· 198 comments · Save ·
News & Current Events May 5, 2026 at 8:59 PM

FedEx driver sentenced to death by lethal injection for murder of seven-year-old in Texas

Posted by Tippy345

FedEx driver sentenced to death for murder of seven-year-old in Texas
The Independent
FedEx driver sentenced to death for murder of seven-year-old in Texas
Tanner Lynn Horner pleaded guilty in April to the 2022 kidnapping and murder of Athena Strand
🚩 Report this post

198 Comments

Sign in to comment — or just click the box below.
🔒 Your email is never shown publicly.
Bowllieo May 5, 2026 +13943
I'm sure the company loves him being referred to in that way.
13943
Mundane-Vegetable-31 May 5, 2026 +5196
Fedex, unlike UPS, has most their drivers through contract companies and dont take responsibility for anything.. 
5196
elinamebro May 5, 2026 +2676
Oh so just like Amazon?
2676
Guac_in_my_rarri May 5, 2026 +1647
Yep. All last mile FedEx drivers are contractors. The lowest bid gets the contract. This is why some FedEx service is amazing and others are garbage.
1647
atomicryu May 5, 2026 +857
Not true. FedEx Ground is contractor, FedEx Express are company employees. Express and Ground both do last mile deliveries and pickups.
857
Donnicton May 5, 2026 +337
Company I worked for used FedEx for pickup/shipping hardware for work at home employees, we were explicitly told to use FedEx Express because the FedEx Ground contracts were consistently awful. They did everything they could to pass off their operating time to the recipient - never waited for someone to answer (in some cases never knocking at all), redirected directly to FedEx stores instead of making return delivery attempts, etc. On that same vein though I have also worked for shitty lowest bid subcontractors in other fields so I'm sure the drivers are doing it because they have to because bean counting shitlord managers force their employees into gamesmanship just to make their monthly numbers, so I sympathize with what they're probably going through.
337
EmceeCommon55 May 5, 2026 +186
I work in IT and also ship a lot of hardware, FedEx Ground is so bad we switched to UPS. We used to have a spreadsheet of claims because it was becoming hard to keep track of them all.
186
possibly_on_meth May 5, 2026 +64
I just started working at FedEx and the first day I saw a girl just throwing boxes from the top of the stack on the ground and was surprised, although after excruciating back pain I learned why. 20% of FedEx packages are too big to fit on the conveyor belt which is usually >80lbs. When you are expected to lift and set down 80-120lb boxes for a full shift some stuff may break.
64
muegle May 5, 2026 +113
> FedEx Express Ah yes, Federal Express Express
113
ImBurningStar_IV May 5, 2026 +63
These company legs merged about 2 years ago👀
63
PoSKiix May 5, 2026 +32
Talking out my ass, but I remember them saying that integrating on the technical/systems side of things was going to take a couple years to shake out. Not sure what that integration has looked like since.
32
histbasementdweller May 5, 2026 +25
yeah, a lot of places are still Express. the merge has been slow going.
25
sigma7979 May 5, 2026 +61
> The lowest bid gets the contract As someone who works for one of these contractors, this is absolutely not the case. Theres no bid at all, fedex tells you what the rates of pay are and you can accept or walk away.
61
Different_Stand_1285 May 5, 2026 +33
Anything that is FedEx Ground is contracted. Express are FedEx employees. Source - worked for Ground for a decade.
33
DanFlashes19 May 5, 2026 +270
Ok but that doesn’t really matter at all, the point is that the headlines and story is about a FedEx driver who killed a young girl. Whether he was a contractor or full time employee or whatever doesn’t matter.
270
Montague_usa May 5, 2026 +259
I think the point u/Mundane-Vegetable-31 is making is that, buy hiring their own employees, UPS is able to vet their hires so that things like this are less likely to happen, whereas contracting agencies like the ones FedEx probably uses are a mixed bag.
259
957 May 5, 2026 +82
Which is FedEx's choice. His employer is just a middle man who skims some of the money FedEx pays to employ him. It is by design, FedEx didn't break your package in transit, LocalMan Delivery LLC, their delivery contractor did. You must contact *their* customer service for claims and disputes. Which may insulate them legally, but we all see the logo on the shirt and the side of the truck. He worked for FedEx.
82
Sheeple_person May 5, 2026 +147
And I think Mundane-Vegetable is saying that FedEx deserves the bad press for contracting stuff out on the c**** instead of managing their own business
147
SpleenBender May 5, 2026 +93
And, he used a FedEx truck when he *abducted* her.
93
Arboreal_Web May 5, 2026 +75
That was the detail I scoured the article for - > key evidence that included an hour long audio recording made in [perp’s] delivery vehicle during the attack Given that it happened in a FedEx truck by a FedEx “contractor”, FedEx *should* have their name clearly tied to this, imo.
75
chicagodude84 May 5, 2026 +168
Um....it matters **a lot**, actually. FedEx doesn't want to pay benefits *or be liable for labor laws*. So they hire contractors. Who are vetted by....their contracting company. They want to play it c**** by not hiring actual full time employees. I'm glad this article identifies them as a FedEx employee. They deserve the bad press. Edit in italics.
