Professor leaves Chapman following appearance in Epstein files | News | dailytitan.com

Chapman University professor and paleontologist has left his position with the university after emails between him and Jeffrey Epstein were discovered in the recent release of Epstein's communication records.

It has not been stated whether he was fired or resigned from his position.

The professor, John "Jack" Horner, has been a lecturer as well as a presidential fellow at Chapman since 2016. Before that, Horner taught at Montana State University for 33 years.

Released emails detail Horner's visit to Zorro Ranch, a New Mexico property belonging to Epstein, in early August 2012.

Horner has not been accused of any crime, nor do the emails indicate his participation in any illegal activity.

The visit, initially planned for late July 2012, came about during Horner's efforts to obtain funding from Epstein for DinoChicken, a research project that sought to alter DNA in chicken embryos to give them more "reptile-like features."

"At the time, the project was high risk and extremely difficult to fund. Epstein was known to me only as a wealthy individual with an interest in science who had made donations to major academic institutions," Horner wrote in a personal statement.

At the close of the trip, Horner emailed Epstein's assistant at the time, Lesley Groff, thanking her for her assistance in planning and for detailing his findings from said trip.

According to Horner, four college students and Epstein's assistant accompanied him and Epstein on the trip. Others present at the ranch included a chef, the ranch manager and the ranch manager's wife.

"I wanted to thank you for all your help getting me into Jeffrey's Ranch, it was a lot of fun," Horner wrote. "Jeffrey and the girls were very gracious hosts, as were Brice and Karen."

Horner continued, confirming that Epstein had agreed to fund a conference in support of the DinoChicken project while also asking Groff to give his best to "Jeffrey and the girls," in reference to the students present, toward the end of the email.

Later on that year, in September 2012, Horner asked if Epstein would be in Santa Fe, as a couple of his students would be passing through the area.

Horner wrote in his statement that Epstein initially declined his request for funding toward his research during the trip, and upon his return, Horner instead requested funding for a workshop to further evaluate the viability of DinoChicken.

Later on that month, Horner confirms that Epstein sent a $10,000 check to the Museum of the Rockies, following a proposal from Horner requesting $8,650 in total for a conference.

According to Horner, he was aware that Epstein had been charged with soliciting a prostitute, but was not aware of any further criminal activity until 2019, when Epstein was charged with sex trafficking of minors and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors.

"Nothing I observed or experienced during my short stay at the ranch indicated or suggested the conduct that came to light. That said, I regret my use of the term 'girls' in emails referring to the students, rather than using more appropriate language," Horner wrote.

Horner taught two honors courses at Chapman, as well as founded the university's Dinosaur Lab in 2022. Horner worked as a paleontology consultant for the Jurassic Park movies and for the Dino Quest Exhibit at the Discovery Cube.

"It points out a lot of vulnerabilities in the system, and it's important to be able to look at things objectively and go, 'What can we fix?,'" said Chapman senior Julianne Peters, a former student of Horner, in an interview with the Daily Titan.

In Montana, Horner worked in the Museum of the Rockies as a curator for Paleontology and retired in 2016. At the time, Horner stated he believed he was being pushed out of the museum due to his marriage with a then 19-year-old undergraduate student, whom he married in 2012 and were divorced by the time Horner announced his retirement.

"We take these emails very seriously and are looking into the matter," Director of Strategic Communications Bob Hitchcock wrote in an email to the Daily Titan on Feb. 15.

Horner's staff page on Chapman, as well as other mentions of his campus involvement, have been taken down.