Kriti Mehrotra
Ever since its premiere in 1992, NBC’s ‘Dateline’ has been profiling real-life mysteries and criminal cases in such a way that it delves into each aspect of the human psyche. With its comprehensive and in-depth archive, it has become a staple of the news magazine genre. Thus, of course, its season 28 episode 28, ‘The House,’ exploring the atrocious 2017 homicide of Scott Horn, follows the same format. However, even with numerous hypotheses, there is still an enigma surrounding what transpired here. So now, if you’re curious to know more about the same, we’ve got you covered.
How Did Scott Horn Die?
At the age of 62, Scott Horn was living a seemingly healthy life in the 200 block of Patuxent Road, Laurel, Maryland, when everything was snatched away from him in the blink of an eye. After 23 years in the FBI, the special agent had recently retired to pursue more peaceful activities even though he somehow ended up establishing schedules for his downtime as well. A major part of this was dedicated to his kids since he loved being a hands-on father. Consequently, serious questions arose when Scott failed to call his daughter on March 16, 2017, to wake her up — as routine.
Since Scott didn’t even text his daughter as the day went on, she reached out to his neighbors, who conceded that they had not seen him either. His family then altered the officials, who executed a welfare check and found his body outside a shed on his property. He’d been covered up with a tarp with firewood on top of it. As per his post-mortem report, Scott had been shot in the neck, but the wound only disabled him. Hence, he was beaten to death with the firewood pieces around, leaving “major trauma” injuries on his face and the upper half of his body.
Who Killed Scott Horn?
As soon as investigations into Scott Horn’s murder began, it came to light that he was also an affluent landlord who wasn’t particularly well-liked by his community. Moreover, he had a reputation for carrying ample sums of cash on his being at all times. These facts then led detectives to look into whether his demise could be the direct result of a robbery gone wrong or if any of his tenants were outraged by him and had decided that they had a score to settle. There was no outside DNA evidence at the crime scene, though, and even interviews revealed nothing.
With that said, Scott’s estranged wife, Anne Reed Allen, soon came under suspicion as several people pointed out that they were in the middle of an acrimonious divorce. In fact, as per court records, the former couple even had a history of domestic violence between them, which involved criminal charges and protective orders. When agents interrogated Anne about this, she stated that she and Scott were actually on their way to reconciliation and hoped to start a new chapter of their lives together. Except, a follow-up inquiry revealed that she was dating someone else.
Anne was in a relationship with Jason Allen Byrd. This lie led investigators to speculate that she and her new partner plotted to kill Scott for financial benefits. After all, since they were still technically espoused, she was the prime beneficiary of his life insurance policy and the properties he owned and rented out. Anne was arrested on June 30, 2017, and charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, and the use of a handgun in a crime of violence. On the other hand, Jason was apprehended on July 10 and charged with the exact counts.
The DA’s office eventually dropped the case against Jason Byrd because of insufficient evidence, yet Anne stood trial in late 2018. Following three weeks of testimonies that essentially revolved around circumstantial evidence, she was acquitted of the counts against her. We should also mention that Anne can never be re-charged with Scott’s homicide owing to legal stipulations. According to the last reports, investigations are still ongoing, but no other suspects have ever been identified. Thus, unfortunately, this matter remains unsolved.
Read More: Where are Scott Horn’s Children Now?
