Clint Horvatt

A reader alerted me today to a story out of Gainsville which she read about on True Crime Report. Clint Horvatt tells a horrific story of being out with his fiancee last Friday afternoon to go shopping when she asked him to pull over because she recognized a truck that needed help on the side of the road. But what happened next is perplexing. They pulled over, and instead of getting out to help the guy, he came to them, robbed them and shot Horvatt’s fiancee, Summer Smith, in the head. She died later that day.

Is Clint Horvatt telling the truth? Click to watch Horvatt for yourself.

Read moreMany things do not point to the fact that Horvatt is telling the truth, though Horvatt tells us he is on medication. I don’t know what medication he is on, and because he is on medication, I think we should be cautious. I’d want to know how mind-altering of a drug Horvatt was on before I’d come to any final conclusions, but the following things are very notable to me.

1. Horvatt has no emotions. He’s like a robot repeating a story that he memorized over and over again. He states the facts, totally detached, yet supposedly his own life was in jeopardy. This is a big red flag. Furthermore, he smiles multiple times without any indication of stress which is inconsistent for a man who should be grieving, who experienced such a devastating trauma, or who is in shock. It’s very notable.
2. Horvatt acts like he is emotional a couple of time, but notice there are no tears?
3. Horvatt never refers to his fiancee by name until the end of the interview. Why? It shows detachment. Her name is Summer Smith.
4. Horvatt says “I’m not sure exactly what you all want me to say besides my fiancee was shot yest…a couple of days ago..uh..in a robbery.”

   Does this make any sense?

5. Horvatt tells us “She asked me to stop off and ah…help the individual out” yet when he continues, he doesn’t tell us that the guy was fixing a flat tire or anything. Oddly he says “the individual got out on the passenger side.”

   How did his fiancee know the guy was in trouble? People stop on the side of the road all the time. It doesn’t mean they are necessarily in trouble — especially if they are sitting inside the vehicle. I find this odd and perplexing. Horvatt gives so many details, but here they are lacking. Why?

6. Also, why is Horvatt showing positive (happy) emotions when he says “stop off and ah…help the individual out.”? It’s like he feels good he was a “good guy”. If he was devastated right now, he would not feel like a good guy. He would careless about feeling this way if he truly felt he lost the love of his life. It makes no sense.
7. Also, I have to wonder, when Horvatt told the police this story, did he tell them they drove by the truck first and then turned around to offer help? Most people don’t come upon a truck and immediately recognize it, and know a person needs help when the driver is still in the vehicle. Horvatt’s story alludes to the fact he likely didn’t drive past it and return which is unusual.
8. If Horvatt’s fiancee stopped to help the guy, why did she roll down her window? Why didn’t she get out and meet the guy? This is odd behavior for someone who is stopping to help someone. It doesn’t make sense.
9. What are the odds that you stop to help someone who does not appear to be in trouble and they, in turn, rob and kill you? Also, what are the odds they would leave a witness alive to speak about it? I would think the odds are highly unlikely.
10. Horvatt says the suspect said “Give me your shit” (see video on bottom left here). Would you know that means give your wallet and purse, or would you wonder if he meant the truck? How come Horvatt and his fiancee knew what that meant, and didn’t ask any quesitons? I certainly wouldn’t have known what it meant, and without seeing a gun, I would have put the car in drive and drove away, or told the guy to go to hell or I’d roll up the window. Why didn’t Horvatt?
11. If this is a robbery, why wouldn’t the perpetrator not show the gun immediately to show that he means business? Why would he hide the gun? Why would he only pull it out to shoot the fiancee? It defies logic.

12. Horvatt provides great details about the suspect, however when it comes to the robbery, his details fuzz. I find this perplexing. Horvatt says “I kind of, uh, got the impression of what we were doing, what was going on, I was getting robbed.”

    He kind of got the impression, but not really? How does that work? Hmmm….I wonder if I am getting robbed. I don’t think so.

    “Kind of” is what I coined hedge words. It’s a notable red flag. It makes absolutely no sense. You either believe something this traumatic, or you don’t. He either believed he was going to be robbed or he didn’t. Why does he express doubt?

13. Horvatt continues “After he took my wallet, with his left hand, I do remember, he put it up, he put his hand on her purse, she grabbed his arm and that is when he pulled out from his right hand, and then he shot her. I said [blanked out — “Oh Shit”?] and then she looked directly at him and then he shot her…. in the head, and by that time, I had the truck in reverse, I was backing up.”

