In short time, the Harrises were showing signs of success, with an expensive home and high-dollar import vehicles. 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. This is a sad story all around. 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. They then called Dr. Harris on his cellphone and told him to come home because one of the twins was sick, a statement Lindsey testified was not true. ", Next, the defense team showed the panel a videotape they had made of Harris talking about the night of the killing. 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. Suzie from Carson City on April 16, 2016: I'm very familiar of this extremely high-profile case. "This was an unfortunate tragedy and it did not have to end this way," Bridges said. David Harris was enamored. "He once told me that he would like to spend the rest of his life with me, and he did," Bridges said. 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. Clara Harris dream of being a successful dentist came true when she opened her own practice in 1993. Leona Candy Stevens lying in court to liberate her husband Charles Manson, rich teenager Ethan Couch being released from prison despite murdering four people. A Right-wing Cabal Took Over Odessas Municipal Government. Parnham was relieved; he believed the jury would recommend something close to the two-year minimum. ''She's really more like a daughter.''. Jos R. Ralat is Texas Monthlys taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? At the trial, Lindsey Harris testified against her stepmother, claiming to have attempted suicide four times after her father's death. Read Skip Hollandsworths 2002 piece on Harris, Suburban Madness,. She did not know David was dead until Lindsey, David's daughter who was in the car with her stepmother, approached her. David Rice Harris, in Perry County, in the late 1860s and early 1870s. Its daily. David was dead at the scene and Clara was charged with first-degree murder. We went shopping a lot. David Harris is on Facebook. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. What more could anyone want? 30 people named Lindsey Harris found in Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint, Saginaw-Bay City-Midland and 3 other cities. I screamed 'No!' (Photo By Carlos Antonio Rios/Chronicle) Clara Harris Clara and David Harris Clara and David Harris Even if they take such sentiments into account, jurors are being asked to weigh testimony that points to Clara Harris's revving her silver S-Class Mercedes and speeding toward Ms. Bridges's Navigator, next to which David Harris and Ms. Bridges were standing, then running over her husband up to three times as she circled the Nassau Bay Hilton parking lot. Katy Vine has been a staff writer since 2002. Clara suffered from a temporary moment of insanity brought on by sudden passion. 1 most stressful city for U.S. workers, To get these special tacos, drive out to the Houston Ship Channel, MLB legend makes surprise appearance at Astros' Spring Training, 'This is about profit': Houston leaders condemn HISD takeover, Oops! Her first outburst, on Tuesday, occurred when a medical examiner gave details of the crushing injuries her husband had suffered. 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. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. I do not regret or will ever regret that I got to know him and that he became part of my life.". A police officer who witnessed the crime testified that she ran him over three times, however. Gideon Lindsey Harris, who went by the name of Lin or Lindsey, was born December 12, 1813 in Wilson County, Tennessee on his father's farm off the south bank of the Cumberland River. She then cradled her husband and told him she was sorry and loved him, according to The New York Times. "What happened when you got off that elevator?" On the night of the killing, she said, Clara Harris "stepped on the accelerator and went straight for him," saying moments before impact, "I'm going to hit him.". 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. Her husband drove her to kill him. As the defense rested its case, Parnham was concerned about the damaging police statement and some of the testimony, but he was confident the jury would accept Irwin's testimony that Harris only hit her husband once. When she saw the car, she said, she decided to ram it with her Mercedes. They had hidden from her, and she was upset by that.'' Previously, Lindsey was a Director, Marketing at Frazier Healthcar e Partners and also held positions at Texas Ambulatory Surgery Center Society, Access MediQuip. 