Jurors found that Harris acted with "sudden passion," which could have reduced the jurors' recommendation to probation. Harris' lawyer George Parnham had requested probation, saying the Harrises' twin sons need their mother, whom he described as "a good mother and a good wife.". Their 11th wedding anniversary would have been Friday. It was also the topic of Suburban Madness, a Lifetime Original movie, starring Elizabeth Pea and Brett Cullen.[14]. So she will walk out of prison in about 10 years or so (with time off for good behavior and parole)," says Cohen. Inside Look at Mercedes Killer's Defense - ABC News "I think I closed my eyes" just before impact, she testified. [13] This story was the inspiration for the completion of a chapter in the Mexican series Mujeres Asesinas "Killer Women." This time, Harris got in on the drivers side. Lindsey told the jury - composed of nine women and three men - that her stepmother said, "I could kill him for what he's done and get away with it.". She said her stepmother made the remark just after finding him with Bridges. It's not fair to dangle those two boys out in front of you the way that she has.". Clara Harris retained $1.2 million in assets. His children are Dr. Joseph Denton Harris, IV and Donna Harris of Beaumont, TX, Mary Kathleen Harris of Houston, TX, Peggy Harris Lacy and Mike Lacy of Dallas, TX, Connie Harris Arnold and Dr. David Arnold of Liberty, TX, Ann Marie Harris and Pam Karter of Liberty and Houston, TX, Dr. James Mitchell Harris and Meredith Harris of Lindsey was upset with her father. Harris "What did your dad do?" But she denied trying to run him down and said she didn't recall hitting him. Its time to forgive her and let her move on.. Legendary singer Nina Simones granddaughter accused Vice President Kamala Harris of causing the family to lose control of Simone's estate while Harris was California attorney general. Click Here to try 4 Free Trial Issues of Time! The chain was particularly successful, and the couple was able to afford an upscale home and lifestyle in Friendswood, Texas. Magness reminded jurors how Lindsey Harris had gotten her father's clothing out of the trash, where they had been thrown earlier that day, and laid the items out on her bed so she could feel like he was there. She did not know David was dead until Lindsey, David's daughter who was in the car with her stepmother, approached her. They argued that Clara could only have run over David once, and that the turning radius of her Mercedes would not have allowed for her to sharply turn and run over him a second time. Harris faces the possibility of life in prison and the same jury that so quickly found her guilty will have a large say in what the punishment ought to be, Cohen said. The Legislature Is Poised to Send Them More Inmates. Mike Hall writes about criminals, musicians, the law, and barbecue. .component--type-recirculation .item:nth-child(5) { Eventually, Clara and Lindsey stormed back to the Mercedes. host = new String(location.hostname); Harris' tears, "certainly didn't look like tears of joy but they should have been. "Soon after that, it all turned into massive turmoil, and the only thing that I could do was to yell for help for someone to please, please get her off of me.". A total of three times," Lindsey concluded. David, Im so sorry., The murder made headlinesall over the world. Lindsey Harris was the prosecution's only witness during the penalty phase of the trial. They had one daughter, Martha "Mattie" Harris, who was born in November 1895, when Gideon Lindsey Harris was almost 82 years old. "The lawsuit against us is baseless. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Its too bad if they do, said Detoto, who has kept in touch with Harris since her conviction. She's also suing the detective agency that followed him, Murder of David Lynn Harris - Wikipedia Whats more, she didnt violate any prison rules. They were victims twice over, they said. She wasnt crying, said Lindsey. It was an accident. "There's no indication that they did call the police. The trial was front-page news in Houston and included dramatic testimony from Harris, her romantic rival and her stepdaughter, who was in the car that day and told jurors her stepmother sped toward her father as he desperately tried to get out of the way. Lindsey Harris is David's daughter from a previous marraige. 