I do not regret or will ever regret that I got to know him and that he became part of my life.". The 2023 NFL Draft runs April 2729 live from Kansas City, Missouri. 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. [2] During his marriage to Clara, David began to have an affair with his former receptionist, Gail Bridges. [3] 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. How Palm Springs ran out Black and Latino families to build a fantasy for rich, white people, 17 SoCal hiking trails that are blooming with wildflowers (but probably not for long! Clara was first eligible for parole in 2012, but she was turned down. YouTubeDavid and Clara Harris were married for ten years before she killed him in a fit of rage. The death came a week after David Harris confessed to his nearly three-month affair with Bridges. The parents of the victim, David Harris, took the stand, too to testify in support of their daughter-in-law. In 2003 Harris was again involved in court action over the custody Most Facebook users can now claim settlement money. But shes a wonderful woman. Lindsey was already crying when she reached her dying father, and Harris soon joined in. } 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. College career. If jurors find she acted under the legal definition of sudden passion, she could receive a two-to-20-year sentence. However, after watching days of testimony, she decided she had to speak. Lindsey was upset with her father. Bacha said that she would sue Clara Harris for breach of contract since she should not have gone to the hotel after receiving the report. Recalling the day of the accident, Clara Harris wept as she said "everything seemed like a dream." Clara Harris was convicted of murdering her cheating husband, David Harris, by running him over with her Mercedes-Benz on July 24. Over the years, there were occasional stories in the media about Clara. ', "She knew what she did and she wasn't sorry.". "I think I closed my eyes" just before impact, she testified. On the evening of July 24, 2002, Harris received a devastating call from the investigator. } else if ( host.indexOf("asia.cnn.com") != -1 ) { She always said that Whats more, she didnt violate any prison rules. Most Facebook users can now claim settlement money. Generator vs power station: Which one is right for you? Please enter valid email address to continue. Court was scheduled to reconvene later Thursday for the sentencing phase. She urged prison time, though she made no specific recommendation about the length of a sentence. "We're just glad it's over," he said. 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. Eventually, Clara and Lindsey stormed back to the Mercedes. 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. Granted parole in November 2017, Harris was released from prison at 8:20 a.m. on May 11, 2018. Two of them cried as state District Judge Carol Davies read it in court. After a three-week trial, Clara Harris was found guilty on Feb. 14, 2003. Why is Frank McCourt really pushing this? When David Harris wasnt at the steakhouse, Lindsey drove her stepmothers car -- with Clara Harris in the passenger seat -- to Bridges house, then to a hotel and two other restaurants the couple had frequented. Clara Clara's trial began the following February. In November, Claras application for parole was granted, and her release date was set for May 11. "She said, 'I'm so sorry. 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. ', "She knew what she did and she wasn't sorry.". Clara and David Harris were married on Valentine's Day. With all hes done to me, I could kill him and get away with it, Harris had allegedly stated. The 2023 NFL Draft runs April 2729 live from Kansas City, Missouri. When the car stopped, Lindsey ran around to the drivers side. We became very close, Lindsey said. The story of an angry dentist killing her husband spread like wildfire. Inside the Bro-tastic Party Mansions Upending a Historic Austin Community, Sex, Threats, and Late-Night Phone Calls: The Allegations From Inside Jolanda Joness Legislative Office, Texass Big Ranches Are Still Selling for Big Bucks, The Campaign to Sabotage Texass Public Schools, Forty Years Later, Wrongfully Convicted James Reyos Has Another Day in Court. She testified anyway, and Parnham subsequently passed out from tremendous stress in the courthouse hallway and had to be hospitalized. 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. display: block; Clara Harris, a Colombian immigrant, was named "Mrs Colombia Houston" and worked as a dentist. They said they had come to the prison every month for the last fifteen years, without fail, to visit their mother. She then brought up David Harris' daughter, Lindsey, and began crying as she spoke. