Wise County prosecutors will seek the death penalty for Tanner Horner, the former FedEx delivery driver charged with kidnapping and killing 7-year-old Athena Strand in November.
Horner was formally charged with capital murder of a person under 10 and aggravated kidnapping by a Wise County grand jury last week.
Wise County Sheriff Lane Akin confirmed the county district attorney's office will pursue the death penalty if 31-year-old Horner is convicted.
Akin said the paperwork for that punishment has already been filed.
Police say Horner admitted to hitting Athena with his van during a delivery to her home on Nov. 30. According to the charging document, Horner said he was afraid the girl would tell her father and put Athena in his van, where he tried to break her neck.
When that didn’t work, police say he strangled her and left her body miles away from her home. She was found dead two days after her disappearance.
Horner will have a chance to enter his plea in court on March 6. His attorney declined to comment Wednesday.
Both Strand's mother and father have filed a lawsuit against Horner, FedEx and Big Topspin, the contracting company who hired Horner.
"This lawsuit is about Athena Strand - a vibrant young girl who deserves to have her memory live on for the good she brought to the world," the lawsuit reads. "It is about a life that was taken senselessly - a child who could have been any of ours."
FedEx did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The company previously released a statement saying FedEx was cooperating in the investigation.
An attorney for Big Topspin did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Got a tip? Email Toluwani Osibamowo at tosibamowo@kera.org. You can follow Toluwani on Twitter @tosibamowo.
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