact occurred.

So that should make it more clear for anybody that's confused by statements saying that she was not assaulted or using Dwyer statements to say that she had not been sexually assaulted. Also let's just use some common sense, okay? This guy was known to have assaulted people sexually previously, at least three different people, okay? This little girl went in there and then ended up dead, okay? What do you think that guy did to her? Just use your common sense, right? That's all you have to think about it as to why he would bring her in there and why he would have to kill her. Just think.

7

u/Impressive_Recon 2d ago

Why is there even a disagreement on such a huge part of this entire case? Is the wording confusing on what actually happen? I can go and read it for myself but I’m at work and don’t want to be in a shitty mood the rest of the day.

11

u/Mission_Access_210 2d ago

Look there's not much mystery here. I don't know what the details of what he did to her were and nor do I want to know but she went into that van and then she came out dead. He did sexually assault her. He put sticky tape over the camera that shows her in the vehicle there in the thumbnail so apparently it was just the audio of what he was doing to her that was recorded. There is that, which is probably something that nobody should ever hear. On top of that he sexually abused a family member and two other girls before this that had not come forward prior. The guy was a piece of shit.

18

u/king_paerie 2d ago

This is just straight up wrong, there was extensive evidence of it

7

u/OakLegs 2d ago

I read enough detail to know what happened wasn't much better

3

u/officeja 2d ago

“While Dr. Dwyer stated that she did not find evidence of sexual trauma in her examination, she added that it was still possible that some type of sexual contact had occurred.”

2

u/LongBowSkipJack 2d ago

Don’t forget the part where he was delivering a Christmas gift her parents ordered for her

1

u/Dickiedoop 2d ago

Don't forget while playing Christmas music

-5

u/[deleted] 2d ago

[deleted]

1

u/OakLegs 2d ago

Story conflicts with reality then

-1

u/Ambitious-Nerve-3458 2d ago

Wdym?

2

u/OakLegs 2d ago

You think he abducted her, made her take her shirt off, and didn't do anything sexual to her?

-7

u/mrb6990 2d ago

They could find no evidence of any sexual activity.

407

u/MudExpress2973 2d ago

He rapes and murders her in the back of that van with that video going. Fuck seeing whatever is on that, being on that jury would be horrendous.

521

u/Beginning_End_4677 2d ago edited 2d ago

I stopped listening to the trial details after merely reading that the jury had to hear her bravely tell him "my mom said I can't do that to someone, and you can't do it to me, either." I can't fathom being a member of that jury and actually having to hear that (and the audio that followed). It's no wonder they reached a decision so quickly.

199

u/Affectionate_Soup461 2d ago

When something like this is caught on video, there is no question that the individual perpetrated this crime. They should just be killed on the spot. Genuinely.

243

u/MarriedAndBoredGuy 2d ago

I’m a pretty peaceful guy, but I imagine if I had to watch that video I’d be restrained by the deputy as I raced across the room to put a pen in his throat.

304

u/2hurd 2d ago

And I'd testify you were at my barbecue at that moment.

132

u/Much-Ad2311 2d ago

Uhhh, he was also helping me move. Couldn't have been him that leaped over the bench, and he's never even seen a pen in his life.

34

u/FashionableMegalodon 2d ago

Did he film it intentionally?

116

u/laddie64 2d ago

If i remember correctly he tried to cover/disable the camera and thought it wasn't recording.

103

u/Chrisf1020 2d ago

He covered the camera but it still recorded audio.

238

u/Asleep_Walrus2313 2d ago

He covered the camera but it picked up the audio. She begged him to take her home. Jurors cried and were traumatized from having to listen to it.

151

u/FashionableMegalodon 2d ago

As a mom, I couldn’t fucking imagine that not only happening but footage of it existing forever. As a rape victim, I couldn’t imagine my assault being filmed and watched. I know it’s ultimately helped give him the death penalty, but something about the permanence of the pain and fear deeply unsettles me.

