"His last words to me were, 'I'm sorry, I'm so sorry' and then he lost his life shortly after that.". She had two sons with her orthodontist husband, David Harris. Though Harris had hired a private detective to tail her husband that night, she and Lindsey set out to do their own surveillance. Harris David is on Facebook. Katy Vine has been a staff writer since 2002. On Friday, one of Texass most notorious killers, Clara Harris, was released from prison. Leave them blank to get signed up. His body then fell to the ground and the Mercedes ran over him once. Previously, Lindsey was a Director, Marketing at Frazier Healthcar e Partners and also held positions at Texas Ambulatory Surgery Center Society, Access MediQuip. Attorneys for Lindsey Harris filed a lawsuit Thursday, naming Blue Moon Investigations and the Hilton Nasa Clear Lake, Nasa Road 1, in Nassau Bay. David and Clara Harris were married for ten years before she killed him in a fit of rage. Was her love "above" everybody else's wellbeing? Over the years, there were occasional stories in the media about Clara. And she was not going to do anything to jeopardize her chance of getting parole so she could someday be with them.. 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. 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. In 2002 Lindsey Harris, daughter of David Harris filed a Federal lawsuit against Clara Harris. Because of her criminal record, she can no longer practice dentistry.) She told Parnham that a week earlier her husband, 44-year-old orthodontist David Harris, had revealed he was having an affair with his receptionist, 39-year-old Gail Bridges. Im thinking about pulling a Clara Harris, a woman would say with a laugh after learning her husband had done something really stupid. This time, Harris got in on the drivers side. She cried. ''When we came closer, that bag turned out to be a human being.''. Fleeing for Your Life? Dr Harris joined the School of Social and Political Sciences in September 2019 having previously held a number of key academic . David Harris was enamored. Im going to hit him, Harris told the teenager. Clara Harris was granted parole in November 2017, and she was ultimately released in May of 2018. 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. . They should've paroled her the first time she was up for parole. As a result, David began spending more time away from home and longer hours at his office, as well as spending large amounts of money lavishing gifts on his mistress, along with high-end hotel rooms for their couplings. Anyone can read what you share. I also understand what you say about her naivety. Only two of the panelists both men said Harris was guilty of murder. Bridges responded, "The affair was wrong. 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. Bridges then walked to her car with David following. She changed so many times to appease him, but it was never good enough. 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. She said she remembered driving around in circles, "confused," with no conscious thoughts going through her mind. One of the prosecution's most powerful witnesses was 17-year-old Lindsey Harris, David Harris' daughter from a previous marriage, who was riding in her stepmother's Mercedes when it struck her father. 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. ''I don't know what you are trying to get me to say,'' Ms. Harris said, her smile gone. Before long, however, she and David began having an affair. YouTubeDavid and Clara Harris were married for ten years before she killed him in a fit of rage. 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. I screamed 'No!' Witnesses recalled Lindsey screaming and trying to get out of the car, but Harris sped off to run over her husband. Her trial began the following February. Clara Harris tried to control the damage by making herself real pretty so Dad would want her and not Gail, said Lindsey. They succeeded in getting a jury of nine women and three men. Dr Lyndsey Harris is a Criminologist with extensive qualitative research experience. Can religion save us from Artificial Intelligence? You can watch the full episode below. 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. She already missed out raising her boys. Clara was helping David raise his daughter from a previous marriage. Mayor: HISD has two optionsclose school or be taken over, Meet the Astros prospect tearing up Spring Training, Report: Houston ranked No. Clara suddenly gunned the engine and raced toward them. Harris defense attorney George Parnham urged her not to take the stand for fear she would incriminate herself. Includes Address (11) Phone (14) Email (17) One said she "snapped," and Hirschhorn latched onto the word, telling Parnham to use it to counter what the prosecutor would want the jury to think: "intentional.". Clara Harris went totally berserk & lost all control & sense of reality. Lindsey Harris, 17, took the stand as the prosecution's last witness against orthodontist Clara Harris, who stands accused of running down her husband - David Harris, 44, also a dentist -. In 2003 Harris was again involved in court action over the custody of her and David Harris's two young twin sons. Mimi Swartz is a staff writer based in Houston. That would change sometime in June 2002, when Clara hired the services of Blue Moon Investigations. Dr Harris' research background is inter-disciplinary with research specialisms in domestic abuse, terrorism and political violence. 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. Meet the Astros prospect tearing up Spring Training, Texas tornados destroy homes, leave 300,000 without power, Proposed Texas bill would offer 12 weeks of paid family leave, Heres how you can watch 'Daisy Jones and the Six', Texas Republican wants to ban access to abortion websites, Dallas Morning News reporter calls mayor 'bruh,' gets fired. Local radio stations gave breathless updates. Also in 2004, an episode of American Justice called "Murder by Mercedes" (episode 3, season 13) was released that detailed the Clara Harris case. Her husband later opened Space Center Orthodontics outside of Houston. Bridges said she never saw this coming because Clara knew of their affair and David told his mistress he was leaving his wife. 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. I have followed the story since the beginning, and I my feelings are still the same. Suzie from Carson City on October 07, 2017: Triple J.I'm quite aware of my friend's name. "And at that point I knew I had to focus on her.". Garza asked. It was just a big fight.''. She was determined to become a professional dentist. Clara had a lucrative practice as a dentist, while Davids specialty was orthodontics. ''But these were mistakes made by two of the finest people I know. 