168
castor--troy May 5, 2026 +19
Kind of like over the road trucking. Independents often push and cheat to be on the road longer than what is considered safe in order to gain a little extra coin. This set up is about not wanting to deal with labor laws and conditions while maximizing profits for someone other than drivers.
19
InjuredGods May 5, 2026 +31
Fedex Ground are contract drivers. Fedex Express are corporate.
31
FrenchBulldozer May 5, 2026 +30
I digress, but the name “FedEx Express” is just as bad as DC Comics or Chai tea.
30
Jeebson May 5, 2026 +15
Express was recently moved to ground contractors. Fed ex is a terrible company.
15
wrecklesspup May 5, 2026 +310
If he worked for Ground he doesn't work for FedEx, but a third party company. But this is what FedEx gets for lying with their marketing making customers think Ground drivers are FedEx employees.
310
Affectionate-Mail-61 May 5, 2026 +26
There is no “ground” the company merged a couple years ago.
26
LiterallyJoeStalin May 5, 2026 +241
I mean, he used the truck to commit the crime so there’s at least a thread of connection there… also, fedex is a shit company so I don’t feel bad for them at all. 
241
TruthinTruth May 5, 2026 +115
Yes, before this I just loved FedEx's shit service.
115
TrainingFilm4296 May 5, 2026 +45
I will ALWAYS pay more to have an item shipped with anyone else.   I can't honestly say I've had a bunch of bad experiences with them, but I have NEVER had a package be on-time.
45
donkeyrocket May 5, 2026 +48
I thought the same but it's somewhat more relevant because he kidnapped her while on the job.
48
Baeolophus_bicolor May 5, 2026 +247
Well, he dragged a little girl into the back of his FedEx truck, assaulted her, then killed her. It is relevant in this case to distinguish him from the other pedos and childkillers currently in the news and White House, for example.
247
ComputerRetarded May 5, 2026 +123
They sent him
123
nocoolN4M3sleft May 5, 2026 +133
They employed him. Doesn’t mean they knew what he was going to do
133
CommieShareFest May 5, 2026 +234
FedEx told the driver to do this bc they hate children
234
Professional-Owl415 May 5, 2026 +115
FedEx based in Tel Aviv?
115
International-Age971 May 5, 2026 +39
He was a convicted and registered sex offender
39
ThriceAlmighty May 5, 2026 +4721
JFC, a part of me died inside reading the details. Especially as a father of a 6 year old amazing daughter. "The recording came from a camera mounted inside the FedEx delivery truck. Horner covered the lens with what looked like a sticky note, but the audio kept rolling for more than an hour. Prosecutors used it as the centerpiece of their case during sentencing. What it captured, based on courtroom reporting: Horner lifting Athena into the back of the truck, then driving off while telling her not to scream or he would hurt her. He asked her how old she was and where she went to school. Before covering the camera he reportedly told her, "You're really pretty. You know that?" He stopped the van, told her they were going to "hang out," and told her to take her shirt off. She cried, asked what he was doing, asked "are you a kidnapper," asked for her mother, and asked to go home. The audio then continued for over an hour with crying, screaming, and banging. The medical examiner ruled she died from blunt force injuries combined with smothering and strangulation."
4721
BubblyFlow6143 May 5, 2026 +3207
The details are actually even so much worse. Like I wanted to puke.  Her poor mother apologized to the jurors for what they had to listen to.
3207
cotton-candy-dreams May 5, 2026 +1720
Yes and the amount of other SA acts he has committed before taking this poor girl is also alarming. It was the cherry on top of an already solid DP case with that audio.
1720
Zenki_s14 May 5, 2026 +1382
As truly vile as that description is, even **that** left out most of the gruesome details. He's truly one of the most disgusting and depraved human beings.
1382
The_Doct0r_ May 5, 2026 +1881
It's moments like this I believe the parents should personally be allowed to end his life themselves however they see fit if they have the desire to.
1881
rckid13 May 5, 2026 +816
[Gary Plauche received no prison time for doing that](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_Jeffrey_Doucet)
816
NarwhalEmergency9391 May 5, 2026 +213
I completely agree with this. 
213
[deleted] May 5, 2026 +37
[removed]
37
SudoDarkKnight May 5, 2026 +496
I'm essentially against the death penalty in all cases because the state (in any country) should never be trusted and has fucked it up so many countless times. But this. Something so clear cut and without fault - yes. And I also agree with your method if the family wanted to do it
496
132739 May 6, 2026 +240
The state absolutely cannot be trusted with the power of the death penalty. But my daughter is only slightly older, so I feel this extra closely, and if it were her, he'd better hope they never let me in range.
240
ryuut May 5, 2026 +224
F*** i feel sick after reading that
224
th3dj3n1gm4 May 5, 2026 +260
As the father of a 9-year-old, I'm going to go cry myself to sleep now. That's enough Internet for the rest of my f****** life.
260
DeathOfADane May 5, 2026 +2002
Every time I see that pic of that little girl n him driving I get so fuckin angry it actually hurts. What a piece of shit.
2002
NarwhalEmergency9391 May 5, 2026 +389
This was one trial I couldn't watch, I would've been crying so much.  That poor girl and her family.  RIP 
389
Worldly_Possible2925 May 5, 2026 +1622
His punishment and subsequent suffering will never be enough repayment for what he did.
