The assassination of Millie Horn

The assassination of Millie Horn refers to the triple homicide committed on March 3, 1993, in which Mildred "Millie" Horn, her eight-year-old son Trevor Horn, and Trevor's nurse Janice Saunders were murdered in a contract killing arranged by Lawrence Horn, Mildred's ex-husband and Trevor's father. The case is not a formal legal term but rather a descriptive designation used in true crime literature to identify this specific murder-for-hire prosecution.

Lawrence Horn, motivated by financial gain, hired James Perry to carry out the killings. Trevor Horn had been severely disabled since birth and had received a substantial medical malpractice settlement. As the boy's father, Lawrence Horn stood to inherit the settlement funds if both his ex-wife and son were deceased. Perry traveled from Detroit to Maryland and executed all three victims in their home, establishing the interstate element crucial to federal jurisdiction.

The case was prosecuted under 18 U.S.C. § 1958, the federal murder-for-hire statute, which criminalizes the use of interstate commerce facilities or travel across state lines with the intent that murder be committed for pecuniary value. Both Lawrence Horn and James Perry were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. The prosecution successfully demonstrated that Horn had hired Perry, that Perry had crossed state lines to commit the murders, and that the motive was Horn's desire to obtain his son's settlement money.

The case gained additional notoriety due to civil litigation against Paladin Press, publisher of the book "Hit Man: A Technical Manual for Independent Contractors," which Perry had allegedly used as a guide. The litigation raised significant First Amendment questions about publisher liability for criminal acts inspired by published material, ultimately resulting in a settlement before final judicial resolution of the constitutional issues.