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 lot was widely anticipated. Silently, Harris put the car in reverse and began to drive out of the hotel parking lot. In the darkened cabin of her stepmothers Mercedes-Benz, Lindsey Harris thought the drama was over for the night. And its full of great reads, yall. Clara Harris and attorney George Parnham after the first day of testimony in 2003. Mayor: HISD has two optionsclose school or be taken over, Meet the Astros prospect tearing up Spring Training, Report: Houston ranked No. Over the years, there were occasional stories in the media about Clara. When he walked outside, his wife did precisely that, sending him flying 25 feet across the parking lot. Momentum shifts as Lindsey Harris testifies - Chron Her behavior was erratic and her speech loud and angry as she demanded to know which room her husband and his mistress were in. With her stepdaughter in the car, she ran over him three times and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Clara Harris was sentenced to 20 years in prison but only served 15. In 2002 Lindsey Harris, daughter of David Harris filed a Federal lawsuit against Clara Harris. ''She was on a mission to find where he was -- she was determined,'' Lindsey testified. When she arrived, Clara found Gails Lincoln Navigator in the hotels parking garage and set about vandalizing the car by bending windshield wipers and keying the paint. Rich L.A. homeowners are snapping them up, The problem with Pablo Escobars hippos. For his closing argument, Hirschhorn advised Parnham to focus on Bridges as a homewrecker, but not to vilify David Harris as a cheating husband, just a man who made some mistakes. And if God can forgive us of our sins and our mistakes, then why should we not be able to forgive the sins and mistakes of others?''. It was just a big fight.''. Lindsey Harris, 17, David Harris's daughter by his first marriage, was in the passenger seat of the car that killed her father. 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. I believe anyone can be driven to do what Ms Harris did when they are pushed far enough. One of the English tabloids nicknamed Clara The Driller Killer. In Houston, it was the story of the year. Join Facebook to connect with Lynsey Harris and others you may know. In an interview in November in Texas Monthly magazine, Mr. Harris said that he and his wife would do anything to help their daughter-in-law. View the profiles of people named Lindsay Harris. She said she became upset, she got into her car and drove toward Bridges' black Lincoln Navigator, but did not remember running over her husband. In his cross-examination, Parnham did not question her account, but mentioned that Lindsey was suing her stepmother for a share of her father's multimillion-dollar estate. She always said that David called Lindsey his angel and now David is her angel. Lindsey Harris - People Directory - 192.com He said Burwell probably will discuss the settlement with the parties before the end of July. Looking up, he saw a Mercedes ''bumping over an object,'' he said. Dr Harris' research background is inter-disciplinary with research specialisms in domestic abuse, terrorism and political violence. Leave them blank to get signed up. Her husband later opened Space Center Orthodontics outside of Houston. Creger, who said she was trained in CPR to care for a premature son, tried to help the injured dentist breathe. I was yelling, Stop, youre killing him!. "'She killed my dad. In 2004 Harris also sued her attorney, George Parnham, who had represented her at trial, claiming he overcharged her and misused her . 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. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Yet they say they have forgiven Dr. Harris and in court today described an unblemished marriage that was, in Mildred Harris's words, ''made in heaven. But last year, she got a new parole attorney, Kevin Stouwie of San Antonio. David Harris is on Facebook. 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! At her parole hearing this past October, he brought her two sons, who were then nineteen years old and attending universities in Texas. The attorneys said that Blue Moon. During the interview, Harris, dressed in prison-issued white drawstring pants and smock, talked about the work with Braille she does with 60. Prosecutors, however, went after her, saying she knew exactly what she was doing in that Hilton parking lot. Mark Harris - People Directory - 192.com Harris' Stepdaughter Sues Hotel, Detective Agency - KPRC It seemed that life was perfect and complete for the Harris family. Resides in Chicago, IL. 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. Dr. Harris pushed Ms. Bridges out of the way before he was hit, his daughter said. 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. Daniel Vaughn is the countrys first barbecue editor, and he has eaten more barbecue than you have. Days of Our Lives Spoilers: Steve Burton's First Airdate Revealed Harris knew her husband was being unfaithful and hired a private investigation agency to follow him, as reported by ABC News. There is at least one holdout in family support for the driver of the Mercedes. '', ''She wasn't sorry,'' Lindsey testified. Join Facebook to connect with David Harris and others you may know. When it was over, the young girl was traumatized and frightened for her own life. Clara Harris: Death by Mercedes - The CrimeWire - HubPages Whats Up With All the Kangaroos on the Loose in Texas. Clara and Lindsey walked into the lobby just as David and his office receptionist, Gail Bridges, were emerging from an elevator. She testified anyway, and Parnham subsequently passed out from tremendous stress in the courthouse hallway and had to be hospitalized. Lindsey was with Harris when she sped off in the direction of the hotel on July 24 to confront her husband. On the evening of July 24, 2002, Harris received a devastating call from the investigator. Theres An App for That. Clara Harris was sentenced to 20 years behind bars. I hit her because I knew that she had killed my Dad, said Lindsey. She wasnt crying, said Lindsey. 