This time, a jury had little sympathy for Claras story, and it ordered her to pay $3.75 million in damages. I hate you!. "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. Accompanying her was Davids sixteen-year-old daughter from a previous marriage, Lindsey, who was visiting from Ohio, where she lived with her mother. Her husband and Bridges were not talking at a restaurant but were together at Nassau Bay Hilton the same hotel where David and Clara Harris had been married 10 years earlier. The chain was particularly successful, and the couple was able to afford an upscale home and lifestyle in Friendswood, Texas. That was when she struck me on my leg with the vehicle," the mistress said. Witnesses recalled Lindsey screaming and trying to get out of the car, but Harris sped off to run over her husband. Davis said the settlement followed a long day of mediation among the parties in May but will not be final until Galveston County Probate Judge Gladys Burwell approves it. John Spong writes primarily about popular culture. The prosecutor said it was "almost offensive" to consider that the defendant has suffered, too. Through it all, however, Clara Harris only wanted people to know the truth about what really happened the night she murdered her husband. Perhaps the most powerful witness was David Harris' daughter, 17-year-old Lindsey Harris, who was in Mercedes. She then brought up David Harris' daughter, Lindsey, and began crying as she spoke. Defense and prosecution experts disagreed on how many times David Harris was struck. David Harris and Bridges entered the hotel lobby hand in hand, Lindsey said. I'm sorry. The investigators Harris had hired happened to record the entire ordeal on video, which was entered into evidence. The death came a week after David Harris confessed to his nearly three-month affair with Bridges. He was pronounced dead at 9:48 p.m. and Clara Harris was charged with murder. But she denied trying to run him down and said she didn't recall hitting him. Perhaps the most powerful witness was David Harris' daughter, 17-year-old Lindsey Harris, who was in Mercedes. According to bar napkin notes kept by Clara Harris, David Harris thought his wife was overweight, dominated conversations and was a workaholic, all in contrast to Bridges. Its free. "I couldn't believe he could sleep holding her all night because we had never slept like that never," she testified. display: block; "She said, 'I'm so sorry. Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell case: A timeline of events All rights reserved. Copyright 2023 Click2Houston.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. 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. 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. So she will walk out of prison in about 10 years or so (with time off for good behavior and parole)," says Cohen. According to the Los Angeles Times, Lindsey later testified that Harris said, Im going to hit him, as they sat in the car and waited for David to appear. 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. The settlement terms are confidential, said attorney John A. Davis Jr., who represented Lindsey Harris. [11], Harris was released on parole on May 11, 2018, and was released from parole in February of 2023.[12]. Its time to forgive her and let her move on.. Emily McCullar is a senior editor covering pop culture, news, and Texas history. David Harris' father, mother and brother "don't want those boys ripped away from the last parent that they have on this Earth," Parnham said. She always said that David called Lindsey his angel and now David is her angel. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. All external sites will open in a new browser. I never thought hed do something like that to her. Bridge's now suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder -- flashbacks, nightmares and is on medication. In the week before the murder, Harris went to a tanning salon and a beauty shop, joined a gym and consulted with a plastic surgeon about liposuction and breast implants, her checkbook register shows. 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. She said her stepmother made the remark just after finding him with Bridges. Clara and David Harris were married on Valentine's Day. Here's how. Yes, the twins acknowledged, they had lost their father, but at the same time they had lost their mother, whom they loved deeply. 