'', Youth Who Saw Killing Says Stepmother 'Stomped' Accelerator and 'Went for' Father, https://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/30/us/youth-who-saw-killing-says-stepmother-stomped-accelerator-and-went-for-father.html. Mistresses everywhere were warned to take note: next time it could be them. Click a location below to find Lindsey more easily. All the while, Lindsey sat screaming at her stepmother from the Mercedes passenger side; begging Clara to stop. In her rebuttal, an assistant district attorney, Mia Magness, cited witnesses' testimony that Clara Harris had lied about one of her twins being sick to persuade her husband to return home on the day he died; that she had trespassed on Ms. Bridges's property; that she had vandalized Ms. Bridges's Lincoln Navigator; and that she had assaulted Ms. Bridges in the hotel lobby shortly before her husband was killed. A Right-wing Cabal Took Over Odessas Municipal Government. She killed my dad,'" Bridges responded. Daniel Vaughn is the countrys first barbecue editor, and he has eaten more barbecue than you have. Are insane ticket costs pricing Astros fans out of Opening Day? 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. Six months later, all Lindsey knows for sure is that her father is dead, and that her stepmother is to blame. During jury selection, they aimed for married women who seemed likely to have the kind of self-esteem problems Harris had had with her weight and appearance. His body then fell to the ground and the Mercedes ran over him once. Was her love "above" everybody else's wellbeing? Recent work includes the illustrations for Alan Mulhern's two books: Healing Intelligence, the Spirit in Psychotherapy (Karnac, 2012), and The Sower and the . 30 people named Lindsey Harris found in Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint, Saginaw-Bay City-Midland and 3 other cities. ''I said, 'No!' Though Harris had hired a private detective to tail her husband that night, she and Lindsey set out to do their own surveillance. Also in 2004, an episode of American Justice called "Murder by Mercedes" (episode 3, season 13) was released that detailed the Clara Harris case. Solicitor - non-practising Admitted as a solicitor: 15/10/82. Clara suffered from a temporary moment of insanity brought on by sudden passion. Trial consultant Robert Hirschhorn, whom Parnham had hired to help him pick a winning jury for Harris, said the defense team needed to working on "softening her up. She said she remembered one of them telling her, "Don't go where they're going. Then she did another 180 and ran over him a third time. Parnham was confident. The settlement terms are confidential, said attorney John A. Davis Jr., who represented Lindsey Harris. Harris was released in 2018, a full five years before completing her sentence. She was on a mission to find where he was, said Lindsey. Sadly, like too many women, she refused to face this and went into a total denial.This whole story is sad as can be Val..several LIVES destroyed. The story of an angry dentist killing her husband spread like wildfire. Paul May Other occupants: Paul May View 2 Lindsey A Harris ER 2002 Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB3. Im going to hit him, Harris told the teenager. Who the hell are you, the Name Police? I believe anyone can be driven to do what Ms Harris did when they are pushed far enough. She was in her 40s when she was arrested. 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 victims twice over, they said. ''What David did outside his marriage was a tragic mistake, and what Clara did was a tragic mistake,'' he said. Enraged, Clara ordered her teenage stepdaughter into her Mercedes-Benz and headed for the hotel; the very same hotel in which she and David had promised to love one another only 10 short years ago. "If they think she's lying, she's history," Parnham told Primetime. In 2002 Lindsey Harris, daughter of David Harris filed a Federal lawsuit against Clara Harris. She already missed out raising her boys. Clara struggled to get pregnant; after undergoing fertility treatments, she gave birth to twin boys Brian and Bradley in 1998. She stood up well to a tough cross-examination by the prosecution, but her testimony allowed them to introduce selected excerpts from her police statement, including her remark that she wanted to hurt her husband. We have found at least 200 people in the UK with the name Mark Harris. But in cross-examination, Parnham got them to admit they couldn't see clearly. Bridges spoke to News2Houston in an exclusive interview Thursday. I pray for her continuously and I am glad she will have something to come home to, her twin boys. There is at least one holdout in family support for the driver of the Mercedes. Clara had a lucrative practice as a dentist, while Davids specialty was orthodontics. "He once told me that he would like to spend the rest of his life with me, and he did," Bridges said. ''You could hear a car going round, hard.''. ''He provided well,'' Mr. Harris testified. ''I felt the bumps,'' she said, making a distinction between the sound of the car going over her father's body and that it made running over a pair of medians. 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. How Did James Dean Die? This was said to be the equivalent of Davids half of the estate plus a little over 50 percent of Claras half. We went shopping a lot. 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. Clara Harris was sentenced to 20 years in prison but only served 15. Instead, the lawsuit said, the company should have followed its own policy and waited a day to provide that information. Katy Vine has been a staff writer since 2002. During hearings on the matter, Lindsey Harris testified she was severely traumatized from her stepmother's actions. Resides in Chicago, IL. Selfish? Join Facebook to connect with David Harris and others you may know. He conceded that David Harris's relationship with Gail Bridges, 39, a receptionist in his dental practice, was not proper. Lindsey was already crying when she reached her dying father, and Harris soon joined in. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. This post has been updated since publication to correct an error: the minimum punishment for intentional murder is five years, not twenty years. He and Gail both contributed to the situation. After a three-week trial, Clara Harris was found guilty on Feb. 14, 2003. ", Next, the defense team showed the panel a videotape they had made of Harris talking about the night of the killing. Is that understood? David Harris is on Facebook. ''She just had this evil look on her face,'' Lindsey, now 17, said, describing how her stepmother appeared as they drove around for several hours trying to find David Harris, 44, an orthodontist who had told his wife several days earlier that he was having an affair with Gail Bridges, 38, who worked in his office. David Harris and Bridges entered the hotel lobby hand in hand, Lindsey said. She would tell me pretty much everything that was going on and made me feel part of the family. Lindsey, David Harris daughter from a previous marriage, spent summers and holidays with her father and Harris. "'She killed my dad. Jos R. Ralat is Texas Monthlys taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food. Facebook gives people the power to. Clara Harris then circled around and ran over him three times, Lindsey said. Anyone can read what you share. Creger, who said she was trained in CPR to care for a premature son, tried to help the injured dentist breathe. I could hear someone yell at me to get away from my car to get away and I didn't quite understand why until I turned and looked. Joy Davis Aylor was angry that her husband Larry Aylor was having an affair, so she hired a man to murder Larry's mistress and later sent thugs to kill Larry himself. Lindsey, meanwhile, testified that Harris had made shocking statements one week before David was killed, as reported by ABC News. In the darkened cabin of her stepmothers Mercedes-Benz, Lindsey Harris thought the drama was over for the night. Originally sentenced to twenty years for first-degree murder, the former Houston dentist has been paroled. When the story about the scorned woman who used her Mercedes to extract revenge on her cheating husband made national headlines, Americans suddenly found themselves embroiled in a debate: Was it really murder? Four of the jurors said they could "relate" to how Harris felt. Patricia Sharpe writes a regular restaurant column, Pats Pick, for Texas Monthly. Harris David is on Facebook. She stomped on the accelerator and went for him.''. "This was an unfortunate tragedy and it did not have to end this way," Bridges said. Prosecutors say Harris, bent on avenging her husband's adultery, used her car as a murder. 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. "This is going to be a hard case," Parnham told Primetime 2 months before the trial. The impact threw him about 25 feet, prosecutors said. The Mercedes glanced off Gails SUV and hit David before he could get out of the way, propelling him 25 feet across the lot. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. View Lindsey Harris results in Ohio (OH) including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. I am tempted to call it "selfish", as she couldn't care less about the screaming kid beside her whose father she was killing, and so traumatizing her for life. 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. Its daily. Bridges said she never saw this coming because Clara knew of their affair and David told his mistress he was leaving his wife. 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. 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. This beautiful & intelligent woman seemed to crack & fall apart completely due to her narcissistic husband's selfish behavior & infidelity. Clara was arrested for murder. They watched as prosecutors built a case against Dr. Harris, 45, a former beauty queen who is a dentist. . ''She had killed him.''. But then, to his horror, the judge read the jury's sentence: 20 years. She probably hoped she could become what he wanted her to be and change him. She should not have been given 20 years. His wife, Lucy, died in early 1856, after giving him twelve children, and later that . 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. He holds dual bachelor's degrees from Pace University and a master's degree from New York University. "What did Lindsey say to you?" Mock Jurors Find Harris Account Convincing. David was declared dead at 9:48 p.m. that evening. The testimony of Lindsey Harris, a high school student from Columbus, Ohio, in the trial of her stepmother, who is accused of murdering her husband of 10 years, David Harris, in a hotel parking . According to her testimony on Jan. 29, she screamed. "If you had anything to say to Clara, what would it be?" Instead of driving out of the parking lot, Harris drove toward Bridges' Lincoln Navigator. Can College Sports Get More Absurd Than SMU Joining the Pac-12? If you need help with the Public File, call (713) 778-4745. Garza asked. ''I don't approve of that kind of behavior,'' said the surviving son, also named Gerald, a professor of psychology at the University of Houston who is no stranger to Houston courtrooms. Los Angeles, This fabled orchid breeder loves to chat just not about Trader Joes orchids. Copyright 2023 Click2Houston.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. Lindsey started hitting her father while shouting, I hate you! Harris ripped the shirt off Bridges, then David reportedly pushed Harris to the floor. According to her testimony on Jan. 29, she screamed repeatedly at her stepmother to stop as the car rushed toward her father. The 44-year-old Colombian had moved to America in the 1980s and opened her own successful dentistry practice. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. Lived In Chesapeake VA, Monterey CA, Augusta GA, Grovetown GA. Related To Brad Harris, Ghanbria Harris, Alphonso Harris, Daphne Harris, Mary Harris. She turned the car around to run over him a second time, then made a final 180-degree turn to hit him once more. 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. 