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The teenager said she never thought her stepmother would act on a comment that she could kill David Harris and get away with it. "She stepped on the accelerator and went straight for him," Lindsey Harris told jurors. [4], That evening, Clara went to the Hilton Hotel in Nassau Bay, Texas, to confront her husband and reportedly attacked Bridges in the lobby. She then brought up David Harris' daughter, Lindsey, and began crying as she spoke. Gail Bridges told Garza that her heart goes out to the children, especially Lindsey, who was in the car and witnessed this tragedy that night. Bridges says before Clara Harris was pulled off of her, Harris attacked her -- she pulled her hair, punched her head and face, and bit her. Her parole requests in April 2013 and September 2016 were denied, but her third request was boosted when her sons argued that they had now lost their mother as well as their father. Gideon Lindsey Lin Harris On February 14, 2003, she was sentenced to twenty years in prison the maximum sentence allowed by the jury's "sudden passion" finding and fined $10,000. She was also given the maximum fine of $10,000. She was in the Mercedes-Benz when her stepmother, Clara Harris, ran over her husband in the parking lot of the Clear Lake-area hotel on July 24, 2002. You b, hes my husband! Harris shouted before slapping Bridges. The attorneys said that Blue Moon investigators told Clara Harris where to find David Harris with his mistress the night of his death and that the Hilton did not contact police. Lindsey opened the door and stuck her feet on the ground, as if she was attempting to escape, according to witnesses, who then saw Clara whip the car around, hit the accelerator again, and drive over her husbands crumpled body a second time. Harris, who had remained stoic during her verdict on Thursday, slumped in her chair crying as the judge read her sentencing. "What about the brutality and violence involved in his death," she asked, going on to describe how Harris lay "dying on the pavement drowning in his own blood while his daughter was watching.". If jurors find she acted under the legal definition of sudden passion, she could receive a two-to-20-year sentence. Oklahoma WR Keilahn Harris Rice Oregon State WR Tyjon Lindsey Report: Bucs star Barrett's daughter, 2, drowns in pool. This is Dr. David Harris and hes fing this woman right here!. Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell case: A timeline of events }, First published on February 21, 2003 / 4:32 AM. Clara Harris had just shouted at her philandering husband and wrestled his mistress to the floor of a hotel lobby, but now appeared to be calm. Please enter valid email address to continue. She was convicted of sudden passion and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Clara Harris, a Colombian immigrant, was named "Mrs Colombia Houston" and worked as a dentist. Lindsey started hitting her father while shouting, I hate you! Harris ripped the shirt off Bridges, then David reportedly pushed Harris to the floor. Lindsey Harris, 17, David Harris's daughter by his first marriage, was in the passenger seat of the car that killed her father. Do you miss David?, At her trial, in February 2003, she testified before a packed courtroom that she did not mean to kill her husband but was only trying to wreck Gails SUV. She testified anyway, and Parnham subsequently passed out from tremendous stress in the courthouse hallway and had to be hospitalized. While he gave his wife higher marks for "prettier" hands, feet and eyes, he described his 39-year-old receptionist, a former beauty queen, as "petite" and "the perfect fit to sleep with, holding her all night.". Generator vs power station: Which one is right for you? Sheriff says Texas shooting suspect "could be anywhere now", Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell case: A timeline of events, 1 employee killed, 2 injured at Tennessee Volkswagen plant. On the evening of July 24, 2002, Harris received a devastating call from the investigator. I never thought hed do something like that to her. The Harrises, who also were business partners, then spent an evening at a bar talking about their relationship. He pointed out that even David Harris' parents and brother had testified on Clara Harris' behalf. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Perhaps the most powerful witness was David Harris' daughter, 17-year-old Lindsey Harris, who was in Mercedes. 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Watt tweets the 2 things he doesn't miss about Houston, You can own your own cave system for a cool $875k, home included, Texas college baseball player hit by stray bullet mid-game, Greg Abbott announces $50k reward for information on Cleveland shooting, Massive Coastal Bend ranch up for sale near Texas next big state park, Property north of San Antonio set to become a new Texas state park, Texas man catches massive alligator snapping turtle, then releases it back into the wild, How former KPRC 2 anchor Dominique Sachse is getting back to reporting, Uber ranks Houston among the most 'forgetful' U.S. cities. Feinstein has vowed to return to Washington, but what happens if she doesnt? The defense's attempts to prove that Clara ran over David only once crumbled when the judge ruled their re-creation of the crime by a private consultant inadmissible in court. [3] Suspicious, Clara