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In September 2011, Lanny Horwitz, a successful businessman and father from Florida, was tragically shot at his Jupiter home while his son Radley and ex-wife Donna were still present in the house. Suspicion fell on the latter two, as the police ruled out the suicide theory after initially believing he may have killed himself.
The ensuing investigation offered a shocking insight into Lanny's life and the tumultuous relationship he shared with his ex-wife and high school sweetheart, Donna. Police then suspected Donna of the crime based on her journal entries. Later, she was convicted twice of the crime and is currently serving a lengthy term in Florida's correctional institution.
Lanny Horwitz's fatal shooting is chronicled on ID's Mother, May I Murder? in an episode titled Nine Bullet "Suicide", which aired on Monday, August 7, 2023.
The synopsis states:
"Police reveal a suspected suicide as a brutal nine-shot execution with only two suspects, the victim's ex-wife and their son; that son, Radley Horwitz, recalls the toxic series of events, which he says triggered his mother's murderous act of rage."
Lanny Horwitz's murder case: Five key details about the real estate mogul's shooting death by jealous ex-wife
1) Lanny was found dead on the bathroom floor
When first responders arrived at Lanny Horwitz's upscale Jupiter, Florida, home, they found him unresponsive and riddled with bullets on the bathroom floor. He was shot nine times, including once in the mouth.
Police initially believed Lanny's death was a suicide until the positioning of the bullet holes and other evidence found at the crime scene. An empty five-shot revolver laying near the body suggested otherwise. His death was then determined to be a homicide.
2) His ex-wife and adult son were the only people present in the house
Lanny Horwitz's ex-wife and high school sweetheart, Donna Horwitz, and their adult son, Radley Horwitz, a single father and former licensed arms dealer, were the only two people present in the house with him at the time of the shooting. CBS reported that Radley was cooperative with officers, while Donna was not so much. The former claimed he was asleep and only woke up to the sound of gunfire. The ex-wife claimed there was no such noise.
3) Police soon learned about Lanny Horwitz and Donna's rocky relationship
While investigating Lanny's murder, police learned about his rocky relationship with his on-again, off-again ex-wife, Donna Horwitz. The two were high school sweethearts and married when they were in their early 20s. By 2011, they had been married and divorced twice, had recently reconciled, and were living together with their grown-up son, Radley.
But police soon discovered Donna's journal, in which she had written about her envy towards Lanny and his business partner Francine Tice's close friendship. She was jealous of the two always spending time together, and investigators believed this could have been the murder motive. She was arrested within a week of the shooting incident.
4) Donna Horwitz's controversial trial when defense tried to incriminate her son
Donna stood trial in January 2013 when her defense tried to paint her son Radley as Lanny Horwitz's possible killer. They suggested that the motive was his father's insurance policies and that he stood to gain at least half a million from those claims.
Her defense also pointed out his criminal past, mentioning that the former arms dealer was once convicted of selling a gun to a convicted felon and was sent to prison for five months. After his release, the young father faced trouble finding work for himself given his past, and was in a financial crunch.
5) Donna was convicted twice in Lanny Horwitz's shooting death
Regardless of her defense's attempt to portray Radley as the killer, Donna Horwitz was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. However, four years later, the conviction was overturned, and she was given the opportunity for a retrial in 2017. This time, she was once again convicted, but of a lesser charge of second-degree murder, receiving 32 years in prison.
The case aired on ID's Mother, May I Murder? on August 7, 2023.
