Lawrence Horn was a successful musician, record producer and chief recording engineer for Motown Records in the 1960s and 1970s. He worked with some of the most famous artists of the time, such as The Temptations, Junior Walker and the All-Stars, and Holland-Dozier-Holland. He had a lavish lifestyle, a beautiful wife, and three children. But behind the scenes, he was also a greedy and ruthless man who plotted to murder his ex-wife, his disabled son, and his son’s nurse in order to inherit a multimillion-dollar trust fund. This is the shocking story of how Lawrence Horn’s cause of death was his own greed and how he was eventually brought to justice.
The Family Tragedy
Lawrence Horn met his second wife, Mildred Maree, in 1972 on a first-class flight to Los Angeles. They married in Las Vegas in 1973 and had a daughter, Tiffani, in 1974. The couple had a tumultuous relationship and separated several times, but reconciled after Mildred became pregnant with twins in 1984. She gave birth to Trevor and Tamielle in August of that year.
However, their happiness was short-lived. In 1985, Trevor suffered a severe brain damage during a surgical procedure that left him quadriplegic and dependent on a respirator. The family sued the hospital and won a $1.7 million settlement, which was placed in a trust fund for Trevor’s care. Lawrence and Mildred divorced in 1987, but continued to share custody of the children.
Lawrence moved to Hollywood and worked as a freelance producer and engineer after being laid off by Motown in 1990. He soon fell into debt and owed $16,000 in overdue child support. He also learned that Trevor’s trust fund had grown to $2 million and that he would inherit it if Trevor died before he turned 18.
The Murder Plot
Lawrence decided to hire a hitman to kill his ex-wife, his son, and his son’s nurse in order to get his hands on the money. He contacted James Perry, a man he had met through his cousin, Thomas Turner. Perry was a self-proclaimed minister who had also served time for armed robbery and assault.
Lawrence paid Perry $8,000 in advance and promised him another $50,000 after the job was done. He also gave him detailed information about his family’s whereabouts, routines, and security system. He instructed him to make the murders look like a robbery gone wrong.
On March 2, 1993, Perry flew from Detroit to Washington D.C. He checked into a motel near Mildred’s house in Silver Spring, Maryland. He also bought a .22 caliber pistol and a silencer from an illegal gun dealer.
That night, he broke into Mildred’s house and shot her multiple times in her bedroom. He then went upstairs and shot Janice Saunders, the nurse who was caring for Trevor. He finally disconnected Trevor’s respirator and suffocated him with a pillow.
He then ransacked the house and took some items of little value, such as jewelry, cash, and credit cards. He left behind Trevor’s trust fund documents and Mildred’s expensive fur coat.
The next morning, Mildred’s sister Vivian came by to check on them and discovered the horrific scene. She called the police and reported the triple homicide.
The Investigation
The police initially suspected that Lawrence was involved in the murders, but he had an alibi. He claimed that he was at his apartment in Hollywood at the time of the killings. He even recorded himself watching TV on a video camera to prove it.
However, the police were not convinced by his alibi. They noticed that he did not seem shocked or saddened by the news of his family’s deaths. They also learned that he stood to gain $2 million from Trevor’s trust fund.
They decided to keep an eye on him and wait for more evidence. They eventually traced Perry as the hitman after finding his fingerprints at the crime scene and on the gun he used. They also found out that he had used one of Mildred’s credit cards at a gas station near his motel.
They placed both men under surveillance and tapped their phones. They discovered that they were in contact with each other and that Lawrence had paid Perry for the murders.
They arrested Perry in Detroit in April 1993 and charged him with three counts of first-degree murder. They arrested Lawrence in Los Angeles in June 1994 and charged him with three counts of murder conspiracy.
The Trial
The trial of Lawrence Horn and James Perry began in May 1996 in Montgomery County Circuit Court. The prosecution presented evidence that linked them to the murders, such as phone records, motel receipts, gun purchases, and fingerprints.
They also revealed that Perry had used a book called Hit Man: A Technical Manual for Independent Contractors as a guide for the killings. The book, published by Paladin Press, contained detailed instructions on how to plan and execute a murder-for-hire. It even had a chapter on how to kill a child.
The defense argued that the evidence was circumstantial and that there was no direct proof that Lawrence and Perry had conspired to commit the murders. They also claimed that Perry had acted on his own and that Lawrence had nothing to do with it.
The jury deliberated for four days and found both men guilty on all charges. They spared them the death penalty and sentenced them to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The Aftermath
The murders of Mildred, Trevor, and Janice shocked the nation and sparked a debate about the role of violent books in crime. The families of the victims sued Paladin Press for publishing Hit Man and accused them of aiding and abetting the murders.
In 1999, a federal judge ruled that Paladin Press was liable for the deaths and ordered them to pay $4.9 million in damages. The publisher agreed to settle the case out of court and to stop selling the book.
Lawrence Horn died in prison in February 2017 at the age of 77. The cause of death was not made public. James Perry is still serving his life sentence.
Tiffani and Tamielle, the surviving daughters of Lawrence and Mildred, have tried to move on with their lives. They have expressed their grief and anger over their father’s betrayal and their brother’s death. They have also spoken out against violence and injustice.
According to UPROXX, Tiffani said, “I don’t want people to forget what happened to my family. I want people to know that this can happen to anybody. And I want people to know that there are evil people in this world who will do anything for money.”