1622
[deleted] May 5, 2026 +31
[removed]
31
Kasinder May 5, 2026 +269
Sometimes we can never get back what was taken from us and that's just life.
269
TheFoshizzler May 5, 2026 +387
i'm h******* agains the death-penalty for a multitude of reasons, and this case is no different. you want to give this a****** the easy way out and kill him? absolutely not, put this a****** in solitary confinement for the rest of his life. make him perseverate on it. or whatever he chooses to perseverate on, as he's locked out of society for the rest of his existence.
387
zendayaismeechee May 5, 2026 +186
I agree. I know he likely won’t get the injection for years given the appeals and everything, but it’s still an easy way out. He should live in fear and misery for the rest of his days
186
bubba_feet May 5, 2026 +157
yeah, but this is texas, and a very publicized heinous crime. my money is on him "accidentally" being left in gen pop or other such oversight & having the state sentence conducted by a fellow inmate. it's rare, but known to happen...just ask dahmer.
157
lonnie123 May 5, 2026 +228
Some people just don’t need to exist. I’m generally against the death penalty because I don’t trust the legal system to get it right all the time, but in a perfect world where we 100% know this guy did this I’m fine with POOFing him out of existence. We don’t need to spend the next 50 years feeding and housing this guy
228
Vizsla_Tiribus May 5, 2026 +138
Although I can see why people think its incredibly cruel japans system of not giving them a date allows them to consider what they have done whilst agonising over which day may be their last. If we do as in this case have 100% evidence it was him then I don’t think it’s a bad half measure. Jail is supposed to rehabilitate people but some people just can’t be rehabilitated.
138
TheFoshizzler May 5, 2026 +27
wild, i had no idea this was a thing. definitely apply it to this guy
27
AlexandreFiset May 5, 2026 +44
Lethal injection is unfortunately (and usually) more costly than life in prison without parole.
44
recon_dingo May 5, 2026 +48
That is a fixable problem
48
The_best_is_yet May 5, 2026 +618
holy shit that poor little girl and her family. why... why
618
brightblueson May 5, 2026 +51
Well, it’s Hell to start
51
Turb0___ May 5, 2026 +1064
He was there to deliver a doll the parents had ordered her for Christmas. Absolute tragedy
1064
cacecil1 May 5, 2026 +1924
OMG there was an hour-long audio recording from the truck?! I feel awful for whoever had to listen to that. Jesus. I'd be for the death penalty, but as others have stated, death penalty cases get tied up in so many appeals. I just don't know what the answer is here. RIP to that little girl though and hopefully her family can get some peace eventually.
1924
alliandoalice May 5, 2026 +1057
They were warned and I believe a lot of them left before the recording and the ones who stayed cried
1057
Funkytadualexhaust May 5, 2026 +463
Did the jury have the option to not listen? Guessing not, but..
463
AnneMarieAndCharlie May 5, 2026 +867
no. I was/still am traumatized by serving jury duty in 2012.
867
Aushos-74 May 5, 2026 +285
Does the court offer any counseling when cases are horrific?
285
Sleeping_Goliath May 5, 2026 +226
depends on the city tbh
226
ChickenBeans May 5, 2026 +235
I wasn’t offered 15 years ago but now realizing maybe I should mention it to my therapist…
235
The_Wyzard May 5, 2026 +100
Usually not, nobody in a position of power sets a budget for that.
100
IRefuseToGiveAName May 5, 2026 +149
They barely set a budget to f****** pay anyone. Sure you can't be fired for missing work for jury duty but you can sure as shit be evicted.
149
Odd-Age-1126 May 5, 2026 +56
Often not, no. I read an interesting article a while back about it in the NY Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/10/well/the-hidden-trauma-of-jury-duty.html?unlocked_article_code=1.gFA.lGH3.QVgycCKAXLKJ&smid=url-share (gift link)
56
Texas_Sam2002 May 5, 2026 +541
2009 here, for a person on the FBI's most wanted list. And same. I think about it still. Let's just say that when you get asked during jury selection if you've ever used a chainsaw, the trial is going to be...something.
541
oeioe May 5, 2026 +43
I hope you find peace one day. 
43
slupo May 5, 2026 +157
Part of the screening process for trials like these include questionnaires and warnings that they could be listening/viewing distressing graphic material etc. If you make it as a jury member, it's part of your duty to view the evidence given.
157
Aghast_Cornichon May 5, 2026 +165
I was selected, then dismissed, for a jury in a six-victim, three-generation family annihilation murder that happened on Christmas Eve. I wrote condolence letters to the reporters who had to cover that trial, then both re-trials. The detectives, prosecutors, technical experts, jurors, defense counsel, and judge had to hear that recording. Evidently the reporters did so as well. That's civic duty, right there.
165
RaptorsFromSpace May 5, 2026 +96
They have to. The Tool Box Killers infamously made tape recordings of their crimes, there's a clip of a news report from outside the court room and someone rushes out and for a brief moment you can hear the most blood curdling scream that's impossible to forget. The FBI uses that tape to desensitize agents.