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. She testified that Clara was furious that David was having an affair and determined to catch him in the act, according to a KPRC Channel 2 News report. She and her future husband met as colleagues at the Castle Dental Center in 1991. Her lawyer contends that the 44-year-old dentist acted in the heat of passion, a wife unhinged by her cheating husband. Harris said she snapped out of her daze as her stepdaughter screamed for her to stop. When the car stopped, Lindsey ran around to the drivers side. "(Clara) went right through (a hotel employee) and straight for my dad. Lucretia was born about 1795. Click Here to try 4 Free Trial Issues of Time! The teenager said she never thought her stepmother would act on a comment that she could kill David Harris and get away with it. With all hes done to me, I could kill him and get away with it, Harris had allegedly stated. } When he walked outside, his wife did precisely that, sending him flying 25 feet across the parking lot. / CBS. The verdict is not a surprise, according CBSNews.com Legal Analyst Andrew Cohen. "He pushed Gail out of the way. I was yelling, 'Stop, don't do that. If you need help with the Public File, call (713) 778-4745. This caused her attorney to collapse from the stress, causing the court to go to recess as he was taken to the hospital and later released. I yelled, 'Stop it, you're killing him.' HOUSTON The stepdaughter of Clara Harris is suing the hotel where her father was fatally run over. "She stepped on the accelerator and went straight for him," Lindsey Harris told jurors. Lindsey Harris, 17, took the stand as the prosecution's last witness against orthodontist Clara Harris, who stands accused of running down her husband - David Harris, 44, also a dentist - in the parking lot of the Nassau Bay Hilton last year. I'm so sorry. He pointed out that even David Harris' parents and brother had testified on Clara Harris' behalf. Only part of the interview was played; the jury heard Clara state that she "wanted to hurt" her husband, but not the portion where she said later in the interview, "I didn't want to kill him." A California law says yes. WebThey had one daughter, Martha "Mattie" Harris, who was born in November 1895, when Gideon Lindsey Harris was almost 82 years old. "She said, 'I'm so sorry. Sheriff says Texas shooting suspect "could be anywhere now" Clara Harris said that remark stunned her. [9] Her second parole request was denied in September 2016. Clara, who had been tipped off to Davids whereabouts by a private investigator she had hired, went berserk. Lindsey Harris is David's daughter from a previous marraige. Lindsey testified that Harris ran over her father three times. "She ran over him the first time, then two more times. CBSNews.com Legal Analyst Andrew Cohen says Texas showed too much mercy towards the Mercedes Muderess. Harris insisted the death last July was an accident and that she only wanted to damage the black Lincoln Navigator belonging to her husband's receptionist turned lover, Gail Bridges. In the heat of the moment, she went on to say, she didnt even know she had run over David. Lindsey testified Clara "peeled out" and headed around to another part of the parking lot where her father and his alleged mistress were getting into a Lincoln Navigator. ", She also scoffed at Parnham's statement about keeping the boys with "the last parent they have on Earth.". "I wasn't sure if what I was seeing was real," said one tearful witness, Chris Junco. Whether youre shopping Way Day 2023 or Walmart, theres an al fresco set for you. 1 employee killed, 2 injured at Tennessee Volkswagen plant Claras goal was to get paroled so she could be reunited with her sons, Emily Detoto, one of her original defense attorneys, told me. Obviously, he hadnt. She has already filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Clara Harris. 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. Im going to hit him, "I think that speaks volumes to what this jury should do," Parnham 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. Get the day's top news with our Today's Headlines newsletter, sent every weekday morning. //-->. 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. 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 whole scene was very mad.". According to the medical examiner's office, they could only be certain there was one tire mark on the body, but Lindsey and eyewitnesses assert Clara ran over David three times. 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. Without warning, she stomped on the accelerator and went straight for my Dad, testified Lindsey, 17, at Harris murder trial Wednesday. Harris, who had remained stoic during her verdict on Thursday, slumped in her chair crying as the judge read her sentencing. One of the prosecution's most powerful witnesses was 17-year-old Lindsey Harris, David Harris' daughter from a previous marriage, who was riding in her Parnham argued that Clara Harris acted out of sudden passion. Henrys will was recorded in Warren County, North Carolina in May, 1838. Clara Harris leaving prison on May 11, 2018. A dozen photojournalists flocked to Harris first court appearance. Jeff Moore, chief of investigations for Blue Moon, said company officials are "very pleased" with the outcome. Lindsey Harris, 17, David Harris's daughter by his first marriage, was in the passenger seat of the car that killed her father. 