George Wong/Getty ImagesClara Harris and attorney George Parnham after the first day of testimony in 2003. 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. 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. "She did that when she made the choice to kill their dad. 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. 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. Her husband later opened Space Center Orthodontics outside of Houston. 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. "There's no indication that they did call the police. David Harris, a suburban Houston orthodontist, died July 24 after Clara Harris car struck him. She was denied parole in her first attempt on April 11, 2013, by the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles. (My dad) had his hands in front of the car. 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. During his half-hour closing, Parnham also focused on Harris' twin sons and how they need their mother. Family and friends can send flowers and condolences in memory of the loved one. Although she knows she cant disappear, she is going to do her best to stay out of the public eye, said Stouwie. display: none; Feinstein has vowed to return to Washington, but what happens if she doesnt? I was yelling, 'Stop, don't do that. Im thinking about pulling a Clara Harris, a woman would say with a laugh after learning her husband had done something really stupid. Clara's trial began the following February. [1], Clara Suarez, a Colombian immigrant, was named "Mrs Colombia Houston" and worked as a dentist. Taking the stand allowed parts of Clara's original interview, which her attorneys had previously gotten ruled inadmissible, to come into question. Please enter valid email address to continue. A $300-million (minimum) gondola to Dodger Stadium? He went to church and loved Clara, she said. "It's hard to tell. She and her future husband met as colleagues at the Castle Dental Center in 1991. She knew what she did and she wasnt sorry, said Lindsey. 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! I hate you! Generator vs power station: Which one is right for you? "They did not specifically have procedures and proper training to train their employees in how to deal with these situations," Webber said. 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. The two began working to repair their marriage, and David Harris even told a friend, Were going to make it. He then informed his wife that he wanted to take Bridges to one last dinner to end things amicably, as he had led the receptionist to believe that his marriage was open. Henry married his first cousin, Lucretia Riggan, the daughter of Ann Harris and Francis Riggan, on December 12, 1819. The tragedy took place at the parking lot of the Hilton Hotel at Nassau Bay last year. Trending News All rights reserved. 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. Perhaps the most powerful witness was David Harris' daughter, 17-year-old Lindsey Harris, who was in Mercedes. Obviously, he hadnt. ', "She knew what she did and she wasn't sorry.". 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. Garza asked. Harris played for the Tar Heels of the Whether youre shopping Way Day 2023 or Walmart, theres an al fresco set for you. When David and Bridges came out of the hotel, Clara struck down her husband in the parking lot as her teenaged stepdaughter Lindsey sat in the passenger seat. 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. The person at the front desk told them that neither David Harris nor Bridges was registered with the hotel. Instead, the lawsuit said, the company should have followed its own policy and waited a day to provide that information. 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. "I couldn't believe he could sleep holding her all night because we had never slept like that never," she testified. She's also suing the detective agency that followed him, Suspicious, Clara hired a private detective agency to monitor David, an "I was in so much pain; it was a physical pain that I was feeling. Garza asked Bridges. Over the years, there were occasional stories in the media about Clara. Over the next five years, she was turned down three more times. 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. "A lot of women would say, 'I don't feel sorry for (you) because (you were) going out with a married man,'" Garza said. The parents of the victim, David Harris, took the stand, too to testify in support of their daughter-in-law. Lindsey Harris is David's daughter from a previous marraige. I'm so sorry. Texas Jails Are Crowded, Understaffed, and Dangerous. Clara Harris is serving a 20-year sentence for murder in the case, which drew national attention. Assistant District Attorney Mia Magness, who is prosecuting the case, asked the teenager. If you fill out the first name, last name, or agree to terms fields, you will NOT be added to the newsletter list. "I knew she had killed my dad," Lindsey Harris testified. He holds dual bachelor's degrees from Pace University and a master's degree from New York University. 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. This time, a jury had little sympathy for Claras story, and it ordered her to pay $3.75 million in damages. The death came a week after David Harris confessed to his nearly three-month affair with Bridges. When Lindsey learned that her father and Bridges were meeting at a steakhouse on July 24, I figured he was breaking up with her, Lindsey said. The hotel's attorney, Ervin Apffel Jr., confirmed that the lawsuit had been settled but declined to comment further. They had one daughter, Martha "Mattie" Harris, who was born in November 1895, when Gideon Lindsey Harris was almost 82 years old. Prosecutor Mia Magness used her rebuttal to try to dismantle arguments for probation. Clara was advised not to take the stand. WebHere he lived out his life, except for some six years near his brother, David Rice Harris, in Perry County, in the late 1860s and early 1870s. 