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. ''She had killed him.''. Lindsey Harris filed a wrongful death lawsuit against her stepmother and was awarded about $2. "If they think she's lying, she's history," Parnham told Primetime. Lindsey Harris in OH - Address & Phone Number | Whitepages ''I know that he was trying to get away and he couldn't.''. Bridge's now suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder -- flashbacks, nightmares and is on medication. Staring at a photo of her twin boys, Clara bowed her head, her dark brown eyes brimming with tears, and then was escorted away. During hearings on the matter, Lindsey Harris testified she was severely traumatized from her stepmother's actions. As the naughty couple approached Gails car, the Blue Moon detective tasked with capturing the marital indiscretions of David was shocked as he witnessed, through the lens of his video camera, Clara behind the wheel of her Mercedes-Benz, speeding toward the other womans car in a direct path toward the husband. Videotape shown in Harris trial - F.A.C.T Garza asked. Although Clara loved Lindsey like her own, she was desperate to be more than a stepmother; she wanted her own children. The Shocking Story Of Clara Harris, The Woman Who Killed Her Cheating Husband With Her Mercedes. In cross-examination, Ms. Magness said that after the death of her husband, Clara Harris could have kept the twins from seeing their grandparents if the grandparents had chosen not to support her. Lindsey was upset with her father. Turner: TEA is giving Houston ISD two optionsclose school or be taken over, Who is Justin Dirden? What very few people knew was that Clara was a model prisoner. David Harris and Bridges entered the hotel lobby hand in hand, Lindsey said. Lindsay Harris Profiles | Facebook Bridges says that's when Harris came back around and hit David then ran over him repeatedly. However, Irwin, the accident reconstructionist, still managed to make a persuasive case that Harris only ran into her husband once. He holds dual bachelor's degrees from Pace University and a master's degree from New York University. Lindsey Harris - People Directory - 192.com 156 Results for Lindsey Harris Please use the search above if you cannot find the record you require. Youth Who Saw Killing Says Stepmother 'Stomped' Accelerator and 'Went David Harris primary office was in Clear Lake, while he worked from the office shared with Clara in Lake Jackson only two days each week. Clearly, this is a woman who is extremely unlikely to reoffend. ''He was really scared,'' she said, describing her father as Clara Harris's Mercedes raced toward him. This time, Harris got in on the drivers side. Bridges said she never saw this coming because Clara knew of their affair and David told his mistress he was leaving his wife. '', By the same token, she added, her daughter-in-law ''loved David very much.''. Facebook gives people the power to. Only 16 at the time she witnessed her father's traumatic death, Lindsey stated she had since attempted suicide on at least four occasions. Lindsey Harris (723 matches): Phone Number, Email, Address (2 - Spokeo Witnesses recalled seeing Lindsey punch Harris in the face before both of them exited the vehicle. But in cross-examination, Parnham got them to admit they couldn't see clearly. (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 had it all. Dr Harris joined the School of Social and Political Sciences in September 2019 having previously held a number of key academic . Mimi Swartz is a staff writer based in Houston. On the other, it gave her an opportunity to get closer to her stepmother, from whom she said she had felt distant since the birth of twins to the Harrises in 1998. "It's hard to tell. 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. This post has been updated since publication to correct an error: the minimum punishment for intentional murder is five years, not twenty years. He was pronounced dead at 9:48 p.m. and Clara Harris was charged with murder. Right up until the last moment, the defense was divided over whether Harris should take the stand to defend herself. Then, learn about rich teenager Ethan Couch being released from prison despite murdering four people. Bridges then walked to her car with David following. Friends and family of David Harris publicly criticized the ruling. Clara Harris was born Clara Suarez on Feb. 3, 1958, in Bogot, Colombia, according to Texas Monthly. Copyright 2023 Click2Houston.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. She was on a mission to find where he was, said Lindsey. 