FOX News: Clara Harris murder trial sentence - 20 years in prison, $10,000 fine

FOX News Channel ^ | February 14, 2003 | Fox News Channel Staff

[MeekOneGOP]

Wife Free After Allegedly Running Over Husband

Attorney To Decide If Clara Harris Will Attend Husband's Funeral

Posted: 12:59 p.m. CDT July 26, 2002
Updated: 1:24 p.m. CDT July 26, 2002

HOUSTON -- A Houston-area dentist appeared in a Harris County courtroom Friday, accused of running over her orthodontist husband and killing him after suspecting him of having an affair.

	Clara Harris Attends Probable-Cause Hearing July 25: Team Coverage: Private Investigator, Patients Speak Out July 25: Victim's Patients React To News July 25: Hear More On What Happened SURVEY What Do You Think About The Incident?

Clara Harris, 44, walked into the Harris County Courthouse neatly dressed in a business suit for her probable cause hearing, where prosecutors explain to the court why a defendant needs to held over for trial.

Harris stood quietly in the courtroom, while prosecutors explained why she's been charged with murder.

Harris has hired George Parnham to represent her. Parnham is best known for representing Andrea Pia Yates, the mother who drowned her five children.

"I'm going to take a look at the circumstances," Parnham said. "Not only of what occurred, but also any statements made by her (and) will talk to all of the witnesses in this case.

When asked about her husband's death early Thursday, Clara Harris told News2Houston that, "It was an accident."

The incident happened shortly before 9 p.m. Wednesday at the Hilton Nasa Clear Lake, Nasa Road 1, in Nassau Bay.

Investigators said that Clara Harris confronted her husband, David Lynn Harris, in the hotel's lobby, where a fight broke out.

The argument moved to the hotel's parking lot, where Clara Harris got behind the wheel of her Mercedes-Benz and ran her husband down, leaving the car on top of his body, authorities said.

Police said that Clara Harris had long suspected her husband was cheating on her, and that her suspicions were allegedly confirmed by a private investigator.

Investigators said that David Harris' 16-year-old daughter from a previous marriage was in the car with his wife and watched him die.

The couple had two other children.

Clara Harris is free on a $30,000 bond. But as a condition of her freedom, the judge ordered her not to have any contact with the woman her husband was with that night or to come within 200 feet of the woman's home or office.

Parnham said that he will decide if Clara Harris should attend her husband's funeral.

David Harris' funeral is scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m. at the South Park Funeral Home & Cemetery, 1310 N. Main, in Pearland.

Previous Story:

• July 25, 2002: Police: Wife Runs Over Cheating Husband

Copyright 2002 by . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[MeekOneGOP]

Funny, we've never seen a photo of Don Juan himself. Anyone got one?

I have seen it. Here is one I found.

Also, see post #261 for the interesting story two days after his murder...

[MinuteGal]

Thanks for the photo of the Romeo. Looks like a real geek. I dunno, was he worth 20 years? Must have been his personality that turned her on.

Leni

[MeekOneGOP]

And here is one with multiple folks. Bottom right is Gail Bridges, David's sweetie pie. David on rop right...

See Photo Gallery on this page

The daughter of a Baptist deacon, Gail Bridges was once a high school cheerleader, then the wife of an insurance agent and finally a divorced mother of three when she became David Harris' office receptionist and the other woman in his life at age 38. Her ex-huband accused her of having a lesbian affair, and this fall he took her to court seeking custody of their children.

---

David Harris, 44, was a well-liked Clear Lake orthodontist who grew up in Pearland as the son of a school principal. He played piano and drums and a couple years ago recorded a CD of Christian music with his Baptist church's band. His teen-age daughter noted that he was very funny and easy to talk to. He taught her how to play the piano, and she wanted to study to become an orthodontist like him.

[MeekOneGOP]

Now this is weird...

Tape provided by Blue Moon Investigations

Wearing disguises and taking assumed names, Gail "Leslie" Bridges and Julie Ann "Lisa" Knight appeared on a segment of the Sally Jessy Raphael Show called My Husband Spies on Me in April 2001 to discuss their ex-husbands' scheme to prove they were having a lesbian affair. They say they are only friends.

[MinuteGal]

Looks like she wore a disguise on the TV show.

Ah, life in the fast (dental) lane.

Leni

[wardaddy]

Amen.....I have heard more than one conservative woman wax sympathy for this crazy ass bitch. Shows you that political views are frequently just window dressing for a more banal personality below the surface....in everyone.

[wardaddy]

Pure emotive reasoning....something I though conservatives were avowed to avoid.

[Servant of the Nine]

This was an "honor killing" and last I heard, we don't do that here in America.

In fact, we always have in Texas.
Until the liberal Democrats rewrote the Criminal Code in '76 "He needed Killing" was an afirmative Defense and you could get an instruction to the Jury by the Judge that if they found you had proven that the person "Needed Killing" they must aquit you.
Today it is "unwritten law", but most old time Texans are still likely to vote Not Guilty, or to give a suspended sentence if you prove the point.
Just because the Legislature was made up of Liberal Democrats in '76 does not mean the rest of us are. Or that the rest of us think they did the right thing.

So9

[wardaddy]

Ain't that the truth....and from the looks of this thread...it's endemic here as well.

Are there any Freepettes out there who think this woman got off too light?

[Servant of the Nine]

Don't forget that Clara was his second wife!
She and he should rightly have been dead years ago, by your reasoning.
They should have been killed by his first wife back when Clara was the "other woman."

Killing someone who needs kiling is an option, not a mandate. Each person must decide in each case what is apropriate behavior for them.

It may be that his first wife should have killed him and clara. That was her decision to make. She chose not to. That is none of our business. It was a private matter and a private decision.

So9

[wardaddy]

I like the way you think on this thread Dennis.

Well done!

[wardaddy]

She should have just dumped him and gotten her money. He sounds like a prick to be sure but,

I could have killed my ex-wife on these same grounds according to many (mainly lady) FReepers here.

Or if I had killed everyone who's pushed me, or slapped me, or humiliated me then I would need a graveyard the size of Rhode Island to plant them all in.

You ladies (and guys) need to wake up and listen to what you're saying here.....all this sympathy for a woman who killed her husband after knowing about the mistress for some time. Had she come home and caught them in bed and in a state of shock discovering this for the FIRST TIME and killed him or both of them with her LadySmith or the like then I myself would be more compassionate towards her.

If it's any consolation both my wife (very conservative) and my mom (fiscal conservative) are mushy on this.

I'm rethinking women's sufferage over this...lol

Regards.

[wardaddy]

Geeezus!

[wardaddy]

LOL....good work on this rather bizarre thread.

[wardaddy]

Good post in a sea of emotive (non)reasoning.

[dennisw]

Thanks much. The gals were not shy about "representing" so I had to. Your liking my posts on this is a fine stamp of approval. (no sarcasm)

[MeekOneGOP]

You're welcomed. Who knows what attracted her to him?...