hired a private detective agency to monitor David, and on July 24, 2002, the agency notified her that he was at a hotel with his mistress. Because she is penniless (and legally, she still owes her in-laws $3.75 million), she will initially live with a friend, and she will look for a job. "'She killed my dad. The lawsuit claimed that Blue Moon, of Webster, which Clara Harris hired to photograph her husband with another woman, should not have told Clara Harris that the two were at the hotel. Clara Harris stood stoically as the verdict was read, her lawyer's arms around her. Clara Harris tried to control the damage by making herself real pretty so Dad would want her and not Gail, said Lindsey. David and Clara Harris were married for ten years before she killed him in a fit of rage. Garza asked. } On July 22, 2002, she got into her silver S-Class 430 Mercedes-Benz and drove to the Nassau Bay Hilton, across the highway from the Johnson Space Center. Her husband had confessed to her on July 17, and Harris had confronted Bridges at the orthodontics office that same day, telling her she was fired. Bridges then walked to her car with David following. Trending News Silently, Harris put the car in reverse and began to drive out of the hotel parking lot. He then escorted Bridges to her Lincoln Navigator while hotel staff took Harris outside. She then brought up David Harris' daughter, Lindsey, and began crying as she spoke. Get a 42-inch oscillating fan for 15% off with this deal. Most Facebook users can now claim settlement money. She said her stepmother made the remark just after finding him with Bridges. After confronting him in a hotel lobby in Houston, Texas, she got into her Mercedes-Benz and waited. Read Skip Hollandsworths 2002 piece on Harris, Suburban Madness,. He went to church and loved Clara, she said. The prosecution admitted that it was a good argument, but countered by bringing in a police officer who had been present at the scene who pointed out another tire track on the pavement shown in a police photograph, the angle of which went directly to where David's body had been. We report on vital issues from politics to education and are the indispensable authority on the Texas scene, covering everything from music to cultural events with insightful recommendations. Clara Suarez, a Colombian immigrant, was named "Mrs Colombia Houston" and worked as a dentist. He was trying to get away but couldnt., Harris was expressionless as she steered the car over a concrete median, then circled around the lot, said Lindsey. He was trying to get away and he couldn't.". Shortly thereafter, appellant and her step-daughter, Lindsey Harris, drove to the hotel. "She stepped on the accelerator and went Originally sentenced to twenty years for first-degree murder, the former Houston dentist has been paroled. And its full of great reads, yall. Wife Guilty Of Murder By Mercedes - CBS News When I went to her first court appearance, nearly a dozen photographers were there to capture her every move. Clara then parks her car next to his body. But shes a wonderful woman. "This was an unfortunate tragedy and it did not have to end this way," Bridges said. Go the other way,'" an emotional Lindsey Harris remembered in the courtroom. 2023 NFL undrafted free agent tracker: Team-by-team list of In the darkened cabin of her stepmothers Mercedes-Benz, Lindsey Harris thought the drama was over for the night. When he walked outside, his wife did precisely that, sending him flying 25 feet across the parking lot. If you're going to hire an investigator and you call for a report, and Clara called us twice for a report, legally, we have to give our client a report," said Bobbi Bacha, with Blue Moon. Column: Does racism make you too stupid to be a cop? Reward offered as manhunt for Texas shooting suspect reaches "dead end" / CBS. They seemed like the perfect family but on July 24, 2002, Harris fatally ran over her husband with her car. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. She knew what she did and she wasnt sorry, said Lindsey. Days earlier, David had admitted to Clara that he and Gail had been having an affair, and he had promised Clara that he would end it. Prosecutors say Harris, bent on avenging her husbands adultery, used her car as a murder weapon. Clara Harris said that remark stunned her. "What did Lindsey say to you?" 66 Join Insider Sign In Neil Patrick Harris is wishing his twin children a very happy birthday. The story of an angry dentist killing her husband spread like wildfire. During his marriage to Clara, David began to have an affair with his former receptionist, Gail Bridges. Prosecutors, however, went after her, saying she knew exactly what she was doing in that Hilton parking lot. [5] David was dead at the scene, and Clara was charged with murder.