Who Is Terri Horman?

[DreamyEye]

SBM & BBM

My husband and I met online in 1994. We had to do 99% of our courting online because we lived 2200 miles apart. We were in our late 30s and we were in love.

I've written things that were a LOT more explicit than those sexts of TMH. Of course, I didn't have the 140 character limit due to texting, we were on online real time chat. Plus webcams or sending pictures via email were years off--we were using 7200 baud modems.

The release of those texts made me feel sorry for TMH. I'm not ashamed of how I met my husband or our activities online before we could move in together but they were private, not something I'd want to share with the world.

I do not think there is anything innately terrible about couples exchanging things like this over the Internet--but TH's situation was different in my opinion because she had every reason to think her messages would be intercepted by LE and should have known she was being watched. Also, I don't think her relationship with MC was the big romance of her lifetime.

It all goes to the context. The fact that she was doing it in the shadow of her stepson going missing makes it very inappropriate. (And a stepson she seemed to want credit for raising at that.) And, the fact she was exchanging these things with a person she didn't know well and who seemed to not be reciprocating very much makes her look pathetic.

For people outside of her situation, I would only say this: In the last couple of years I think most of us have become more educated as to how little privacy there is on the Internet. Most of us have likely heard the warning "don't put it on the Internet because once it's on there, it never goes away."

I am glad you met your soulmate, GrainneDhu, and were able to conduct your Internet romance in more innocent times! But I would not equate your situation to TH's at all. I think her actions cast doubt on her judgment and taste more than anything.

 

[cluciano63]

The very fact that Terri seemed to live her life in cyberspace should have led directly to whatever plot she hatched and her co-horts in such...I would think. She seems to have been very careless (wide open FB) and continues to be (sexting while being watched by LE) so if anyone should have left a trail, she should have. Yet LE still says they have nothing pointing to anyone in particular and no scenario has been nailed down, and no clue as to whether Kyron is dead or alive. I just do not believe that she managed to keep all incriminating info away from LE's prying eyes...makes me think there was no accomplice, no grand plot. I'm not saying she must therefore be innocent, but am having a hard time believing she would not have left a trail of electronic breadcrumbs right to the other person/group, etc...

 

[nosysw]

The very fact that Terri seemed to live her life in cyberspace should have led directly to whatever plot she hatched and her co-horts in such...I would think. She seems to have been very careless (wide open FB) and continues to be (sexting while being watched by LE) so if anyone should have left a trail, she should have. Yet LE still says they have nothing pointing to anyone in particular and no scenario has been nailed down, and no clue as to whether Kyron is dead or alive. I just do not believe that she managed to keep all incriminating info away from LE's prying eyes...makes me think there was no accomplice, no grand plot. I'm not saying she must therefore be innocent, but am having a hard time believing she would not have left a trail of electronic breadcrumbs right to the other person/group, etc...

very good points, clu...some of this stuff does give me pause (as much as I hate to admit it!)

 

[Shadowboy]

When news of TH’s sexting came out, I was flummoxed. Not offended. God knows (and, hopefully, only God and the participants know), I’ve been far raunchier than TH, in person and over the phone … but not online. So. No, TH’s sexting did not offend me. But IMO it *does* offer insight about TH’s attitude and mind set at the time the sexting took place.

She knew she was being monitored by LE. (Why else would she get the bat phones?) IMO, the sexting was an “in your face” act. In KH’s face, in LE’s face. Maybe? Maybe she thought by engaging in such behavior it would be a clear sign she had nothing to fear, nothing to do with Ky’s disappearance.

But ... IMO, the “CSI” shirt Ky was wearing the morning of the SF says the same thing. “Why would I dress him in that T-shirt if I’m guilty?”

Who is TH? I don’t know. From what I gather (and please don’t ask me to provide MSM back-up for what follows), she compartmentalizes friends; she lies; she over-sells her abilities (LinkedIn).

And … IMO, TH believes she’s *way* over-the-top smart.

