March 4 (UPI) — A paleontologist who was a consultant on the Jurassic Park movies is no longer with Chapman University Wednesday after emails he wrote to Jeffrey Epstein were released.
Jack Horner, formerly a lecturer at Chapman University in Orange, Calif., emailed a redacted recipient in 2012 about visiting Epstein’s ranch in New Mexico, the emails revealed. This was years after Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution from a child in 2008.
“Jeffrey and the girls were very gracious hosts,” Horner wrote. “Please give my best to Jeffrey and the girls.”
Horner denies any wrongdoing, saying in a statement that he regrets that he “did not investigate Epstein’s background beyond what was commonly known at the time.” He added that he did not see anything “weird or suspicious” when he visited Epstein’s ranch.
Horner added that he regrets using the term “girls,” and he was referring to four women “who were introduced to me as college students.” He visited the ranch again in 2016 with a graduate student “as part of a geology tour.”
Horner also discussed research funding with Epstein.
Chapman University has not confirmed whether Horner resigned from the university or was fired.
Along with consulting on some of the Jurassic Park films, Horner was the inspiration for the character Alan Grant in the novels.
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