96
CodenameBear May 5, 2026 +676
When this story first came out, he was trying to claim he accidentally hit her and then killed her in a panic. I clicked on the story because that seemed like a crazy take… and then read a line about the audio recording. There was a quote that said something like “I’m warning you, you’re about to hear what a 200-pound man can do to a 60-pound child” and that just sounds… beyond nauseating.
676
flirtmcdudes May 5, 2026 +304
reminds me of a case where a young girl was raped and the police report referenced her hymen was “obliterated,” which made me want to throw up.
304
CodenameBear May 5, 2026 +98
F****** hell.
98
jizzlevania May 5, 2026 +514
apparently he covered up the camera so it wouldn't record the murder but he didn't realize it had sound. He told her to take her shirt off and which point she started calling out, wanting her mom. So I imagine every time her mom has even the briefest moment of silence, she will hear her little girl beg for her for the rest of her life.  When the fedex driver spoke to his own mother after his arrest, she asked him if he raped her and his response was that his meds ruin his libido. 
514
Zenki_s14 May 5, 2026 +341
Well his DNA was found inside of both places below the waist. So he's a f****** liar. The psych professional he'd been speaking to after arrest didn't even know that until she was on the stand answering questions
341
lazytanaka May 5, 2026 +182
Which was a lie from what I’ve heard because he asked her to take her shirt off and then after everything he went and had sex with his fiancée. All that because she caught him snorting a line? Like really?
182
zeusmeister May 5, 2026 +407
Be thankful there was.  That was like the best evidence the prosecution could have wished for and made this case a slam dunk for them.
407
lafolieisgood May 5, 2026 +59
Usually when someone pleads guilty, they forfeit their right to appeals. With that said, death penalty has automatic appeals, so I’m not sure how that plays out. This is the first time I can remember someone pleading guilty and still getting the death penalty. Usually when they are dead to rights, they will plead guilty under the condition that they don’t get the death penalty.
59
Brilliant-Spite-850 May 5, 2026 +188
Cases like this shouldn’t be allowed to appeal. He admitted to it, it’s on video/audio for God’s sake.
188
wilki24 May 5, 2026 +322
It's automatic, because you want to be really, really sure. It's easy to say that in this case it's obvious, but trying to codify that into law isn't so easy. There's been cases where people confess to crimes that they didn't commit, so you can't use that as the basis for a no appeal law if you're at all interested in actual justice being done. Due process is important, especially in cases like this where our emotions run high.
322
Larry_Underwood_108 May 5, 2026 +174
This is important to remember. If appeals were taken out of the process, someone will end up being executed for a crime they did not commit. Not if, but when.
174
Realtrain May 5, 2026 +132
>If appeals were taken out of the process, someone will end up being executed for a crime they did not commit. Even *with* automatic appeals, this happens regularly.
132
KarmaticArmageddon May 5, 2026 +113
Since 1976, we've executed [at least 20 likely innocent people](https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/policy-issues/innocence/executed-but-possibly-innocent). Since 1973, [200 innocent people on death row](https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/policy-issues/innocence) have been exonerated, and it's estimated that at least [4.1% of current death row inmates are innocent](https://www.pnas.org/content/111/20/7230).
113
Vanillabean73 May 5, 2026 +62
Innocent people still get executed. The death penalty should be outlawed federally.
62
11711510111411009710 May 5, 2026 +100
You don't want to start giving out exceptions to that kind of thing because if you let them take an inch they'll take a mile. Sure, it's easy enough to say he shouldn't be allowed to appeal because it's basically an open and shut case. But then five years from now someone with a slightly more complicated decision isn't allowed to appeal. Three more years and someone who maybe didn't do it can't appeal. It's just not the kind of thing we should risk.
100
DimbyTime May 5, 2026 +56
Because the precedent it sets is a slippery slope. Yes, *this* guy is obviously a guilty monster who deserves to die. But plenty of people are coerced and abused into a false confession. Audio recordings can already be credibly imitated by AI. We’re entering into a scary time.
56
bethestorm May 5, 2026 +37
I'm not sure he can appeal the same way because he plead guilty, i would assume in the hope of mercy of the court, but they did not give him any leniency so this whole trial was to determine what the jury was going to sentence him to (death or not). It was a very odd trial in that. But yeah he plead guilty from the start.
37
GCU_ZeroCredibility May 5, 2026 +32
All cases should be allowed to be appealed. To do otherwise is to invited and even guarantee abuses and innocents being jailed. The law isn't meant to only protect those we consider "good" people or only those we deem worthy of protection, it is supposed to protect everyone whether they deserve it or not. If you wonder what happens when that stops being the case I refer you to, well, much of history. And we're leaning heavily in that direction today what with the current weaponization of the DOJ.
32
renegadecanuck May 5, 2026 +42
With the exception of things like genocide and other war crimes, I don't support the death penalty. But in cases like this, I'm not going to be too upset at it.
42
rdunlap1 May 5, 2026 +120
Opposition to the death penalty doesn’t require sympathy for every person put to death. I’m not going to mourn this POS but I’m still going to oppose the death penalty as an institution that we absolutely cannot trust to the government.