But I *do* believe she is far less cunning, smart, and coy than she *thinks* she is. That, IMO, is TH.

 

[nosysw]

When news of TH’s sexting came out, I was flummoxed. Not offended. God knows (and, hopefully, only God and the participants know), I’ve been far raunchier than TH, in person and over the phone … but not online. So. No, TH’s sexting did not offend me. But IMO it *does* offer insight about TH’s attitude and mind set at the time the sexting took place.

She knew she was being monitored by LE. (Why else would she get the bat phones?) IMO, the sexting was an “in your face” act. In KH’s face, in LE’s face. Maybe? Maybe she thought by engaging in such behavior it would be a clear sign she had nothing to fear, nothing to do with Ky’s disappearance.

But ... IMO, the “CSI” shirt Ky was wearing the morning of the SF says the same thing. “Why would I dress him in that T-shirt if I’m guilty?”

Who is TH? I don’t know. From what I gather (and please don’t ask me to provide MSM back-up for what follows), she compartmentalizes friends; she lies; she over-sells her abilities (LinkedIn).

And … IMO, TH believes she’s *way* over-the-top smart.

But I *do* believe she is far less cunning, smart, and coy than she *thinks* she is. That, IMO, is TH.

ITA with your estimation of who TH is...(although I'm not sure of the intent of her texting and the CSI shirt...you may be onto something, though).

 

[cluciano63]

I really do not buy into the whole CSI thing, as far as her being a fan. Who on these boards is not a fan of some sort of crime shows, although maybe more true crime.

I think that is a total red herring, as well as the shirt...I am sure Kyron wanted to wear his science shirt on science fair day...no more sinister than that, only in retrospect.

 

[Shadowboy]

I really do not buy into the whole CSI thing, as far as her being a fan. Who on these boards is not a fan of some sort of crime shows, although maybe more true crime.

I think that is a total red herring, as well as the shirt...I am sure Kyron wanted to wear his science shirt on science fair day...no more sinister than that, only in retrospect.

At the beginning, I believed that "whole CSI fan thing," to be a red herring, too. OMSI had a forensic science exhibit, which is where -- IMO -- the T-shirt derived. Not to get too far OT, but J is seen on TH photos wearing the CSI T-shirt. The family has a photo (TH, Ky, J) from this same exhibit. So far, nothing suspicious.

But, combine Ky wearing the T shirt with the sexting. Who is TH?

This is someone who is:

1) Innocent

1) Arrogant and innocent.

2) Guilty (and arrogant)

IMO

 

[GrainneDhu]

I do not think there is anything innately terrible about couples exchanging things like this over the Internet--but TH's situation was different in my opinion because she had every reason to think her messages would be intercepted by LE and should have known she was being watched. Also, I don't think her relationship with MC was the big romance of her lifetime.

It all goes to the context. The fact that she was doing it in the shadow of her stepson going missing makes it very inappropriate. (And a stepson she seemed to want credit for raising at that.) And, the fact she was exchanging these things with a person she didn't know well and who seemed to not be reciprocating very much makes her look pathetic.

For people outside of her situation, I would only say this: In the last couple of years I think most of us have become more educated as to how little privacy there is on the Internet. Most of us have likely heard the warning "don't put it on the Internet because once it's on there, it never goes away."

I am glad you met your soulmate, GrainneDhu, and were able to conduct your Internet romance in more innocent times! But I would not equate your situation to TH's at all. I think her actions cast doubt on her judgment and taste more than anything.

To clarify, that post was another response to Herding Cats' posts about the issues that many adopted children face and some of the inappropriate ways they deal with them.

In and of themselves, I just didn't see those texts as being perverted or even all that prurient.

In context, I agree--many people would not have acted that way. I believe that Herding Cats has shed some light on what may be motivating TMH and in that light, those texts are not at all surprising. They're sad more than anything.

If Herding Cats is correct (and I think she is), those texts were part of a long established pattern of behaviour motivated by some really painful inner emotional turmoil.

