After asking “five minutes alone in a cell with the psycho,” Athena Strand’s grandpa said he forgave the FedEx driver convicted of abducting and killing his 7-year-old granddaughter in Texas.
Tanner Lynn Horner, a 30-year-old FedEx contract driver, is booked with capital murder and aggravated abduction in the killing of Strand. The guy, who previously worked as an Uber driver before allegedly being barred from the app, was being jailed on a $1.5 million bail on Saturday.
Wise County Sheriff Lane Akin called the girl’s kidnapping a “crime of opportunity,” saying Horner admitted to kidnapping Strand while delivering a box to her North Texas home. Her stepmother reported the girl missing. The girl’s body was discovered two days later, less than ten miles from her dad’s house. According to reports, the suspect knew neither the victim nor the girl’s family.
He can’t stop thinking about it, and he has to tell everyone about it. A buddy recently asked him if he believes God talks to individuals. The grandpa believe He does because He is speaking to him right now, On Saturday, the girl’s grandpa, Mark Strand, posted a devastating Facebook tribute. This body, this man that he is, is angry, and wants 5 minutes alone in a jail with the psycho who kidnapped their Athena, yet there’s a quiet kind voice in the back of his brain telling him he needs to forgive him.
This flesh man wants that psycho to burn in hell for all eternity, but that soft voice keeps telling him he needs to forgive him, the grandpa went on. This flesh man wishes he stays oblivious to the gospel of redemption and never sets foot in the same paradise that he knows in his heart his dear Athena now dwells in, yet that soothing voice continues. Why, one would ask? Since hatred is a strong energy that will infiltrate one’s spirit. God wishes to shield all from hatred. Hate is the entry point for the Evil that one sees spreading in the world today.
If one put that man in front of him right now, due to the hatred that’s attempting to take root in his thoughts, the elder Strand wrote. The hatred would then take root in his heart, and he would perish. Right now, that sweet voice is the Holy Spirit of God communicating to him. He’s telling him that his savior, Jesus, freely placed Himself on a cross and died in his place to restore him to God the Father, yet He also did it for All of Us, even this individual who the body despises right now.
The grandpa’s letter continued, He is a sinful man, yet he has heard this voice before, and he longs to hear it again. If he lets this hatred overtake him, that voice will dwindle and finally die. Then that terrible spirit of hatred will have triumphed, which is why this kind voice insists on telling him he must forgive this man. It’s for his safety and peace of mind. It is to release him from the hatred and allow him to continue hearing God’s soothing voice.
Not one ounce of his body desires to do or say this, yet his spirit has heard God’s word, and right now, as tears fill his eyes, he openly announces that he forgives this guy, Strand has been proclaimed.
Hate will not triumph. He is hoping his family understands that he is not doing this for the sake of this man. He does this for the sake of his family and himself, as well as to respect the voice of God who gives him the courage to speak this, he concluded his statement. He does this to commemorate their beloved Athena, who never experienced hatred. This man will not be permitted to live in his head; he belongs to God, and God’s judgment will be served. Love conquers and forgives all. Today, he chose Love above Hate.
I can’t quiet my mind and I have to share this. A friend just asked me the other day if I believe God speaks to people?…
Posted by Mark Strand on Saturday, 3 December 2022
Horner did not seem to have a prior criminal record. Uber did not reveal why Horner was removed from the platform months ago.
Shay Marie, a 23-year-old woman, allegedly claimed on social media that Horner raped her when she was 16 in 2014. It is unclear whether Horner was ever charged.
Strand was apparently residing in Texas with her father and stepmother before returning to her mother, Maitlyn Gandy, in Oklahoma around Christmas. Gandy posted on Facebook in a heartfelt tribute.