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. WebView the profiles of people named Lyndsey Harris. She was incarcerated at the Mountain View Unit in Gatesville, Texas,[8] where she converted school textbooks to Braille for blind students. Here's how. I hate you! On Thursday, jurors found Harris, 45, guilty of murder for repeatedly running over her 44-year-old orthodontist husband with her car. You b, hes my husband! Harris shouted before slapping Bridges. Bridges said she never saw this coming because Clara knew of their affair and David told his mistress he was leaving his wife. Two dodged right, she said, but her husband moved left, toward her approaching Mercedes. She was in the car with her stepmother when her father was killed. The 45-year-old dentist had faced up to life in prison if the jury had ruled she had not murdered her husband as a crime of "sudden passion", or as little as probation. Its time to forgive her and let her move on.. A symbol of her American success story, the luxury car soon became a murder weapon. When I went to her first court appearance, nearly a dozen photographers were there to capture her every move. Lindsey Harris, 17, David Harris's daughter by his first marriage, was in the passenger seat of the car that killed her father. It was also the topic of Suburban Madness, a Lifetime Original movie, starring Elizabeth Pea and Brett Cullen.[14]. document.write('Saturday, February 15, 2003 Posted: 11:37 AM HKT (0337 GMT)
<\/span>'); When Clara finally stopped the car, she got out, looked around, walked toward her dead husband, cradled him in her arms, and begged him to breathe. I never thought hed do something like that to her. Clara Harris and attorney George Parnham after the first day of testimony in 2003. Im thinking about pulling a Clara Harris, a woman would say with a laugh after learning her husband had done something really stupid. A staff writer for All Thats Interesting, Marco Margaritoff has also published work at outlets including People, VICE, and Complex, covering everything from film to finance to technology. Lindsey Harris was the prosecution's only witness during the penalty phase Clara Harris Says She Still Loves Her Dead Husband, Jury Considers Punishment For Clara Harris, Jurors Set To Begin Deliberations In Clara Harris Case, Closing Arguments Wednesday In Harris Trial, Jurors Told To Bring Toothbrushes In Clara Harris Trial, Clara Harris' Attorney Collapses Outside Courtroom, Harris' Lover Testifies About Relationship, Defense Goes After Victim In Clara Harris Case, Collision Expert Testifies About Harris' Death, Accusations Fly After Harris Daughter Testifies, Harris' Daughter Testifies: 'She Meant To Kill Him', Stepdaughter To Testify In Clara Harris' Trial, Harris Cries Uncontrollably, Removed From Trial, Private Investigator Testifies In Clara Harris Trial, Witnesses Describe Harris Running Over Husband, Jury Selection Continues In Harris' Murder Trial, Jurors To Be Picked For Clara Harris' Trial, Harris' Stepdaughter's Remarks Spark Debate, Audiotapes Allege Clara Harris Also Having Affair, Custody Battle Stems From High-Profile Murder, Wife Free After Allegedly Running Over Husband. Reward offered as manhunt for Texas shooting suspect reaches "dead end" Obviously, he hadnt. A hotel employee tried to stop them. The couple married on February 14, 1992, at the Nassau Bay Hilton, and were raising three children, twin sons born in 1998 and David's daughter Lindsey from a previous marriage. Because of her criminal record, she can no longer practice dentistry.) Back then she declined. I don't know if she had run over him or if he had gotten away," Lindsey answered. Published in 2004 by St. Martin's Paperbacks, the book follows the story of the murder and the reasons behind it. document.write('Saturday, February 15, 2003 Posted: 0337 GMT
<\/span>'); display: none; 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. [11], Harris was released on parole on May 11, 2018, and was released from parole in February of 2023.[12]. Prosecutors, however, went after her, saying she knew exactly what she was doing in that Hilton parking lot. Yes, she made a horrible fifteen-minute mistake. "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.". One time she wrote about sports. "What I want you to think about is what, based on all of the evidence in this case, what would David want?". At her parole hearing this past October, he brought her two sons, who were then nineteen years old and attending universities in Texas. David Lynn Harris was an American orthodontist who owned a chain of offices along with his wife, Clara Suarez Harris. Clara contends that she did not see David when she ran into him with her car. Lindsey started hitting her father while shouting, I hate you! Harris ripped the shirt off Bridges, then David reportedly pushed Harris to the floor. 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. He said Burwell probably will discuss the settlement with the parties before the end of July. 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. Mimi Swartz is a staff writer based in Houston. After the initial collision, Clara Harris circled around and ran over him again, the teen testified. It was an accident. In 2007, Clara was brought back to Houston for a civil trial to defend herself in a wrongful-death lawsuit filed by Davids parents. Bridges spoke to News2Houston in an exclusive interview Thursday. Around Houston, she became a pop culture reference. 