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Texas officials announced on Tuesday, December 20, 2022, that the man accused of murder 7-year-old Athena Strand is also accused of s*xually assaulting a child.
While the suspect, Tanner Horner, was initially charged with capital murder and aggravated kidnapping, he will now face three additional charges of s*xual assault of a child. It is worth noting that it is unclear whether the s*xual assault charges were for Athena or were older charges.
Trigger warning: This article contains details of the s*xual assault and murder of a child. Discretion is advised.
According to KWTX, the 31-year-old was a private contractor with Fed-Ex when he went to the Strand family home on November 30, 2022, to deliver Christmas presents. Horner reportedly came across Athena Strand, who he is said to have kidnapped and strangled to death.
In his confession to the Forth Worth police officers, Horner said that he killed Athena because he accidentally hit her with the van, and panicked about the potential consequences. Authorities now claim that Horner is now also charged with assaulting a child.
At the same time, KCENTV reported that the new charges are unrelated to the Athena Strand killing, and stem from an incident in 2013.
While Horner has no prior criminal history, his social media profiles indicate that he has been accused of predatory behavior in the past, as multiple women have accused him of assault.
Should Fed-Ex indirectly be held responsible for the Athena Strand killing?
As per KWTX, authorities tracked down Horner after determining that he had been driving for FedEx in Athena Strand's area at the time of her disappearance. WFAA reported that Horner worked for Big Topspin, a company that is frequently used by FedEx to hire drivers.
In the aftermath of the killing, Athena Strand's father, Jacob Strand, filed a $1000000 lawsuit against FedEx. He alleged that their negligence and lack of screening ultimately led to his daughter's murder.
FedEx responded to the claims and said that the companies that provide them with the services have their own employees, vehicles and equipment. They added that they aren't at liberty to discuss the details of personnel who are employed by their service providers.
In a separate statement, the company said they do conduct background checks on employees. However, it was Horner's lack of an official criminal record that made it difficult to screen him.
The statement added that the employees from FedEx's service provider companies undergo a criminal history background check, which is a part of their driver eligibility progress. It continued to say that it is a common practice across the industry and is a standard employment practice which is conducted by a third party.
As per the Star Telegram, after Horner's December 2, 2022, arrest, a woman claimed that he had assaulted her eight years ago. Officials did not confirm whether or not these allegations were related to the new charges that Horner faces.
As per Wise County Sheriff Lane Akin, authorities are seeking the death penalty against Horner.