120
gonephishin213 May 5, 2026 +11
Death penalty is complicated. Regardless of whether it's a thing or not, in cases like this, the rapist needs to spend the rest of his life in prison, whether that is a short period of time or a long one
11
Weightmonster May 5, 2026 +1088
The worst part of this for me is that kids trust the delivery driver, like the postman. They are in a position of authority. “Community helpers”  She probably trusted him. 
1088
SaneSociopathPolitic May 5, 2026 +439
> She probably trusted him.  She seemingly did, there wasn't a fight until he wanted to go beyond kidnapping
439
unicorntapestry May 5, 2026 +366
I am a parent and I can confirm, my kid loves delivery trucks, garbage trucks, mail trucks. He waves at the drivers, they wave and honk, they hand him the mail and he's so proud to carry the letters inside. We frequently have the same people on our route, he recognizes him. I don't want to take away his innocence because of what one shitstain did. And make him fearful that every person out there is a potential predator, even though that is true. Tanner Horner was delivering Athena's Christmas present.
366
Snoo_censorspeech May 5, 2026 +79
My kid always wanted to run outside and wave to the garbage men, which she did, but I always went out in the yard a bit behind her because you really just don't know. 
79
TrustMeIaLawyer May 5, 2026 +245
Here's what they [heard](https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15792611/fedex-driver-athena-strand-tanner-horner.html): Previous evidence showed that Horner called Athena 'sweetie' and tried to make small talk by asking her age, where she goes to school, her teacher's name and whether her teacher was nice when he put her inside his abduction van. Harrowing audio revealed after the trial showed Athena questioning her kidnapper: 'Is this your house?' Horner replied: 'No, I don't live around here'. 'Where are we going? What are you doing?' the little girl asked a few moments later. Horner answered: 'We are going to hang out for a while.' The killer then ordered the child to remove her shirt and shushed her when she questioned why. She started to cry and asked for her mother.
245
IndecentLongExposure May 5, 2026 +220
F*** I wish I hadn’t read this
220
AbanoMex May 5, 2026 +172
i remember reading that the girl was being taken care of by the new girlfriend of the dad, i dont know why she wasnt watching in that moment, but this event caused so much strain on their relationship that they are no longer together.
172
Weightmonster May 5, 2026 +103
Yeah. I’m never going to let my kids out of my sight until they are teenagers at least.  Reports said it was a very rural area, so maybe she let her guard down? The kidnapping appears to have happened in matter of minutes. Maybe less than a minute. 
103
ayriuss May 5, 2026 +75
I drive around neighborhoods as part of my job. I'm always relieved when I see very young kids outside playing, seemingly by themselves, but then a parent comes out to watch me leave. There are just a lot of sickos out there. You can't fully protect your kids, but you have to try.
75
kos-or-kosm May 5, 2026 +63
I mean this sort of thing is infinitely more likely to be done by a family member than a random delivery driver, and kids trust their families. "Kids shouldn't trust delivery drivers" is not the lesson you should be taking from this tragedy.
63
joegetto May 5, 2026 +3057
It’s funny how he gets labeled “fedex driver” with crime, but the police always get “former officer”.
3057
dafunkmunk May 5, 2026 +569
The news always reports bad news about republicans with just get labeled senator, congressman, candidate but if it's bad news about a democrat, they always make sure you label them as a democrat in the headlines. Same thing when there is a story like "the house votes against UBI and minimum wage increase" when all democrats voted yes and all the Republicans voted no. But when democrats vote against something like increasing funding for public libraries because it's one small part of an overall terrible bill that would remove all funding for public schools, the headline will be "democrats vote against increasing funding for libraries"
569
Discount_Extra May 5, 2026 +128
> but if it's bad news about a democrat, they always make sure you label them as a democrat in the headlines. because when a politician does something immoral, you can usually assume they are republican, so they only call out the exceptional cases.
128
KarmaticArmageddon May 5, 2026 +41
It's almost like a small collection of conservative billionaires own an increasingly large swathe of all news media and use their power to subtly influence how news is presented to us to advance their own agenda or something
41
Basic-Tonight6006 May 5, 2026 +189
Aww his bullshit story did him nothing in the end anyways. Bye pervert loser scum
189
Similar_Two_542 May 5, 2026 +162
Did he think he was going to get away with it? Do they not suspect he killed others too?
162
Shinagami091 May 5, 2026 +82
For real. Everyone’s got a ring camera on their door these days. And he don’t think the cameras in the van also picked up audio?
82
FluxKraken May 5, 2026 +1398
>presenting testimony about his troubled upbringing, autism diagnosis This is insulting, I have autism. There is nothing about my mental condition that makes me want to abduct and murder people.
1398
HildaCrane May 5, 2026 +438
The way they discussed his autism like it was a contributing factor was the grossest part of the defense
438
UBC145 May 5, 2026 +137
Tbf it’s their job to represent and defend even the worst criminals, so sometimes they’ll be grasping at straws like this.
137
3tricksinatrenchcoat May 5, 2026 +41
The professional opinion and character witnesses they brought in to help reduce his chances of receiving the death penalty tried many weak lame excuses
41
Dale9Fingers May 5, 2026 +95
The full quote: >presenting testimony about his troubled upbringing, autism diagnosis, exposure to toxic levels of lead, and mental health struggles Wasn't like autism was the only thing listed here. Toxic levels of lead will definitely make you unhinged.