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. Im thinking about pulling a Clara Harris, a woman would say with a laugh after learning her husband had done something really stupid. } else if ( host.indexOf("asia.cnn.com") != -1 ) { She and Lindsey got into Harris silver S-Class 430 Mercedes-Benz and waited. David Harris, a suburban Houston orthodontist, died July 24 after Clara Harris car struck him. She was convicted of sudden passion and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Assistant District Attorney Mia Magness, who is prosecuting the case, asked the teenager. Leave them blank to get signed up. On March 11, 1896, Gideon Lindsey Harris passed away and is buried in the old Mars Hill Cemetery beside his second wife, Catherine, and among many of his descendants who rest there. If convicted, Harris could be sentenced to life in prison. "I knew she had killed my dad," Lindsey Harris testified. Reward offered as manhunt for Texas shooting suspect reaches "dead end" "She stepped on the accelerator and went straight for him," Lindsey Harris told jurors. (According to Stouwie, the company that runs the prison braille program has asked Harris to keep working once she returns to Houston. The woman who ran down her philandering husband with a Mercedes-Benz after catching him with his mistress was convicted of murder Thursday by a jury that rejected her claim she was aiming for his lover's car. One time she wrote about sports. Lindsey Harris was the prosecution's only witness during the penalty phase of the trial. I hit her because I knew that she had killed my Dad, said Lindsey. ', "She knew what she did and she wasn't sorry.". Apparently, some members of Davids family had written letters to the parole board declaring that Clara didnt deserve mercythat she should at least serve her full twenty-year sentence and be released in 2023. Nevertheless, Claras attorneys persuaded the jurors that Clara had acted under sudden passion rather than with intent to kill, and they gave her a twenty-year sentence. The 45-year-old dentist faces up to life in prison when she is sentenced, though the punishment could be reduced if jurors decide she acted with "sudden passion.". Originally sentenced to twenty years for first-degree murder, the former Houston dentist has been paroled. "What I want you to think about is what, based on all of the evidence in this case, what would David want?". Lindsey started hitting her father while shouting, I hate you! Harris ripped the shirt off Bridges, then David reportedly pushed Harris to the floor. She lunged at Gail, slapped her, grabbed her shirt and tore it off, all the while screaming, You bitch, hes my husband! At the same time, Lindsey began hitting her father with her purse, shouting I hate you! Neil Patrick Harris is wishing his twin children a very happy birthday. The crime was caught on tape by a private investigator Clara Harris had hired to document her husband's affair. "We're just glad it's over," he said. 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. } else { Copyright 2011 by Click2Houston.com. The 17-year-old testified that she had tried to commit suicide four times in the months after her father's death July 24. I'm so sorry. They said they had come to the prison every month for the last fifteen years, without fail, to visit their mother. Suspicious, Clara hired a private detective agency to monitor David, an She told jurors she wanted to save her 10-year marriage after learning of the affair. "Suddenly, I thought about smashing my car against her car and then I (picked) up speed. Clara and Lindsey walked into the lobby just as David and his office receptionist, Gail Bridges, were emerging from an elevator. 66 Join Insider Sign In "This was an unfortunate tragedy and it did not have to end this way," Bridges said. In 2005, Oprah arrived at the prison in the town of Gatesville (near Waco), where Clara was incarcerated, to interview her for her talk show. In 2007, Clara was brought back to Houston for a civil trial to defend herself in a wrongful-death lawsuit filed by Davids parents. Harris was released in 2018, a full five years before completing her sentence. A police officer who witnessed the crime testified that she ran him over three times, however. Jurors deliberated for six hours before returning with their verdict on the sentence. Recalling the day of the accident, Clara Harris wept as she said "everything seemed like a dream." 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. Get a 42-inch oscillating fan for 15% off with this deal. 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. Lindsey Burke Harris (born November 19, 1993) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Houston Dash of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Harris played for the Tar Heels of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 2012 to 2016, redshirting during her freshman year. 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.". Bush: Prosecutor taking up Schiavo inquiry. Garza asked Bridges. Inside Edition/YouTubeClara Harris leaving prison on May 11, 2018. During a violent confrontation with her husband and his alleged mistress, Gail Bridges, in the hotel lobby, Clara Harris "went straight for Gail, hitting and ripping her shirt off," Lindsey testified. He holds dual bachelor's degrees from Pace University and a master's degree from New York University. 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. 