Kyron's Stepmom, Terri Moulton Horman, Reportedly Hires Criminal Defense Lawyer

(July 1) -- The stepmother of Kyron Horman has hired a prominent criminal defense lawyer, nearly a month after the 7-year-old Oregon boy disappeared.

Terri Moulton Horman, 40, has hired Stephen Houze, according to KGW.com, the website of a Portland TV station, which did not name its sources. Houze works on "a wide spectrum of serious criminal matters," including "death penalty defenses," according to his website.

Houze was seen entering Moulton Horman's home Wednesday afternoon. He did not respond to a call from AOL News seeking comment.

Terri Horman and Kaine Horman stand together at a press conference at Brooks Hill Historical church in Portland, Oregon on June 11.

Greg Wahl-Stephens, AP

Terri Moulton Horman and Kaine Horman appear at a press conference in Portland, Ore., on June 11. Terri Moulton Horman has reportedly hired a criminal defense lawyer, nearly a month after her stepson, Kyron, vanished.

Moulton Horman has come under increasing scrutiny in the weeks since her stepson went missing. She was the last to see the boy, who vanished from his school in Portland after she dropped him off. On June 29, Lt. Mary Lindstrand, a spokeswoman for the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office, said that Moulton Horman was not a suspect.

Lindstrand did not immediately respond to a call from AOL News seeking comment today.

On Monday, Kaine Horman, Kyron's father and Moulton Horman's husband, filed for divorce. A judge in Multnomah County barred Moulton Horman from having access to her children or to firearms. She has an 18-month-old daughter with Kaine and a teenage son from a previous relationship.

Since the divorce filing, Moulton Horman has secluded herself in a community home 15 miles outside Portland. Members of her family have visited her there, including her father.

Moulton Horman has not spoken publicly since her stepson went missing. She has defended herself against accusers online, leaving comments on KATU.com, the website of another Portland TV station.

When other commenters criticized her for visiting the gym five days after her stepson vanished, Moulton Horman left comments saying that others didn't know what she was going through.

"Unless you know all the details, the stress, the worry, the pain, you have nothing to speak of," Moulton Horman wrote, according to a story on KATU.com. "You have no facts, details or knowledge to present so please refrain from your accusations."