People who live with a high level of emotional turmoil tend to be stressed out. And stressed out people tend to act in unpredictable ways, such as losing their tempers out of proportion to minor issues.

Which could be part of the explanation of what happened to Kyron.

 

[GrainneDhu]

The very fact that Terri seemed to live her life in cyberspace should have led directly to whatever plot she hatched and her co-horts in such...I would think. She seems to have been very careless (wide open FB) and continues to be (sexting while being watched by LE) so if anyone should have left a trail, she should have. Yet LE still says they have nothing pointing to anyone in particular and no scenario has been nailed down, and no clue as to whether Kyron is dead or alive. I just do not believe that she managed to keep all incriminating info away from LE's prying eyes...makes me think there was no accomplice, no grand plot. I'm not saying she must therefore be innocent, but am having a hard time believing she would not have left a trail of electronic breadcrumbs right to the other person/group, etc...

EXACTLY!

While there is a lot of information out there about taking steps to keep one's online life private, there's also a lot of evidence out there that a sizeable number of people online pay no attention to it whatsoever.

For example, the recent lead of Gawker IDs and passwords? The president of the company had a password of "24682468"!!! How lame can you get? Oh, wait, not as lame as the 2000+ people whose password was "password."

Privacy conscious is not how I would describe TMH's behaviour. Even at a time when she had been given every reason to act circumspectly, it seems not to have occurred to her at all that the other person (MC) might reveal her texts to the police.

So, as you say, if she had accomplices of any sort, her online activities would have led straight to them.

 

[txsvicki]

Maybe she was drunk and had taken something like an ambien when sexting with MC. Not that she wasn't really trying to get hooked up with another available man, but instead of just talking normally the sexting could have been a major flub up due to being impaired. If Kaine is correct the substance abuse and personality was getting worse, so the substance abuse could have been the undoing and cause of everyone finding out the extreme manipulations and secret life (according to Kaine).

 

[SmoothOperator]

The very fact that Terri seemed to live her life in cyberspace should have led directly to whatever plot she hatched and her co-horts in such...I would think. She seems to have been very careless (wide open FB) and continues to be (sexting while being watched by LE) so if anyone should have left a trail, she should have. Yet LE still says they have nothing pointing to anyone in particular and no scenario has been nailed down, and no clue as to whether Kyron is dead or alive. I just do not believe that she managed to keep all incriminating info away from LE's prying eyes...makes me think there was no accomplice, no grand plot. I'm not saying she must therefore be innocent, but am having a hard time believing she would not have left a trail of electronic breadcrumbs right to the other person/group, etc...

What electronic trail would be left by a woman who abducted, murdered, and disposed of her step-son? IMO she planned ahead, she chose June 4th for a very good reason{confusion, not regular schedule, hiding in plain sight, attempted to make it appear as tho she was NOT the last person to be seen with Kyron}, she, alone killed Kyron IMO, and she alone disposed of him in a predetermined place{most likely prepared ahead of time..Kaine has even said until this happened he had no clue whatsoever where Terri was or what she was doing during those hours he was at work and Kyron in school 5 days a week..IMO thats alot of time to prepare all you need to in advance}... she attempted to make herself some alibis for certain times of that day{but in no way had any idea suspicion would fall on her}..she thought her plan involving Skyline would have LE completely focused on Skyline{employees, other parents, staff, or stranger}..IMO she thought she'd have a couple alibis that could be verified, but that LE would not be looking any deeper into anything to do with her..there focus would be at Skyline..

So, what trail would Terri have left? It wouldn't be as if she'd be posting on her FB what she was planning, what she was doing{as a side note Terri's FB showed what Terri wanted ppl to believe..all a facade}.. She wouldn't be online making contacts with anyone concerning what she alone was doing to Kyron.. There would be no trail to follow if Terri is the one that all alone abducted, murdered, disposed of, and attempted to cover up the murder of her step son..