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. I also understand what you say about her naivety. Anyone can read what you share. She said she remembered driving around in circles, "confused," with no conscious thoughts going through her mind. Clara was helping David raise his daughter from a previous marriage. Jeff Moore, chief of investigations for Blue Moon, said company officials are "very pleased" with the outcome. When they found it, Clara Harris scratched the vehicle with her keys, ripped off the rear windshield wiper and tried to do the same to the front wipers. She and her future husband met as colleagues at the Castle Dental Center in 1991. Im so sorry, she was heard saying over and over. Witnesses recalled seeing Lindsey punch Harris in the face before both of them exited the vehicle. I hate you! (According to Stouwie, the company that runs the prison braille program has asked Harris to keep working once she returns to Houston. David Harris is on Facebook. The defense team also found that some of the women were quick to judge Harris by her appearance. Her neighbor at the psychiatric prison is another client of Parnham's: Andrea Yates, who is serving a life sentence for drowning her five children in a bathtub. She was quickly inundated with requests for interviews, but she turned all of them down. After learning about Clara Harris, read about Leona Candy Stevens lying in court to liberate her husband Charles Manson. David Harris told his daughter that he felt neglected by his wife after the birth of their twin boys three years earlier. Im thinking about pulling a Clara Harris, a woman would say with a laugh after learning her husband had done something really stupid. I hit her because I knew that she had killed my Dad, said Lindsey. "What happened when you got off that elevator?" Join Facebook to connect with David Harris and others you may know. The defense's pathology expert said David Harris' injuries were consistent with being run over once, and Irwin constructed a computer simulation designed to show how the Mercedes' 40-foot turning radius meant it could not have hit the body a second time. Only 16 at the time she witnessed her father's traumatic death, Lindsey stated she had since attempted suicide on at least four occasions. Looking up, he saw a Mercedes ''bumping over an object,'' he said. She testified anyway, and Parnham subsequently passed out from tremendous stress in the courthouse hallway and had to be hospitalized. In 2007, Clara was brought back to Houston for a civil trial to defend herself in a wrongful-death lawsuit filed by Davids parents. "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.". 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. Clara! a reporter shouted. She said at no point did she intend to kill her husband. She has no history of violent behavior. He openly flirted with women everywhere he went, even showing his wife notes scribbled by waitresses at Hooters. Bring on the Shiplap? Harris, a 45-year-old Houston dentist, was accused of killing her cheating husband by running him over with her Mercedes in a hotel parking lot in front of half a dozen witnesses. '', By the same token, she added, her daughter-in-law ''loved David very much.''. 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. Once she discovered the couple's whereabouts, Clara Harris called the family's nanny at home and told her to put some of her husband's business clothes on the porch and to throw everything else away, Lindsey said. But when the jurors came back after the sentencing phase, their decision gave him a moment of hope: They ruled that Harris had acted under the influence of sudden passion. 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. I have followed the story since the beginning, and I my feelings are still the same. This time, Harris got in on the drivers side. 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. When the anxious wife called their offices on July 24, 2002 for an update, they told her they had a detective watching David and Gail, who were currently checked into the Nassau Bay Hilton Hotel. ''She started pulling her shirt off. Whats more, she didnt violate any prison rules. ''She was on a mission to find where he was -- she was determined,'' Lindsey testified. A dozen photojournalists flocked to Harris first court appearance. 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. When they were together, Gail felt special nonetheless. Her first outburst, on Tuesday, occurred when a medical examiner gave details of the crushing injuries her husband had suffered. One of the English tabloids nicknamed Clara The Driller Killer. In Houston, it was the story of the year. 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.. Harris sons visited her at the Mountain View Unit prison in Gainesville, Texas, every month. Friends and family of David Harris publicly criticized the ruling. She thought her car was going to stop on the high sidewalk, she said, but instead it kept going. a bunch of times. ", The phrase stopped Harris for a moment, she said. Her actions, in the years leading up to the event, indicate she did everything she possibly could to save her marriage and preserve her family. Staring at a photo of her twin boys, Clara bowed her head, her dark brown eyes brimming with tears, and then was escorted away. Harris already knew about the affair when she hired Blue Moon Investigations, a private detective agency, in July 2002. Leona Candy Stevens lying in court to liberate her husband Charles Manson, rich teenager Ethan Couch being released from prison despite murdering four people. "I thought we were in good shape," he told Primetime later. Parnham and Harris gave ABCNEWS extraordinary access to her legal defense, allowing Primetime's cameras to film the defense team's strategy sessions, their meetings with experts, and a mock trial in which they tested their case on a group of stand-in "jurors.". "It's hard to tell. '', ''She wasn't sorry,'' Lindsey testified. However, Irwin, the accident reconstructionist, still managed to make a persuasive case that Harris only ran into her husband once. When Parnham and his team watched the tape closely, they decided they could make the argument that the Mercedes hit David Harris only once, and that the subsequent passes went around his body, not over it. Clara Harris went totally berserk & lost all control & sense of reality.
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