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. #inline-recirc-item--id-92ae5a70-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d ~ .item:nth-child(5) { Custody Compromise Reached For Clara Harris' Twins, Custody Battle Begins Over Harris Children, Harris' Stepdaughter Sues Hotel, Detective Agency, Hotel Official Fired After Testifying In Clara Harris Trial, 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. Court was scheduled to reconvene later Thursday for the sentencing phase. After learning about Clara Harris, read about Leona Candy Stevens lying in court to liberate her husband Charles Manson. Copyright 2011 by Click2Houston.com. It was an accident.". if ( host.indexOf("europe.cnn.com") != -1 ) { 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. "He was really scared. We went shopping a lot. It was an accident. "Suddenly, I thought about smashing my car against her car and then I (picked) up speed. Their most devastating witness was David Harriss teenage daughter Lindsey, who testified that a week earlier her stepmother had told her, With all hes done to me, I could kill him and get away with it. On the night of the killing, she said, Clara stepped on the accelerator and went straight for him, saying moments before impact, Im going to hit him.. Bridges says that's when Harris came back around and hit David then ran over him repeatedly. She then cradled her husband and told him she was sorry and loved him, according to The New York Times. "Doing the right thing doesn't always feel good," she said. WebLindsey Burke Harris (born November 19, 1993) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper. Its free. After a three-week trial, Clara Harris was found guilty on Feb. 14, 2003. 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. Yes, she made a horrible fifteen-minute mistake. 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. "The lawsuit against us is baseless. display: none; What very few people knew was that Clara was a model prisoner. "This was an unfortunate tragedy and it did not have to end this way," Bridges said. Without warning, she stomped on the accelerator and went straight for my Dad, testified Lindsey, 17, at Harris murder trial Wednesday. 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. Taylor Prewitt is the newsletter editor for Texas Monthly. Please enter valid email address to continue. The same nine-woman, three-man jury deliberated about eight hours before returning the murder conviction. The 2023 NFL Draft runs April 2729 live from Kansas City, Missouri. She then brought up David Harris' daughter, Lindsey, and began crying as she spoke. "She said, 'I'm so sorry. Mike Hall writes about criminals, musicians, the law, and barbecue. Clara was found guilty of murdering her husband. She told jurors she wanted to save her 10-year marriage after learning of the affair. "She stepped on the accelerator and went Gabriel Harris Daughter, Jasmine, Is Close To Her Grandmother Joan Baez and David Harris were once the power couple in the music world. With her stepdaughter in the car, she ran over him three times and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. 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. At her parole hearing this past October, he brought her two sons, who were then nineteen years old and attending universities in Texas. Clara Harris was convicted Thursday of murder by the jury that rejected her claim she was aiming for his lover's car. 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. Reward offered as manhunt for Texas shooting suspect reaches "dead end" "Did you see the car coming towards you?" Most Facebook users can now claim settlement money. Her friends have told me she is worried that people she meets will realize who she is and back away. Appellant and Lindsey walked to the parking lot and found Bridges s Navigator. Six months later, all Lindsey knows for sure is that her father is dead, and that her stepmother is to blame. 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. Go the other way,'" an emotional Lindsey Harris remembered in the courtroom. Her sons went to live with another couple who had been close friends with Clara and David. host = new String(location.hostname); "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.". He yelled 'stop' and she didn't. Defense and prosecution experts disagreed on how many times David Harris was struck. Prosecutors, however, went after her, saying she knew exactly what she was doing in that Hilton parking lot. They got married on March 26, 1968, at St. Clements Episcopal Church in New York. 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 hit her because I knew that she had killed my Dad, said Lindsey. Leave them blank to get signed up. The daughter, Lindsey Harris, was a passenger in a Mercedes-Benz driven by her mother, Clara Harris, when the car was used to run down Harris' dentist husband, Because of her criminal record, she can no longer practice dentistry.) Two of them cried as state District Judge Carol Davies read it in court. Around Houston, she became a pop culture reference. 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. } else if ( host.indexOf("asia.cnn.com") != -1 ) { Here's how. ', "She knew what she did and she wasn't sorry.". 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. Clara Harris, a Colombian immigrant, was named "Mrs Colombia Houston" and worked as a dentist. And I went to look at the direction, and then we saw her," Bridges said. HOUSTON The stepdaughter of Clara Harris is suing the hotel where her father was fatally run over. However, after watching days of testimony, she decided she had to speak. Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell case: A timeline of events 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. Jurors found that Harris acted with "sudden passion," which could have reduced the jurors' recommendation to probation. The chapter title is Luz, overwhelming (Luz, arrolladora). Its daily. In 2007, Clara was brought back to Houston for a civil trial to defend herself in a wrongful-death lawsuit filed by Davids parents. "I told him 'look, look what she done,'" Bridges said. I do not regret or will ever regret that I got to know him and that he became part of my life.". Through it all, however, Clara Harris only wanted people to know the truth about what really happened the night she murdered her husband. The 44-year-old Colombian had moved to America in the 1980s and opened her own successful dentistry practice. Yes, the twins acknowledged, they had lost their father, but at the same time they had lost their mother, whom they loved deeply. 