Sexual assault charges filed against Texas delivery man accused of killing 7-year-old girl
Prosecutors charged a FedEx driver who was arrested this month and accused of killing a 7-year-old girl with sexual assault of a minor, jail records in Texas revealed.
Tanner Lynn Horner, 31, had been booked into custody and charged with capital murder and aggravated kidnapping, and Wise County jail records now show he also faces three counts of sexual assault on a child.
It is not clear whether the new charges are related to the death of Athena Strand.
Horner had told investigators the girl was not seriously injured when he accidentally backed his truck into her, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.
He told investigators that he “panicked” and feared “she was going to tell her father about being hit by the FedEx truck the Defendant was operating,” leading him to strangle her, the affidavit said.
Horner's attorney and representatives for Wise County District Attorney James Stainton and Sheriff Lane Akin could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday.
The girl's father, Jacob Strand, has sued the delivery driver, FedEx and the contractor who hired Horner.
The suit claims FedEx holds “significant control” over employees and contractors who deliver packages. He accused FedEx and Big Topspin, the contractor who hired Horner, of negligence.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