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. Things spun out of control for Joy and she fled the country. They succeeded in getting a jury of nine women and three men. She stomped on the accelerator and went for him.''. Its been reported they regularly visit their mother at the Mountain View womens prison in Gatesville, Texas. Clara had a lucrative practice as a dentist, while Davids specialty was orthodontics. And You Thought Feral Hogs Were Bad. 16-year-old Lindsey Harris testifies at Houston, Tex, murder trial of stepmother Clara Harris, accused of murdering husband Dr David Harris by running him over with car in hotel parking lot . The investigators Harris had hired happened to record the entire ordeal on video, which was entered into evidence. If convicted, Harris could be sentenced to life in prison. She has no history of violent behavior. Around Houston, she became a pop culture reference. Mike Hall writes about criminals, musicians, the law, and barbecue. Although she knows she cant disappear, she is going to do her best to stay out of the public eye, said Stouwie. As Assistant District Attorney Mia Magness led Lindsey through the moments leading to her father's death, she kept her composure, her voice quivering occasionally. 300+ "Lindsay Harris" profiles | LinkedIn She killed my dad,'" Bridges responded. During hearings on the matter, Lindsey Harris testified she was severely traumatized from her stepmothers actions. ''What David did outside his marriage was a tragic mistake, and what Clara did was a tragic mistake,'' he said. Harris found her husband and Bridges in the hotel lobby. She was in her 40s when she was arrested. Suzie from Carson City on April 17, 2016: Val..I would agree with you about Clara's reaction & out of control behavior, but as you can see from my comment~ I firmly believe she allowed her husband's infidelity to literally drive her to the brink of insanity. Hirschhorn advised Parnham that the perfect juror would be an empathetic woman, not one who would be "jealous or judgmental of other women," and preferably who had been in a relationship where her spouse cheated on her. Also known as Lindsey D Clay, Clay Lindsey. Refine Your Search Results All Filters 1 Lindsey Fore Harris, 53 Resides in Collierville, TN Lived In Marietta GA, Newnan GA, Fairhope AL, Huntington Woods MI "If you had anything to say to Clara, what would it be?" I pray for her continuously and I am glad she will have something to come home to, her twin boys. She and her future husband met as colleagues at the Castle Dental Center in 1991. The 44-year-old orthodontist was tragically already gone. Harris is currently in a psychiatric prison 140 miles north of Houston. Her sons went to live with another couple who had been close friends with Clara and David. City Employees Are Heading for the Exits. That would change sometime in June 2002, when Clara hired the services of Blue Moon Investigations. But shes a wonderful woman. Murder Defendant's In-Laws Tell Jurors Why They Remain Her Strongest Supporters, https://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/11/us/murder-defendant-s-in-laws-tell-jurors-why-they-remain-her-strongest-supporters.html. Lived In Chesapeake VA, Monterey CA, Augusta GA, Grovetown GA. Related To Brad Harris, Ghanbria Harris, Alphonso Harris, Daphne Harris, Mary Harris. 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 - Partner - Kirkland & Ellis | ZoomInfo David was consciously and purposely careless with his family. ''You could hear a car going round, hard.''. She turned the car around to run over him a second time, then made a final 180-degree turn to hit him once more. 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. Before long, however, she and David began having an affair. Every waking moment, she thought about those boys. The two women went to a number of restaurants and hotels, until they were alerted by a private detective Clara Harris had hired the previous day that Dr. Harris and Ms. Bridges were at the Hilton. The hotel's attorney, Ervin Apffel Jr., confirmed that the lawsuit had been settled but declined to comment further. And so Clara, heartbroken and dreading confirmation of suspicions, tried to carry on with business as usual. Lindsey testified that Harris ran over her father three times. Clara Harris tried to control the damage by making herself real pretty so Dad would want her and not Gail, said Lindsey. On February 14, 2003 (which ironically would have been David and Claras 11th anniversary), the jury found her guilty of second degree murder. Read More . 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. Clara Harris was granted parole in November 2017, and she was ultimately released in May of 2018. View the profiles of people named Lynsey Harris. YouTubeDavid and Clara Harris were married for ten years before she killed him in a fit of rage. Lindsey visited her father and stepmother two or three times a year. That was when she struck me on my leg with the vehicle," the mistress said. He clearly did not make them a priority. 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.. The settlement terms are confidential, said attorney John A. Davis Jr., who represented Lindsey Harris.