FedEx driver who murdered Athena Strand, 7, to spend life in one of America’s most brutal death row prisons
Tanner Horner, the FedEx driver who murdered seven-year-old Athena Strand, will spend his final years in one of America's most brutal death row prisons.
Horner, 34, was sentenced to death earlier this week for kidnapping and killing Athena in November 2022.
The child was taken from her home near Fort Worth, Texas, on the day the former FedEx driver delivered a Christmas gift to her home.
Athena's body was found two days later not far from where she lived, with Horner later arrested and charged with aggravated kidnapping and capital murder, which he pleaded guilty to in court.
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After being placed on death row by a Texas court earlier this week, Horner will now spend his final years at the Polunsky Unit, known as one of the most brutal death row prisons in the country.
Prisoners awaiting execution are kept segregated and are said to spend up to 22 hours a day confined to their cells, which are just 60 square-foot wide.
Horner's cell will be furnished with just a metal bunk bed and thin mattress, while a metal desk, toilet and sink will sit just feet away from where he will sleep.
The killer will eat all of his meals in the cell and will be limited to having a pen and paper to write with. He will not have access to entertainment found in other prisons, instead just being given reading materials to study.
As the Polunsky Unit is one of the most dangerous prisons in the US filled by many murderers, staff conduct regular surveillance, which continues throughout the night.
Because of this, inmates are unable to get regular and continuous sleep.
Horner will be let out of his cell for around an hour of exercise per day, but even that is conducted in a cage in the outdoors to ensure inmates do not mix.
Conditions at the prison have been described as 'inhumane' and 'torture' by advocacy group SolitaryWatch.
Yancy Escobar, the wife of inmate Juan Balderas, who has been on death row for 11 years, told Telemundo Houston last month: "He lives there in a small cell for 24 hours.
"Suddenly, they take him out to shower two, three times a week. The only time you can leave that cell is when you go to shower, and they take you in handcuffs. They put you in there, take off the handcuffs, you shower for 15 minutes, and they take you back to your cell."
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues or want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, the Childhelp USA National Child Abuse Hotline (1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453) operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and receives calls from throughout the United States, Canada, US Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico.
If you have experienced a child bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact The Compassionate Friends on (877) 969-0010.
Callum Jones