FedEx Killer Tanner Horner Accused of Sexually Assaulting Underage Girls and Admitting to Rape Fantasies Years Before Murdering Athena Strand, 7
Tanner Horner could face the death penalty after admitting to strangling Athena Strand.
April 16 2026, Updated 4:25 p.m. ET
Two women have accused FedEx Killer Tanner Horner of sexually assaulting them when they were underage – years before he admitted that he abducted and strangled 7-year-old Athena Strand to death, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
One witness told the court that Horner raped her twice when she 16 and he was 22 years old.
Horrifying Allegations
Tanner Horner was accused of sexual assault by two women.
The first incident allegedly occurred in 2013.
The alleged victim claimed Horner took her home and asked her to lie to his grandmother about how old she was before they went out back to a shed on the property to smoke marijuana and drink booze together.
"That night when I decided it was time to go to sleep, I laid down," she stated to the jury. "Tanner Horner started grabbing a hold of me, kissing me, and proceeded to have sex with me."
She alleged that she told Horner the following day that she did not want a sexual relationship with him.
However, when she fell asleep at his home after smoking and drinking with him a few months later, she allegedly awoke to him sexually assaulting her again.
The witness claimed that she "completely froze" and "shut down" because she didn't know what to do, so she just "let it happen."
A Terrifying Similar Story
A second alleged victim claimed Horner told her rape fantasies.
The second witness, who also claimed to have been 16 at the time, said she had similar experiences with Horner the following year.
The alleged victim knew Horner because they were in a band together and had a number of mutual friends. Their casual friendship took a disturbing turn when Horner allegedly began telling her about twisted rape fantasies.
Things allegedly escalated further when they were both staying over at a friend's home and were sharing a bed. She clarified that she never agreed to have a sexual relationship with him.
"I became conscious and came too to Tanner Horner raping me," she said in court.
While being cross-examined, she alleged that she eventually "went along with it," but stated she was too young to consent legally.
Tanner Horner Confessed to Killing Athena Strand
Athena Strand was tragically abducted and killed at 7 years old.
Horner confessed to murdering the 7-year-old little girl in Texas in 2022 in a lengthy letter written to her parents.
"To Athena’s family, I wanted to start by saying how sorry I am about Athena," he penned. "I can’t hold it in any longer. I’ve done a terrible thing to your family and I’m sorry. I can’t tell you how many countless nights I’ve stayed awake, unable to sleep. I pray for you, for all of you."
He attributed his actions in part to not reacting well to changes in routine or other situations that are "unpredictable in nature."
"My employer started making random changes to my route, adding stuff from other routes, so they could make more money," he continued. "I don’t do well with change. Again, I can have meltdowns when unexpected changes to my daily routine happen."
As Radar previously recorded, he additionally claimed he did not sexually assault the little girl in a recorded jail call with his mother.
A Father's Emotional Plea
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Athena Strand's father confessed that he felt 'horrible' he wasn't able to save his daughter.
During the trial, Strand's tearful father took the stand as he begged the court to dole out the death penalty when the time comes for Horner to be sentenced.
"It made me feel horrible. You know, like, I should have done something or been there," he said in his emotional statement. "I wasn’t there to protect them like I should be, like a father’s role."