 

[ami]

What electronic trail would be left by a woman who abducted, murdered, and disposed of her step-son? IMO she planned ahead, she chose June 4th for a very good reason{confusion, not regular schedule, hiding in plain sight, attempted to make it appear as tho she was NOT the last person to be seen with Kyron}, she, alone killed Kyron IMO, and she alone disposed of him in a predetermined place{most likely prepared ahead of time..Kaine has even said until this happened he had no clue whatsoever where Terri was or what she was doing during those hours he was at work and Kyron in school 5 days a week..IMO thats alot of time to prepare all you need to in advance}... she attempted to make herself some alibis for certain times of that day{but in no way had any idea suspicion would fall on her}..she thought her plan involving Skyline would have LE completely focused on Skyline{employees, other parents, staff, or stranger}..IMO she thought she'd have a couple alibis that could be verified, but that LE would not be looking any deeper into anything to do with her..there focus would be at Skyline..

So, what trail would Terri have left? It wouldn't be as if she'd be posting on her FB what she was planning, what she was doing{as a side note Terri's FB showed what Terri wanted ppl to believe..all a facade}.. She wouldn't be online making contacts with anyone concerning what she alone was doing to Kyron.. There would be no trail to follow if Terri is the one that all alone abducted, murdered, disposed of, and attempted to cover up the murder of her step son..

ITA. Her private emails to her friends were in direct contradiction to her FB page, so one or the other of these electronic "trails" is already fabricated by Terri. Which one? Who knows. Maybe both.

Originally Posted by cluciano63 View Post
The very fact that Terri seemed to live her life in cyberspace should have led directly to whatever plot she hatched and her co-horts in such...I would think. She seems to have been very careless (wide open FB) and continues to be (sexting while being watched by LE) so if anyone should have left a trail, she should have. Yet LE still says they have nothing pointing to anyone in particular and no scenario has been nailed down, and no clue as to whether Kyron is dead or alive. I just do not believe that she managed to keep all incriminating info away from LE's prying eyes...makes me think there was no accomplice, no grand plot. I'm not saying she must therefore be innocent, but am having a hard time believing she would not have left a trail of electronic breadcrumbs right to the other person/group, etc...

How do we know her online trails including facebook friends, emails and address book won't ultimately lead to Kyron? Some of the most interesting "hard" information we have to date has come from Terri's own words in her own emails. Kyron's alleged "seizures" = electronic trail. Kyron's "dr appt" = electronic trail. "Male chaperone" accusation that came directly from her email = electronic trail. What if MC is later named as an accomplice, and we knew of him from electronic data via texts? Or the emails shared with Desiree and Kaine - what if those ultimately lead to him?

The one thing she likely WOULDN'T do is leave an online map to Kyron with an X marking the spot, on her FB page. So certainly that can't be expected. Breadcrumbs IMO are exactly what we've seen so far - lies, contradictory statements to various people, floating various alibis and accusations to email correspondents. And those are only the things that have been *released*, in a case that's been kept largely private.

 

[GrainneDhu]

So, what trail would Terri have left? It wouldn't be as if she'd be posting on her FB what she was planning, what she was doing{as a side note Terri's FB showed what Terri wanted ppl to believe..all a facade}.. She wouldn't be online making contacts with anyone concerning what she alone was doing to Kyron.. There would be no trail to follow if Terri is the one that all alone abducted, murdered, disposed of, and attempted to cover up the murder of her step son..

SBM

I'm not cluciano but the electronic trail I would be expecting would be the one that would lead to the accomplice that LE says they believe she had. That she did not carry out the crime alone, she had the help of an accomplice.

Considering she did everything else on line or via texting, I would expect her to be in contact with an accomplice or accomplices online or via texting.

 

[citigirl]

SBM

I'm not cluciano but the electronic trail I would be expecting would be the one that would lead to the accomplice that LE says they believe she had. That she did not carry out the crime alone, she had the help of an accomplice.