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. 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. She was also given the maximum fine of $10,000. Generator vs power station: Which one is right for you? (My dad) had his hands in front of the car. I'm so sorry. This post has been updated since publication to correct an error: the minimum punishment for intentional murder is five years, not twenty years. Get a 42-inch oscillating fan for 15% off with this deal. 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. 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. Six months later, all Lindsey knows for sure is that her father is dead, and that her stepmother is to blame. David Harris was killed in the hotel parking lot moments later. Harris, who had remained stoic during her verdict on Thursday, slumped in her chair crying as the judge read her sentencing. Im going to hit him, The same nine-woman, three-man jury deliberated about eight hours before returning the murder conviction. I was yelling, 'Stop, don't do that. Though Harris had hired a private detective to tail her husband that night, she and Lindsey set out to do their own surveillance. Without warning, she stomped on the accelerator and went straight for my Dad, testified Lindsey, 17, at Harris murder trial Wednesday. Clara Harris had it all. Gabriel Harris Daughter, Jasmine, Is Close To Her Grandmother Joan Baez and David Harris were once the power couple in the music world. She wasnt saying anything. Clara, who had been tipped off to Davids whereabouts by a private investigator she had hired, went berserk. 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. Harris already knew about the affair when she hired Blue Moon Investigations, a private detective agency, in July 2002. The chain was particularly successful, and the couple was able to afford an upscale home and lifestyle in Friendswood, Texas. Prosecutor Mia Magness, however, said Harris was using her sons as a "shield" to gain probation. He was trying to get away and he couldn't.". 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. [13] This story was the inspiration for the completion of a chapter in the Mexican series Mujeres Asesinas "Killer Women." Jurors deliberated for six hours before returning with their verdict on the sentence. Clara Harris is serving a 20-year sentence for murder in the case, which drew national attention. The person at the front desk told them that neither David Harris nor Bridges was registered with the hotel. I hate you!. I hit her because I knew that she had killed my Dad, said Lindsey. "Did you see the car coming towards you?" Clara Harris said that remark stunned her. 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. "He once told me that he would like to spend the rest of his life with me, and he did," Bridges said. 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. 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. 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. David Harris and Bridges entered the hotel lobby hand in hand, Lindsey said. A book titled Out of Control was written by Steven Long about the case. She confronted the lovers in the hotel lobby and brawled with Bridges before returning to her car. "He pushed Gail out of the way. The settlement terms are confidential, said attorney John A. Davis Jr., who represented Lindsey Harris. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. "I couldn't believe he could sleep holding her all night because we had never slept like that never," she testified. 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. Local radio talk shows were jammed with callers debating whether Clara was a cold-blooded murderer or a good woman who simply did what every woman secretly wants to do when she finds out her husband is cheating. Garza asked Bridges. 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. 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. "This was an unfortunate tragedy and it did not have to end this way," Bridges said. This time, a jury had little sympathy for Claras story, and it ordered her to pay $3.75 million in damages. Through it all, however, Clara Harris only wanted people to know the truth about what really happened the night she murdered her husband. The teenager said she never thought her stepmother would act on a comment that she could kill David Harris and get away with it. 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. On July 24, 2002, Clara Harris confronted her husband in a hotel parking lot over an extramarital affair, then struck and ran over him with her Mercedes-Benz sedan, killing him in an act of mariticide. }, First published on February 13, 2003 / 3:16 PM. Mike Hall writes about criminals, musicians, the law, and barbecue. 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. George Wong/Getty ImagesClara Harris and attorney George Parnham after the first day of testimony in 2003. 