    What is interesting here is the guy grabbed Horvatt’s wallet and tried to use the same hand to grab her purse. Isn’t that odd? Why doesn’t Horvatt talk about this in detail like “he tried to hold my wallet and grab her purse at the same time.” He doesn’t seem to recollect that, does he? Why no details here?

14. Horvatt tells us “I was always told to, of course, give up my possessions, keep’m calm, so I can get out of there.” Then why did he promptly say “Oh shit!” or some expletive that needed to be bleeped out? Is that keeping calm?
15. More important, notice that “shit” seems to be a Horvatt word?
16. Notice he doesn’t say the word “gun”? Why?
17. Was his fiancee she shot once or twice? I find it odd how later in the interview, when Horvatt is talking about the ambulance, he says “I only heard one gunshot go off.” It was a strange place to recount this detail. It was notably odd and there was likely a reason for it.
18. Notice how once his fiancee is shot, Horvatt’s details get real sketchy again? Horvatt recounts “…and then he shot her…in the head, and by that time, I had the truck in reverse, I was backing up, I seen him go back to cock the gun again.”

    How do you drive away in reverse, and notice that he is cocking the gun again at the same time? Didn’t he also say he had his head down? How can he do all of this? How come no more shots were fired on his vehicle? Did he drive right by the guy again, or turn around? Remember, Horvatt says he only heard one gunshot go off.

19. Notice his details when he tells us he called 911. Why aren’t they as good as when he told us the rest of his story? Why are they so sketchy? Naturally, of course, he could have been really shook up, but then why isn’t he showing us emotions? I see neither of these, and it odd and perplexing. It’s quite notable.
20. I find it really strange that Horvatt has no fear this madman might come and finish him off since he is the only witness. Horvatt freely volunteers his phone numbers to the people and the press. He talks about Summer Smith’s child too with reckless regard. Does this make any sense? Would you do that when the are the only witness to a homicide?
21. When the reporter asks what the last couple of days have been like for him, watch Horvatt smile. It’s chilling. He actually laughs and says he is taking his medication like crazy.
22. Horvatt talks about his love for “Cole Smith”, how Cole doesn’t have a mother now and his father doesn’t want anything to do with him. Horvatt continues “I’m the only father he knows.”

    Is he hoping to raise Cole now?

    Do you see John Mark Karr when you look at Horvatt? I do. I couldn’t help but see it from the very beginning. Does Horvatt have a normal affection for children, or is this strange and unusual? My eyebrows are raised here. I’d be curious about looking into this. I hope Cole is not in his sole care right now. That would alarm me.

23. At the end, I find it odd how Horvatt says when talking about the perpetrator “If he’s out there (smile almost laughs), I hope he’s nervous, because, um, I’m not going to stop until I have justification.”

    If? What? Did the perpetrator disappear into thin air? If this madman really shot his fiancee, he is out there. There is no doubt about it, so why does Horvatt express doubt? It doesn’t make sense.

    I find the smile odd as well as the word “justification”. How can anyone justify this crime?

24. The reporter asks “Do you think he would have shot you next?” and without any stress or fear, Horvatt says, “Yes. Yes… because…(notice his pause, and odd swallowing). He is thinking here. He continues “When I put that thing in reverse, I saw his finger (smile) on the trigger going backwards again, and he was cocking it…”

    I find his smile perplexing here as well as his thinking, odd pause and swallowing. Also did Horvatt see the gun cocked twice? Did Horvatt see this before? Notice he says “again”? Did I miss the first time?

    Most people would have fear when they recollected this, if they believed it. Memories and emotions are connected yet Horvatt has no negative fear or emotion. Instead Horvatt smiles. It doesn’t add up. It’s chilling.

25. Horvatt continues “I don’t know if it was meant for her again, or if it was meant for me.” Wait a minute, didn’t he just say he thought it was for him above? This guy loves to talk and be the center of the limelight, that’s for sure. Remind you of John Mark Karr? Clearly, Horvatt says one thing and then immediately changes his mind. Why isn’t he feeling consistent?

I definitely have my eyebrows raised with Horvatt’s story. We need to rule out that drugs couldn’t influence his behavior to this extent before we come to any conclusions, but I’m uneasy to say the least.

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