95
Luciusvenator May 5, 2026 +51
Damn thats crazy if true. Lead poisoning makes people go genuinely insane. Its still debated but there's strong evidence leaded gasoline contributed to such high violent crime rates in the US in the 70s/80s and thst this shows up in other countries too where lead gas was present.
51
mamaterrig May 5, 2026 +244
The recording is so tragic, he killed her after he sa'd her and she said she was going to tell her dad because he wasn't allowed to do that to her. They should give the family 10 minutes of unrestricted access to him. I hope he gets what is coming to him in jail...waste of oxygen.
244
That_Communication71 May 5, 2026 +150
I wonder how many other kids he's killed that are still missing.
150
Lythieus May 5, 2026 +191
Tried to blame Autism and lead exposure? F*** right off with that. 
191
Street_bob May 5, 2026 +61
[ Removed by Listnook ]
61
spazzxxcc12 May 5, 2026 +1032
it’s really hard for me to want to keep my stance on the death penalty when it comes to cases like this.
1032
MN_Yogi1988 May 5, 2026 +1053
It’s easier for me, but mainly because I believe keeping them alive and imprisoned is a worse punishment.
1053
BushTamer May 5, 2026 +441
This. I see death as the easy way out
441
Boogie_Boof May 5, 2026 +78
He’ll probably be on death row for like 30 years before he’s actually executed. He’s probably gonna be solitary as well since his crime involved a child. I’ve read that inmates don’t take kindly to people who commit those kind of crimes.
78
Aquiper May 5, 2026 +236
Not to mention irreversible. What if they got the wrong person. Can't Lethality Uninject Them
236
Sparkyisduhfat May 5, 2026 +160
Exactly this. In the last 50 years, the US government has admitted to executing at least 202 people despite later finding them innocent. I completely understand believing some crimes, like genocide, warrant the death penalty, but if we are executing any number of innocent people, then the system is severely flawed and shouldn’t be happening.
160
PM-ME-YOUR-BUTTSHOLE May 5, 2026 +97
I’m not against the death penalty, I’ve just never heard of a government that I trust to sentence people to death.
97
AppendixN May 5, 2026 +7
My position as well. Although I wish there were some way to allow it in cases as clearly guilty as this while not administering it when there's any possibility of error.
7
skip_tracer May 5, 2026 +4
Exactly how I feel. I do not like the idea of a government executing people, and my inherent distrust of governments leads me to the conclusion that the solution to the problem(s) is to imprison the worst of the accused to life in prison and let the appeals process play out accordingly. That said, I readily admit that it's easy for me to take this stance as I haven't lost a loved one to crime, and I can't imagine the visceral need for justice and revenge for those that have suffered. I also think that some people just don't deserve to live for what they've done, so I try to remain neutral and not debate or judge the topic.
4
flamedarkfire May 5, 2026 +61
Not with that attitude
61
Hybrid_Johnny May 5, 2026 +23
Just gotta suck the poison out
23
Tomdv2 May 5, 2026 +55
I assure you they 100% got the right person in this case.
55
BroJackson_ May 5, 2026 +38
If it's the easy way out, you wouldn't see them plea bargain to life sentences, or appeal for stays. In prison, they'll get accustomed to it, and they'll find some sense of contentment and peace - even if it takes a while. And I'd prefer they never do that. I'd prefer they not know the date of their death, but know that it will be in the next 365 days. It could be tomorrow, it could be 12 months from today. They'll know it when someone shows up at their door to take them.
38
unicorntapestry May 5, 2026 +67
He wanted life in prison which is enough for me to want the death penalty for him. There's just no room for any doubt in this case, the evidence is absolutely clear, her murder is audio recorded. He does not deserve breath.
67
BeleagueredWDW May 5, 2026 +37
They don’t think that, though. If that were true, we’d not see many ever fighting in court to serve life in prison over being executed.
37
blueskies8484 May 5, 2026 +194
That’s why I don’t think of it on a case by case basis. I don’t want our judicial system having the right to execute people for a variety of reasons and I don’t want the edge cases where I personally would approve of it determining our systems in general.
194
Realtrain May 5, 2026 +131
I love this elegant way of putting it: To support the death penalty means you agree with one of the following two statements. 1. The legal system is infallible and never makes mistakes. 2. It's acceptable for a government to kill innocent citizens who have done nothing wrong. Well we know for a fact #1 isn't true, and I don't agree with #2. Therefore I'm against the death penalty.
131
AssCrackBanditHunter May 5, 2026 +70
Yup. Part of making sure the government doesn't kill innocent people is taking away their right to kill even people you believe whole heartedly don't deserve to live.
70
ILikeTuwtles1991 May 5, 2026 +108
It's estimated that *at least* 4.1% of people in the US sentenced to death are actually innocent. That's the main reason I'm vehemently against the death penalty. While our justice system isn't perfect, it's literally killed people for crimes they didn't commit. At least long-term sentences give people a chance to overturn their convictions.
108
camerabird May 5, 2026 +15
Wow, 4.1% is crazy. That's about 1 out of every 24.