Considering she did everything else on line or via texting, I would expect her to be in contact with an accomplice or accomplices online or via texting.

I think it is possible that she tried not to leave an electronic trail to an accomplice. I still think the texts to Michael Cook were meant to be seen by Kaine. I think if she left a clear trail we would have had an arrest by now.

 

[Jo in Calif]

SBM

I'm not cluciano but the electronic trail I would be expecting would be the one that would lead to the accomplice that LE says they believe she had. That she did not carry out the crime alone, she had the help of an accomplice.

Considering she did everything else on line or via texting, I would expect her to be in contact with an accomplice or accomplices online or via texting.

To my recollection LE has never said they believe she had an accomplice nor that she did not carry out the crime alone.
LE has never named a suspect or a POI.

 

[cluciano63]

I started thinking last night that it is possible that Terri left Kyron earlier than she is saying...and never made any effort to walk him to class. Maybe she left him in the gym, where the 7th grader said he saw him? And she was long gone? I don't think the child said he saw the truck and Kyron at the same time. Just that he had seen the white truck (still not sure how he knew it to be theirs, but maybe he had seen them arrive.)
I could see her lying about when she last saw him, not thinking it mattered much, but it sounded better to say she walked him to the hallway toward his class.

It's possible...

 

[scandi]

To my recollection LE has never said they believe she had an accomplice nor that she did not carry out the crime alone.
LE has never named a suspect or a POI.

As I remember, LE didn't say 'she' had an accomplice, but they did say something like the perp did have an accomplice. They believe there was more than one person involved in the disappearance of Kyron. It came from the last statement by Stenson I believe. IMO

 

[GrainneDhu]

To my recollection LE has never said they believe she had an accomplice nor that she did not carry out the crime alone.
LE has never named a suspect or a POI.

In the six month story in The Oregonian

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2010/12/multnomah_county_sheriff_dan_s_2.html

Investigators suspect more than one person was involved in Kyron's disappearance

And this:

Though the sheriff and his investigators won't comment on any suspects, it's clear from court documents and testimony in the couple's pending divorce case that Terri Horman remains at the center of their inquiry, as well as a handful of associates and friends of the stepmother, including DeDe Spicher.

Although LE has not named anyone as a POI or suspect, it seems clear to me that they have been focusing on TMH since nearly the beginning. If the reporter, Maxine Bernstein, was correct, then LE suspects more than one person in Kyron's disappearance.

Putting two and two together, I may be coming up with five. If I am correct in my suspicion that LE has focused on TMH, then I'm surprised that they have not apparently found anything from her online activities.

 

[GrainneDhu]

I started thinking last night that it is possible that Terri left Kyron earlier than she is saying...and never made any effort to walk him to class. Maybe she left him in the gym, where the 7th grader said he saw him? And she was long gone? I don't think the child said he saw the truck and Kyron at the same time. Just that he had seen the white truck (still not sure how he knew it to be theirs, but maybe he had seen them arrive.)
I could see her lying about when she last saw him, not thinking it mattered much, but it sounded better to say she walked him to the hallway toward his class.

It's possible...

She would be far from the first person to tell such a lie to investigators. People lie for a variety of reasons without realising they may be derailing the investigation. They're not malignant, evil people, just human.

 

[Jo in Calif]

In the six month story in The Oregonian

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2010/12/multnomah_county_sheriff_dan_s_2.html



And this:



Although LE has not named anyone as a POI or suspect, it seems clear to me that they have been focusing on TMH since nearly the beginning. If the reporter, Maxine Bernstein, was correct, then LE suspects more than one person in Kyron's disappearance.

Putting two and two together, I may be coming up with five. If I am correct in my suspicion that LE has focused on TMH, then I'm surprised that they have not apparently found anything from her online activities.

I was just saying. We and the reporters can say and believe what we want.
But to my recollection, LE has never said they believe Terri did this nor that she had an accomplice.
By the way I fully believe Terri is responsible for what happened to Kyron, still on the fence if she did it alone.