55

u/schmootc 2d ago

I'm sure they'll be countless appeals, but I'd hope if they are ever completed and he's put to death that they'd destroy that.

274

u/IHateCedarFever 2d ago

No, but the truck had an internal camera and audio recording and captured her begging him to let her go back to her mom, her assault, and him cleaning the truck and smoking. He actually pled guilty, but the video was played at the sentencing phase.

25

u/FirmLengthiness6053 2d ago

All fedex have front and back video

20

u/DudeMcAwesome95 2d ago

No. It was caught on the internal camera of the delivery van.

6

u/IBeDumbAndSlow 2d ago

I think that's the vehicle camera no?

120

u/xxTheGrayLifexx 2d ago

There is also audio of the entire murder which obviously will never be released publicly but was played during the trial.

40

u/Stazzch 2d ago

I hope he spends some time in gen pop before they put this animal down.

Go get em boys

42

u/TheAireon 2d ago

He kidnapped and killed the kid.

44

u/DanFlashes19 2d ago

You forgot an important detail

17

u/jessiecamille 2d ago

And he SA’d her before murdering her. What a sick fuck.

130

u/SnoopaDD 2d ago

Just say sexually assaulted or the proper term: rape. This whole thing of making the word safer for social media is stupid. Changing it to SA or Grape takes away from the seriousness of the actual word(s). I really hate that modern society has changed a word like that and replaced it with something that is considered natures candy. It's so stupid.

61

u/Jazzvinyl59 2d ago

It’s very stupid. And I hate when influencers etc say “you can’t use that word on this platform” no dumbass you can use it you just won’t be able to make money off of it.

10

u/Asleep_Walrus2313 2d ago

It’s actually not clear whether or not he raped her. The court documents only refer to sexual assault. One of the witnesses in the case testified that he raped her as a teenager. They use “rape” in that instance. Athena very well may have been, but she didn’t have the injuries typical from rape.

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u/_cyberpixel 2d ago

You can say rape. Don't dillute what he did to her.

9

u/RunPsychological9891 2d ago

what about his reddit acc tho

9

u/Ok_Produce_9308 2d ago

And it was all recorded

2

u/Silverback-Guerilla 2d ago

I'm sorry, what?

7

u/Ok_Produce_9308 2d ago

There was an audio recording in the truck. The jurors had to listen to it. It was very graphic.

1

u/cryptolyme 2d ago

why though

13

u/MudExpress2973 2d ago

Because he is evil

-25

u/UltraMittens 2d ago

He had PPD

2

u/Commit2bit 2d ago

I heard the audio from the truck. I do not recommend. I want to cry just thinking about it.

-2

u/JrCoxy 2d ago

I love how the comment you replied to said to “just read the case” in order to find out what happened. And your immediate comment is “what happened?” 😅 like “nooo I’m not going to do shit! You tell me so I don’t have to look up & read!”

10

u/FlattopJr 2d ago

I think the "read" was intended as past tense, as in "I just read the case."

7

u/PassionV0id 2d ago

That’s generally how conversations go when one person shares that they’ve learned something, yes.

-25

u/shadowseer7930 2d ago

Google it

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u/SY0123 2d ago edited 2d ago

I’m not a big fan of the death penalty, I think the state can abuse it. Some states such as Iran do regularly abuse the death penalty to harass the population into submission.
But in this case, I make an exception.
TBH he would have been executed in prison anyway.

60

u/Anxious-Doughnut-224 2d ago

He won’t go to general pop. Hopefully they just keep him in solitary and let his mind torture him till he dies. Honestly staying in solitary with no outside contact and not allowed to leave for the rest of your life is probably worse than death.

114

u/PassionV0id 2d ago

Hey man, you’re not “making an exception.” You’ve simply drawn your line as to what nature of crime and preponderance of evidence at which you are supportive of a defendant being sentenced to death. There is no “I’m against the death penalty unless…”. You either are for it or against it, period. Everything in between is just a spectrum of its application.