15
LogensTenthFinger May 5, 2026 +77
That's because it isn't about individual criminals or actions. It's irrelevant that this guy deserves the death penalty, because *inevitably* the state will kill innocent people. We've had innocent men exonerated just in the last few weeks. I am not willing to kill even one innocent person just to get our justice boner hard over this guy being humanely put to death. Don't mistake that for me caring about this thing. I do not. No amount of its suffering would make me so much as bat an eyelash. But that's just not the point.
77
Atkena2578 May 5, 2026 +12
Being against the death penalty imo isn't about individual people being convicted/sentenced but what it represents: a way for the government to execute its citizens with virutally endless means to do so with the apparatus of the state. It is also collateral/adjacent to our justice system and jury verdicts and sentencing being far from perfect (also mostly affecting POCs or people with mental illness) which when it comes to ending a human life doesn't sit well with me.
12
Ender_D May 5, 2026 +36
It doesn’t really change things. The individual cases shouldn’t. Opposition to the death penalty comes from the 1) sheer number of innocent people that are executed (estimated to be ~4% of all federal executions), 2) the complete lack of deterrence found in studies of the death penalty, 3) the much higher cost of executing people than just holding them in prison for the rest of their life, and 4) opposition to the state being able to kill its own citizens, and what that power could be used to legally justify.
36
nocoolN4M3sleft May 5, 2026 +48
It costs a lot and takes too much time to put criminals to death, due to all the appeals and how long the court system takes to process all of this stuff.
48
Spire_Citron May 5, 2026 +28
Yeah, plus all the baggage that comes along with it. This may be a nice clean case where the crime really is exceptionally bad and the evidence is solid, but there's plenty of cases where it's just not used appropriately. We can talk all day about how things should be done, but the reality of how these things have actually been handled has convinced me this just isn't an option that should exist.
28
metametapraxis May 5, 2026 +408
And in 30 years, they will execute him. Edit: Life without parole would be a lot cheaper and have the same protective effect for society.
408
10OCT77 May 5, 2026 +223
He is in Texas, I dont think it will be that long
223
OutsourcedIconoclasm May 5, 2026 +88
Average time from sentencing to execution is like 15 years in Texas.
88
GnmbSkll May 5, 2026 +9
So far, I don’t think so
9
NPJenkins May 5, 2026 +101
Texas will have him dead before Christmas lol
101
RapNVideoGames May 5, 2026 +43
Imagine if fedex made the chem delivery lol
43
RbtB-8 May 5, 2026 +141
All this talk about the driver? He deserves death. How about that poor 7 year old girl that he murdered? Can you imagine the terror she felt as she tried to fight him off? And what her parents experienced?
141
yahoo_determines May 5, 2026 +126
Ya i don't know how you recover from this. If my 7 year old was my only child I'd probably just check out early after this. Just awful awful awful
126
Storm_Chaser06 May 5, 2026 +121
F*** that dude for blaming autism for his actions. That’s not the fault of autism at all. He thought of it and did it consciously.
121
Puzzleheaded_Bed1781 May 5, 2026 +125
I don’t get it. What drives someone to WANT to murder a child???
125
EschatonDreadwyrm May 5, 2026 +293
This guy was a pedo who’d been caught before. He wanted to molest another kid, but he didn’t want to get caught, so he killed the only witness - the child herself. That’s why. A lot of sex offenders escalate to murder this way. They do not want to stop offending and feel entitled to r*** without being punished. Since a surviving victim is a witness who can report them, they kill the victim and hide the body to escape detection.
293
theaverageaidan May 5, 2026 +64
This actually brings up something I think a lot about; prevention vs reaction is tricky. There are all of these mandatory reporting laws and stuff if people have vile thoughts and try to seek treatment for them, so they dont get treatment. Most people who think stuff like this likely never act on it, but when they do we wonder how could they do this, but were kind of getting in the way of knowing, because its so against how were taught to think, I would probably say most people would want someone who thinks things like this to be tossed them in jail even if they havent done anything. This leads to the only understanding we have of it being people the 1) had these thoughts, 2) acted on them, 3) got caught, and 4) who are actually studied. If we want to truly *prevent* stuff like this happening instead of just punishing the people who commit crimes, its gonna take a much deeper understanding of *why* they do it, and thats gonna be hard for most people.
64
Tencentstamp May 5, 2026 +7
So what do you suggest?
7
CorwyntFarrell May 5, 2026 +21
He had already done horrible things and had suffered little consequences.
21
Seniorseatfree May 5, 2026 +54
I am so disturbed by that screen’s image.
54
SourFix May 5, 2026 +58
Lethal Injection is too humane for this f****** monster
58
OakLegs May 5, 2026 +81
I have a 7 year old daughter. That photo of her in his van makes me feel bad things.
81
NerfAkira May 5, 2026 +339
awful person, and good that he is facing justice but i dont understand the comments saying "i don't believe in the death penalty but..." if you truly dont believe in the death penalty, no matter the monster, its never okay to authorize a state/country to euthanize a human being. whether its moral regarding killing, or logic based in that the government shouldn't hold such power, or even punishment based, as lethal injection can be seen as the easy way out. he's scum, but i believe he should rot in a cell for an eternity, and his actions don't even begin to make me waver that the death penalty is ALWAYS wrong for a threat that is already contained.
