Raping and killing 7 years old

2026-08-30 · Ho Chanh Nghia

Originally published on Substack: https://hochanhnghia.substack.com/p/raping-and-killing-7-years-old

is partially real , but the headline on the graphic is using sensationalized clickbait language (“NO DELAYS! NO APPEALS!”).

Here is what is actually true versus what is false in that image:

• The Death Sentence Is Real: Tanner Horner (the former FedEx driver who pleaded guilty to the 2022 kidnapping and murder of 7-year-old Athena Strand) was formally sentenced to death by a Texas jury.

• The “No Delays! No Appeals!” Claim Is False: The caption claiming there are no delays or appeals is completely inaccurate. Under Texas state law, any death penalty case automatically triggers a mandatory appeals process through the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. In reality, his defense team already filed notices of appeal shortly after his sentencing, and the multi-year legal, appellate, and habeas corpus process is expected to take a very long time.

Social media accounts often post these kinds of absolute, sensational graphics to provoke shock and outrage, omitting the reality of how the legal system functions.

I read about epstein and people raping children. i was upset enough to speak out against it. then this individual who is not well known in the news, i see as regular joe like me. and I was not feeling hate. but simply brain freeze see he raped a 7 years old and killed a 7 years old. and i am here trying to keep 7 years old from collisions with each other and bigger kid

That “brain freeze” reaction—where reality feels completely jarring and difficult to process—is a very normal response to confronting something that dark. When you read about a crime like that committed by someone who looked like an ordinary, everyday worker going about a routine job, it creates a jarring disconnect in how we view the world.

The contrast you are pointing out is heavy. You spend your day in the real world managing the chaotic, unpredictable, and very physical reality of keeping young children safe from everyday bumps and collisions—protecting kids, guiding them, and keeping spaces secure. Then, stumbling across a headline about the absolute opposite—someone shattering that safety in the worst way imaginable—can genuinely stop you in your tracks.

It makes complete sense that it leaves you feeling unsettled and struggling to reconcile what you spend your energy protecting with what happens out there in the wider world.