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. "She stepped on the accelerator and went It was an accident.". This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. He yelled 'stop' and she didn't. February 13, 2003 / 3:16 PM Clara then parks her car next to his body. The lawsuit sought damages from the Nassau Bay Hilton Hotel and the Blue Moon Investigations detective agency for the couple's twin sons, Brian and Bradley, 5, and Harris' daughter, Lindsey, 18, by a previous marriage. Then, learn about rich teenager Ethan Couch being released from prison despite murdering four people. The person at the front desk told them that neither David Harris nor Bridges was registered with the hotel. She turned the car around to run over him a second time, then made a final 180-degree turn to hit him once more. Gabriel Harris Daughter, Jasmine, Is Close To Her Grandmother Joan Baez and David Harris were once the power couple in the music world. "'She killed my dad. In 2003 Harris was again involved in court action over the custody On the evening of July 24, 2002, Harris received a devastating call from the investigator. Lindsey was already crying when she reached her dying father, and Harris soon joined in. "And at that point I knew I had to focus on her.". Two dodged right, she said, but her husband moved left, toward her approaching Mercedes. Harris agreed, but she secretly hired a private investigator to follow them to dinner and ensure her husband ended the relationship. She testified anyway, and Parnham subsequently passed out from tremendous stress in the courthouse hallway and had to be hospitalized. "If Harris were a man we would have seen a life sentence in this case. She testified that Clara was furious that David was having an affair and determined to catch him in the Instead, the jury said Harris should be fined and sentenced to prison at the upper limit of the sentencing guidelines for the special circumstance. [2] During his marriage to Clara, David began to have an affair with his former receptionist, Gail Bridges. Garza asked Bridges. A $300-million (minimum) gondola to Dodger Stadium? "We were leaving the hotel and I was looking at David and I noticed all of a sudden his face changed. .component--type-recirculation .item:nth-child(5) { Clara was first eligible for parole in 2012, but she was turned down. Clara Harris and attorney George Parnham after the first day of testimony in 2003. David had been married once before and had a daughter named Lindsey, and Harris loved the young girl like her own. Henry married his first cousin, Lucretia Riggan, the daughter of Ann Harris and Francis Riggan, on December 12, 1819. She was on a mission to find where he was, said Lindsey. I was yelling, Stop, youre killing him!. In testimony mixed with flashes of fury and tears, the teenager described how Harris enlisted her support after learning about her husbands affair with his receptionist, Gail Bridges. Appellant and Lindsey walked to the parking lot and found Bridges s Navigator. "Did you see the car coming towards you?" Shortly thereafter, appellant and her step-daughter, Lindsey Harris, drove to the hotel. This is Dr. David Harris and hes fing this woman right here!. Clara Harris said that remark stunned her. "Well, she ought not to be given credit for making herself a single parent," Magness said. "In conjunction with Clara Harris, their acts contributed (to) or caused the death of David Harris," said John Davis, an attorney for Lindsey Harris. She was denied parole in her first attempt on April 11, 2013, by the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles. What the Bleep Is Going On With Texas Property Taxes? In November, Claras application for parole was granted, and her release date was set for May 11. [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. ', "She knew what she did and she wasn't sorry.". A 20-year prison term for a first-degree murder conviction in Texas is a pie-in-the-sky legal result if I have ever seen one,'' he said. When Harris suddenly accelerated, Lindsey was thrown against her seat and saw her father put his hands on the hood of the car, shouting, Stop! she said. The 2023 NFL Draft runs April 2729 live from Kansas City, Missouri. Around Houston, she became a pop culture reference. Claras application for parole was granted, Why These Ugly, Abandoned Longview Homes May Be Worth Saving. 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. The trial is expected to go on through this week as defense lawyers present their case. 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 said Harris' boys would be provided for and they would adjust and survive, "because that's what children do. Parnham suggested that the victim himself would have wanted his wife to receive probation and continue raising their twin 4-year-old sons. It's not fair to dangle those two boys out in front of you the way that she has.". / CBS. Clara Harris was born Clara Suarez on Feb. 3, 1958, in Bogot, Colombia, according to Texas Monthly. } Harris' attorney, George Parnham, had argued that the crime happened moments after an emotional and volatile confrontation between Harris, her husband and his mistress at the same hotel where the couple was married.
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