339
Ender_D May 5, 2026 +57
Yes. It shouldn’t really change things. The individual cases shouldn’t. Opposition to the death penalty comes from the 1) sheer number of innocent people that are executed (estimated to be ~4% of all federal executions), 2) the complete lack of deterrence found in studies of the death penalty, 3) the much higher cost of executing people than just holding them in prison for the rest of their life, and 4) opposition to the state being able to kill its own citizens, and what that power could be used to legally justify.
57
swimmer385 May 5, 2026 +9
5. there is no way of killing people that isn't cruel and/or unusual. just look up descriptions of people who are there for lethal injections
9
pizza_whistle May 5, 2026 +134
I think for some of us, like myself, I actually am fine with the death penalty if we can 100% guarantee that someone is guilty. However tons of innocent people are put into the system every year and personally I don't think it's worth it if a single innocent person is condemned to death.
134
ZincLloyd May 5, 2026 +35
Yup. I’m not against the death penalty for some high minded, sanctity of life reason. I have no ethical problem with a heinous murder like this guy catching a (metaphorical) bullet. I’m against the death penalty because the likelihood of an innocent person being executed is not zero in our justice system and thus the death penalty isn’t worth having.
35
FocusFlukeGyro May 5, 2026 +40
My problem with the death penalty are all times they are executed but later found to be innocent. It's unconscionable.
40
IntriguedPsycho2 May 5, 2026 +42
Then you got the people frothing at the mouth about the prospect of torturing the guy. He committed a heinous act that killed someone and destroyed the lives of an entire family. But I don’t think we want a state where we so freely endorse the torture and/or death of our criminals. Because no doubt it will eventually come to target the innocent.
42
phredbull May 5, 2026 +29
Those people don't dsitinguish between "justice" & "vengeance".
29
rclonecopymove May 5, 2026 +22
This, if you are for the death penalty you are for the taking of innocent life. The fallibility of man combined with the availability of the death penalty means innocent people will be killed. There is no need for it in time of peace in a modern society. 
22
Snoo_censorspeech May 5, 2026 +62
That he felt so comfortable doing this. And then murder, which even for child rapists is a HUGE escalation of their  evil, I feel like he has other victims out there. I hope they can get him to give locations/victim information if so. Could be a serial killer... 
62
Jackielegs43 May 5, 2026 +57
FedEx must be absolutely fucken spewing that their name is in every single headline regarding this
57
[deleted] May 5, 2026 +81
[removed]
81
[deleted] May 5, 2026 +176
[deleted]
176
Bgrngod May 5, 2026 +69
On the other side, there are some clear believers in the death penalty up in here. No wishy-washy yadda yadda to be found in those comments.
69
quirkytorch May 5, 2026 +25
The singular issue I have with the penalty is not everyone in death row is guilty. I support it 100% for cases like this, where it's definitely the right perp. Some people just don't deserve to be alive
25
Yourfavoritemarfan May 5, 2026 +56
We should really just have a wood chipper for these types. 
56
Kytyngurl2 May 5, 2026 +40
“I want you to know that you are nothing. You are a footnote in Athena's story. Her name will forever be remembered. Her name will forever be celebrated and everyone will forget you. You wanted your 15 minutes of fame. You got it. And no one's going to remember you after this.”
40
Odd-Syllabub-3642 May 5, 2026 +21
I just saw another case where parents killed their disabled child by putting a lethal amount of alcohol in her feeding tube on multiple occasions. They only got 15 years for doing that to their own defenseless child while getting paid by the state to be a caretaker. How does any of this make sense. Glad to see SOMEONE getting a life sentence for killing a kid but it seems like that isn’t always the case
21
Alexthegreat0521 May 5, 2026 +17
[ Removed by Listnook ]
17
skiguitarbikebeer May 5, 2026 +9
[ Removed by Listnook ]
9
MoneyMakingMitch1 May 5, 2026 +16
Honestly, he got the easy way out. People like this should suffer.
16
KingOfStarfox May 5, 2026 +25
Ron White was right. "If you kill somebody in Texas, we will kill you back, thats our policy"
25
ChefCurryYumYum May 5, 2026 +14
Terrible crime but glad he's been found guilty and whether it takes years to get there he'll never live any kind of normal life again.
14
Libertyprime8397 May 5, 2026 +8
From delivering packages to getting delivered to hell
8
hyper_espace May 5, 2026 +10
Justice was served. The guy just didn't murder his victim, he raped that 7 year old while singing some stupid shit.
10
Buttholescraper May 6, 2026 +11
:/ why not pelted with baseballs this should be an option as a warning to others. Why not crotch kicks? lets get creative here.
11
JiveChicken00 May 5, 2026 +50
I oppose the death penalty, even against people like this, for practical rather than moral reasons. He is going to get round after round of appeals in state and then federal court before ever getting close to a needle, all of which will cost the taxpayers a fortune. And I’d rather have him rotting in prison thinking about what he did for 50 years than be dead - that seems like a much worse punishment.
50
whipplej May 5, 2026 +72
Remember when you're feeling incredibly sick and horrified from this that the president and some of the people around him have done similar acts against children.
72
← Back to Board