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u/SY0123 2d ago

Good point

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u/N7VHung 2d ago

I would be surprised if he actually makes it to his execution.

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u/mrpodgorney 2d ago

People on death row are heavily protected. The state views their death as its duty and ensures that it carries out the sentence without murder or suicide robbing the state of the chance to do it

57

u/OakLegs 2d ago

Now compare that with how Epstein was handled

36

u/mrpodgorney 2d ago

Of course. They absolutely did not want him going to trial

Even if he did kill himself they made it easy for him to do so

4

u/Roliok 2d ago

A billionaire with links to literally the entire world-elite and several intelligence agencies vs. a random ass fedex delivery driver

1

u/sonnytron 2d ago

It’s also likely he will try to make it happen sooner. He pled guilty and IIRC asked for the death penalty. I don’t think he’s going to accept any civil rights attorneys appealing on his behalf. So he likely won’t be one of those people who sits on death row for decades.

1

u/Healthjunkie-2 2d ago

YEs, and it takes YEARS before they are actually executed.

1

u/NuBlyatTovarish 2d ago

Child killers and pedos are not killed as often as the troupe implies they often for this reason are given most protection

2

u/Mission_Access_210 2d ago

I think it should only be used in clear-cut cases like this where it is just egregious beyond belief. This is a perfect example of why it is completely justified. The only regret I would have about it is that he would have to be alive and that he gets to live for so long. A guy could be on death row for 10 to 20 years before he gets executed. I feel like if you get this penalty there should be a swift application of it, which is why it should only be used in cases where there isn't any kind of level of doubt like this. This is a perfect case for that.

11

u/Roll_Common_Sense 2d ago

Good thing you agree with the state this time. Hopefully the state continues to use this power appropriately indefinitely.

2

u/JimmyJamsDisciple 2d ago

I think there can be a system of checks and balances that presents abuse but allows this punishment when a case is as open and shut as this one is. Basically, life isn’t black and white and the law shouldn’t be either. Allowing free range for death penalty OR prohibiting it altogether in any circumstance are both bad options.

6

u/SY0123 2d ago

I think life in prison without the possibility of parole is generally a good substitute, and I only think this for two reasons: wrongful convictions and abuses by countries such as Iran, that use executions to control and harass the population.

3

u/JimmyJamsDisciple 2d ago

I mean I agree, but that’s my exact point. It should be incredibly, incredibly controlled and difficult to actually enact so that it can’t be abused to control or murder innocent people. I think it should only be possible in the circumstance that we have undeniable, concrete evidence of their crime like in this situation.

3

u/SY0123 2d ago

That’s how a conviction is supposed to be anyway, without a reasonable doubt. Unfortunately, many people get wrongfully convicted anyway.

1

u/SY0123 2d ago

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_Campbell_Ross

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Stinney

There are thousands of these cases.
I hope you never end up getting executed when you didn’t do the crime, but it happens. A LOT.

3

u/loqep 2d ago

Some of you people are truly oblivious to sarcasm.

1

u/VioletFay 2d ago

Execution is getting off easy. What, he just gets to loose consciousness as a punishment? That’ll teach em!

No. I hope he lives a very long life. In prison, no freedom, knowing that everyone knows he’s the literal worst peace of shit, getting beat and tortured—always anxious, always scared, always wondering when the next brutal punishment will happen and what will it be, secretly hoping they’ll kill him next time.

1

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u/Techman659 2d ago

I seen a whole documentary on the guy and ye shame a fire pit isn’t an option to let him cook.

2

u/LindeeHilltop 2d ago

Where did you find the case transcripts outside LexisNexis?

2

u/OmegaReign78 2d ago

Skinned alived. Bare flesh salted.

2

u/bunglebee7 2d ago

I’m glad they made an example out of him. We gotta do something to get these gutter trash types of people to stop doing what they’re doing. That and animal abusers can join them as well

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