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. Its too bad if they do, said Detoto, who has kept in touch with Harris since her conviction. The romance blossomed so rapidly that the couple got married on Feb. 14, 1992, less than a year after their first date. Silently, Harris put the car in reverse and began to drive out of the hotel parking lot. By the time they tracked him down at a hotel, Harris was livid. With all hes done to me, I could kill him and get away with it, Harris had allegedly stated. Eventually, Clara and Lindsey stormed back to the Mercedes. (While the sentence for intentional murder in Texas is five years to life, murder in sudden passion carries a minimum penalty of just two years, with a maximum of twenty years.) Clara Harris tried to control the damage by making herself real pretty so Dad would want her and not Gail, said Lindsey. Bridges spoke to News2Houston in an exclusive interview Thursday. Clara then parks her car next to his body. On the evening of July 24, 2002, Harris received a devastating call from the investigator. All external sites will open in a new browser. Jurors deemed hers a crime of sudden passion, and she was sentenced to 20 years in prison and a $10,000 fine, the maximum allowed for murder under such circumstances. She was also given the maximum fine of $10,000. February 13, 2003 / 3:16 PM The Harrises, who also were business partners, then spent an evening at a bar talking about their relationship. She testified anyway, and Parnham subsequently passed out from tremendous stress in the courthouse hallway and had to be hospitalized. 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 settlement terms are confidential, said attorney John A. Davis Jr., who represented Lindsey Harris. Clara was first eligible for parole in 2012, but she was turned down. She got out and saw her husband lying on the pavement, blood streaming from his ears and mouth. A symbol of her American success story, the luxury car soon became a murder weapon. 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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. "And that's the position you're in right now, but I know you will do the right thing.". }, First published on February 21, 2003 / 4:32 AM. 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. "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. "He was really scared. Im going to hit him, Harris told the teenager. If you need help with the Public File, call (713) 778-4745. 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. Accompanying her was Davids sixteen-year-old daughter from a previous marriage, Lindsey, who was visiting from Ohio, where she lived with her mother. Oklahoma WR Keilahn Harris Rice Oregon State WR Tyjon Lindsey Report: Bucs star Barrett's daughter, 2, drowns in pool. She was convicted of sudden passion and sentenced to 20 years in prison. The Harrises, who also were business partners, then spent an evening at a bar talking about their relationship. A dozen photojournalists flocked to Harris first court appearance. Clara Harris was sentenced to 20 years in prison but only served 15. How Did James Dean Die? I was yelling, Stop, youre killing him!. Im going to hit him, Lindsey was with Harris when she sped off in the direction of the hotel on July 24 to confront her husband. 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. Then, learn about rich teenager Ethan Couch being released from prison despite murdering four people. In an interview with Oprah before her release, Harris said, I want to be judged by what really happened, not by the speculations people had made I found myself in a situation that I never thought myself capable of.. But last year, she got a new parole attorney, Kevin Stouwie of San Antonio. 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. David Harris was killed in the hotel parking lot moments later. 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. She wasnt crying, said Lindsey. Lindsey Harris filed a wrongful death lawsuit against her stepmother and was awarded about $2 million from her father's estate, as were her half brothers. David Harris was enamored. 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. 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. The 44-year-old orthodontist was tragically already gone. Accompanying her was Davids sixteen-year-old daughter from a previous marriage, Lindsey, who was visiting from Ohio, where she lived with her mother. But Clara Harris is a weepy, white, professional woman, someone whose marital troubles generated a lot of sympathy in and out of court. 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. "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.". Harris' tears, "certainly didn't look like tears of joy but they should have been. CBSNews.com Legal Analyst Andrew Cohen says Texas showed too much mercy towards the Mercedes Muderess. 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. //-->. Clara Harris dream of being a successful dentist came true when she opened her own practice in 1993. 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. After confronting him in a hotel lobby in Houston, Texas, she got into her Mercedes-Benz and waited. Bridges was very afraid of the television cameras. Bridges then walked to her car with David following. While their marriage seemed perfect from the outside, David Harris began an affair with his receptionist Gail Bridges in the spring of 2002, as reported by CBS News. "What happened when you got off that elevator?" The death came a week after David Harris confessed to his nearly three-month affair with Bridges. 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. She has already filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Clara Harris. Clara and Lindsey walked into the lobby just as David and his office receptionist, Gail Bridges, were emerging from an elevator. David Harris was killed in the hotel parking lot moments later. "I think that speaks volumes to what this jury should do," Parnham said. [4], That evening, Clara went to the Hilton Hotel in Nassau Bay, Texas, to confront her husband and reportedly attacked Bridges in the lobby. "What did your dad do?" It felt different. There, she had a front-row seat to her father's death, the prosecution maintained. Staring at a photo of her twin boys, Clara bowed her head, her dark brown eyes brimming with tears, and then was escorted away.
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