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. In the darkened cabin of her stepmothers Mercedes-Benz, Lindsey Harris thought the drama was over for the night. The jury began deliberating the penalty phase of Harris' murder trial about 10:30 a.m. EST Friday after closing arguments, which became a battle of tears between the defendant and prosecution. Prosecutors called a half-dozen witnesses who said they watched in disbelief as Harris ran over her husband at least twice. David Harris told his daughter that he felt neglected by his wife after the birth of their twin boys three years earlier. "(Clara) knew what she did, was not sorry about it and meant to kill him," were Lindsey's damning words inside Judge Carol Davies' courtroom. She always said that David called Lindsey his angel and now David is her angel. The Harrises, who also were business partners, then spent an evening at a bar talking about their relationship. Whether youre shopping Way Day 2023 or Walmart, theres an al fresco set for you. He was pronounced dead at 9:48 p.m. and Clara Harris was charged with murder. Prosecutor Mia Magness used her rebuttal to try to dismantle arguments for probation. She had two sons with her orthodontist husband, David Harris. Clara Harris was then escorted by hotel employees to her Mercedes S-Class in the parking lot and accompanied by Lindsey Harris. "Well, she ought not to be given credit for making herself a single parent," Magness said. Jurors deliberated for eight hours over two days before reaching the verdict. They got married on March 26, 1968, at St. Clements Episcopal Church in New York. Clara Harris was sentenced to 20 years in prison but only served 15. "What did your dad do?" She said she glimpsed her husband: "I saw some surprised eyes.". She also testified she even went to a tanning salon and scheduled liposuction and breast enhancement surgery to make him happy, only to catch him in a tryst with Bridges at the same hotel where the Harrises were married on Valentine's Day 1992. After the car came to a stop, Lindsey said she got out and began hitting Clara Harris, who was knelt next to her husband saying, "I'm sorry. Copyright 2023 Click2Houston.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. "I was in so much pain; it was a physical pain that I was feeling. 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.". 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. #inline-recirc-item--id-92ad5f4e-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d, #right-rail-recirc-item--id-92ad5f4e-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d { February 21, 2003 / 4:32 AM Clara Harris said that remark stunned her. David Harris' tooth, found on the pavement next to his head, was introduced as evidence, as were autopsy photos showing what a pathologist said were tire tracks across the body of the 44-year-old orthodontist. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Perhaps the most powerful witness was David Harris' daughter, 17-year-old Lindsey Harris, who was in Mercedes. What the Bleep Is Going On With Texas Property Taxes? Clara Harris was convicted Thursday of murder by the jury that rejected her claim she was aiming for his lover's car. Clara Harris is serving a 20-year sentence for murder in the case, which drew national attention. She then brought up David Harris' daughter, Lindsey, and began crying as she spoke. The parents of the victim, David Harris, took the stand, too to testify in support of their daughter-in-law. A police officer who witnessed the crime testified that she ran him over three times, however. 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. Staring at a photo of her twin boys, Clara bowed her head, her dark brown eyes brimming with tears, and then was escorted away. 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. "I told him 'look, look what she done,'" Bridges said. Clara Suarez, a Colombian immigrant, was named "Mrs Colombia Houston" and worked as a dentist. Under the conditions of her parole, she has to wear a monitoring bracelet, take regular drug and alcohol tests, be gainfully employed, and reside in Galveston County. Henrys will was recorded in Warren County, North Carolina in May, 1838. Im going to hit him, Harris told the teenager. .component--type-recirculation .item:nth-child(5) { Skip Hollandsworth specializes in long-form narratives. During his marriage to Clara, David began to have an affair with his former receptionist, Gail Bridges. 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! Her sons went to live with another couple who had been close friends with Clara and David. Its free. Harris completed her residency at the University of Texas School of Dentistry in Houston and was crowned Miss Colombia Houston at a local beauty contest shortly after. "And that's the position you're in right now, but I know you will do the right thing.". They were victims twice over, they said. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison Friday. She turned the car around to run over him a second time, then made a final 180-degree turn to hit him once more.