[6]. They had twin sons named Brian and Bradley in 1998. The trial was front-page news in Houston and included dramatic testimony from Harris, her romantic rival and her stepdaughter, who was in the car that day and told jurors her stepmother sped toward her father as he desperately tried to get out of the way. After it was over, Clara Harris led Lindsey to the Mercedes. Raised by her widowed mother, she grew into an ambitious adult who studied dentistry in her home country before making her way to the United States in the late 1980s. Harris found her husband and Bridges in the hotel lobby. A California law says yes. Seven months later, she called News2Houston's Cindy Garza and said she was ready to talk, but only under one condition -- no cameras, only audio. She then cradled her husband and told him she was sorry and loved him, according to The New York Times. Clara Harris said many of the events were a "dream" to her. "I knew she had killed my dad," Lindsey Harris testified. The verdict is not a surprise, according CBSNews.com Legal Analyst Andrew Cohen. David Lynn Harris was an American orthodontist who owned a chain of offices along with his wife, Clara Suarez Harris. The trial is expected to go on through this week as defense lawyers present their case. Im going to hit him, Margie Harris Obituary It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Margie Harris of Paducah, Kentucky, who passed away on January 2, 2023, at the age of 82, leaving to mourn family and friends. Get the day's top news with our Today's Headlines newsletter, sent every weekday morning. The case was profiled on the Oxygen Network series Snapped in 2004, on ABC News's 20/20 in 2006, and on Investigation Discovery's Deadly Women in 2010. The video was especially damning, as it showed her circling her Mercedes around the parking lot three times, although David is not clearly seen in the video. Henry married his first cousin, Lucretia Riggan, the daughter of Ann Harris and Francis Riggan, on December 12, 1819. Harris The hotel's attorney, Ervin Apffel Jr., confirmed that the lawsuit had been settled but declined to comment further. Clara Harris, the woman who mowed down her philandering husband with a Mercedes-Benz, was sentenced by a Houston jury to 20 years in prison on the day that would have been her 11th wedding anniversary. While David Harris daughter Lindsey spent the school year in Ohio with her mother, the teenager lived in Houston with her dad and stepmom over the summers. Lindsey was with Harris when she sped off in the direction of the hotel on July 24 to confront her husband. Harris found her husband and Bridges in the hotel lobby. You b, hes my husband! "She ought not get credit for making herself a single parent," the prosecutor told jurors before deliberations began. A lawsuit on behalf of the children of David Harris, a cheating husband fatally run down by his wife in a jealous rage two years ago, has been tentatively settled, lawyers for the involved parties have confirmed. While David Harris daughter Lindsey spent the school year in Ohio with her mother, the teenager lived in Houston with her dad and stepmom over the summers. "A lot of women would say, 'I don't feel sorry for (you) because (you were) going out with a married man,'" Garza said. Most Facebook users can now claim settlement money. Clara and her stepdaughter, Lindsey, began to drive around town after they could not find David at the restaurant where he said he was taking Ms. Bridges. She confronted the lovers in the hotel lobby and brawled with Bridges before returning to her car. Inside The Accident That Killed The Beloved Actor, 'A World First': New Species Of Prehistoric Crocodile Discovered With A Dinosaur In Its Stomach, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. Mercedes Murderess Gets 20 Years - CBS News } Generator vs power station: Which one is right for you? Although she knows she cant disappear, she is going to do her best to stay out of the public eye, said Stouwie. The lawsuit also said hotel management failed to provide effective security or notify police in time to prevent Harris' death and failed to train its employees to deal with domestic disputes. Bridges said she never saw this coming because Clara knew of their affair and David told his mistress he was leaving his wife. Jurors deliberated for eight hours over two days before reaching the verdict. Her friends have told me she is worried that people she meets will realize who she is and back away. Granted parole in November 2017, Harris was released from prison at 8:20 a.m. on May 11, 2018. As soon as News2Houston walked into her home with a camera, she bolted into the bedroom and did not want to come out until the camera was gone. She's also suing the detective agency that followed him, News2Houston reported Thursday in an exclusive story. Garza asked Bridges. Save on AeroGarden indoor herb growing kits at Amazon, Create a bonsai tree out of bricks with this $40 LEGO set, Dyson's air purifying headphones have finally arrived, Preorder 'The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom' today, There are a ton of great patio furniture sets on sale right now, Beat the heat with this discounted Lasko tower fan from Amazon, Apple deal: The 2023 MacBook Pro Laptop is under $2,000 on Amazon, New Texas bill would charge electric car drivers $200 annual fee, These 8 Denver-area hikes each offer something unique, Why this museum should be on every Houston kid's must-visit list, Elon Musk describes Starship flight as 'roughly what I expected', Here's how much you have to make to be 'middle class' in Houston. A defense expert said Harris was hit by the luxury sedan, carried atop its hood and then run over. Without warning, she stomped on the accelerator and went straight for my Dad, testified Lindsey, 17, at Harris murder trial Wednesday. Her sons went to live with another couple who had been close friends with Clara and David. "And at that point I knew I had to focus on her.". Attorneys for Lindsey Harris filed a lawsuit Thursday, naming Blue Moon Investigations and the Hilton Nasa Clear Lake, Nasa Road 1, in Nassau Bay. I think they tried to deal with this in-house. Daniel Vaughn is the countrys first barbecue editor, and he has eaten more barbecue than you have. The 17-year-old testified that she had tried to commit suicide four times in the months after her father's death July 24. They were more concerned, from what we can tell, about the embarrassing situation that was going on in the lobby of their hotel," Davis said. The 17-year-old's pivotal testimony on Thursday gave jurors a firsthand glimpse into the horror Lindsey witnessed the night of July 24, when she was sitting in the front passenger seat of Clara Harris' Mercedes S-Class. Staring at a photo of her twin boys, Clara bowed her head, her dark brown eyes brimming with tears, and then was escorted away. Abbott, FBI announce rewards for info on Cleveland mass shooter, Massive ranch up for sale near Texas next big state park, 3,800-acre San Antonio-area property to become Texas state park, Texas man catches giant alligator snapping turtle, releases it, Former KPRC 2 anchor Dominique Sachse to launch podcast Monday, Uber ranks Houston among most 'forgetful' U.S. cities, Texas to host national hot air balloon championship this summer, Report: Texas man took break from dinner date to kill man outside, One of Houston's tallest skyscrapers to become apartment complex, J.J. Watt tweets the 2 things he doesn't miss about Houston, You can own your own cave system for a cool $875k, home included, Texas college baseball player hit by stray bullet mid-game, Greg Abbott announces $50k reward for information on Cleveland shooting, Massive Coastal Bend ranch up for sale near Texas next big state park, Property north of San Antonio set to become a new Texas state park, Texas man catches massive alligator snapping turtle, then releases it back into the wild, How former KPRC 2 anchor Dominique Sachse is getting back to reporting, Uber ranks Houston among the most 'forgetful' U.S. cities. } "That forced Harris' lawyers to tell jurors not to believe their own eyes but to believe the defense theory that the whole thing was an accident.". Defense and prosecution experts disagreed on how many times David Harris was struck. How Did James Dean Die? Gail Bridges describes the night she and her lover, David Harris, were confronted by his wife, Clara Harris, in a hotel lobby -- the last night she would ever see him alive. Her sons were placed in the care of family friends, and her stepdaughter Lindsey testified against her at the trial that began in January 2003. Reward offered as manhunt for Texas shooting suspect reaches "dead end", Louisiana's health care deserts put women, babies at risk, doctors say, Second convoy of U.S. citizens fleeing Khartoum arrives at Port Sudan, How a tall Texan became an unlikely Australian rules football star, Surviving the torturous hell of the Hanoi Hilton, Texas surfer pushed offshore by strong winds rescued by Coast Guard, Tornado flips cars, downs trees after touching down in South Florida, Shaquil Barrett's 2-year-old daughter dies in drowning accident, Investors sue Adidas over Kanye West Yeezy deal. A hotel employee tried to stop them. Henry was born in Bute (later Warren) County, North Carolina. "She stepped on the accelerator and went Clara suddenly gunned the engine and raced toward them. She married David Harris on February 14, 1992, at the Nassau Bay Hilton, and raised three children: twin sons Brian and Bradley, born in 1998, and David's daughter Lindsey from a previous marriage. "It will be really interesting to find out whether the same jurors who so quickly and harshly judged her will now show some sympathy for her situation and recommend a lighter sentence," said Cohen.
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