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. But, he said, she insisted on testifying. Read Skip Hollandsworths 2002 piece on Harris, Suburban Madness,. It seemed that life was perfect and complete for the Harris family. The lawsuit claimed that Blue Moon, of Webster, which Clara Harris hired to photograph her husband with another woman, should not have told Clara Harris that the two were at the hotel. Also known as Lindsey D Clay, Clay Lindsey. She wasnt crying, said Lindsey. Blood was coming from his nose and mouth. 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. They entered into a contract for services with Clara, which outline standard provisions of any decent agencyone of those provisions being that the client was not to interfere with the detectives investigation. Facebook gives people the power to. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. Whats Up With All the Kangaroos on the Loose in Texas. Although she knows she cant disappear, she is going to do her best to stay out of the public eye, said Stouwie. She stomped on the accelerator and went for him.''. Her first outburst, on Tuesday, occurred when a medical examiner gave details of the crushing injuries her husband had suffered. 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. When he landed, it was approximately 30 feet from where he had been standing only seconds before. Although Texas law does not allow temporary insanity defenses, Parnham believed he could show that Harris acted under "sudden passion" rather than with intent to kill. ''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. When David Harris wed Colombian-born beauty queen Clara Suarez in a Valentines Day 1992 ceremony befitting royalty at the Nassau Bay Hilton Hotel, he had no way of knowing his loving bride would end his life here some 10 years later. The investigator's camera was rolling as Clara's car made contact with Davids body and he was tossed into the air. Copyright 2023 Click2Houston.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. Join Facebook to connect with David Harris and others you may know. Harris already knew about the affair when she hired Blue Moon Investigations, a private detective agency, in July 2002. Selfish? He conceded that David Harris's relationship with Gail Bridges, 39, a receptionist in his dental practice, was not proper. Clara suffered from a temporary moment of insanity brought on by sudden passion. "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.". The settlement terms are confidential, said attorney John A. Davis Jr., who represented Lindsey 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. Harris found her husband and Bridges in the hotel lobby. Harris agreed, but she secretly hired a private investigator to follow them to dinner and ensure her husband ended the relationship. . When one suggested reckless driving, Hirschhorn joked that Parnham should take her to lunch. Gerald Harris Sr. then defended his son, if not as vehemently. He says he replays the trial in his head every night, wondering what went wrong: whether it was the tire track on the police photograph, or the jurors' jealousy of Harris and her success. Chip Gaines Bought Larry McMurtrys Historic Texas Bookstore. (Photo By Carlos Antonio Rios/Chronicle) Clara Harris Clara and David Harris Clara and David Harris The investigators Harris had hired happened to record the entire ordeal on video, which was entered into evidence. She knew what she did and she wasnt sorry, said Lindsey. Mistresses everywhere were warned to take note: next time it could be them. Dr. Harris pushed Ms. Bridges out of the way before he was hit, his daughter said. "You b, he's my husband!" Harris shouted before slapping Bridges. 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. Clara Harris was born Clara Suarez on Feb. 3, 1958, in Bogot, Colombia, according to Texas Monthly. Yes, the twins acknowledged, they had lost their father, but at the same time they had lost their mother, whom they loved deeply. Daniel Vaughn is the countrys first barbecue editor, and he has eaten more barbecue than you have. They said they had come to the prison every month for the last fifteen years, without fail, to visit their mother. ''What David did outside his marriage was a tragic mistake, and what Clara did was a tragic mistake,'' he said. She first became eligible for parole in 2013 but her request was denied. She ultimately destroyed her own life & lost everything because of the nasty bastard she was married to. 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. 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. I hate you!. Lindsey was with Harris when she sped off in the direction of the hotel on July 24 to confront her husband. Fred Tokars knew his wife was ready to divorce him and he feared she'd expose all of his dirty secrets, so he hired one of his clients to make sure she didn't. ''I said, 'No!' All she wants to do is make up for lost time with her boys., Clara is now sixty years old, and her hair is getting gray. His wife, Lucy, died in early 1856, after giving him twelve children, and later that . Illustrations by Lindsey C. Harris My art work is imaginative in origin, illustrative and narrative in nature, and often depicts images from myths, stories, dreams and personifications of ideas with psychological and emotional content. They were victims twice over, they said. Only 16 at the time she witnessed her father's traumatic death, Lindsey stated she had since attempted suicide on at least four occasions. Bring on the Shiplap? Well aware she had run over her husband, Clara circled aroundcrossing two grassy medians, according to witnessesand ran over Davids motionless body; then circled around to run over him again. Whats more, she didnt violate any prison rules. We became very close, Lindsey said. But shes a wonderful woman. She has no history of violent behavior. That was when she struck me on my leg with the vehicle," the mistress said. On February 14, 2003 (which ironically would have been David and Claras 11th anniversary), the jury found her guilty of second degree murder. During the interview, Harris, dressed in prison-issued white drawstring pants and smock, talked about the work with Braille she does with 60. Most believed she had not intended to kill her husband, saying she was in a "jealous rage" and "lost it," and that she "didn't know what she was doing." "I've always said I thought that video eventually would be the best thing in the world for us," he said. ''Sometimes I think she loved him too much,'' the victim's mother said. If you fill out the first name, last name, or agree to terms fields, you will NOT be added to the newsletter list. The teenager testified that a week earlier her stepmother had told her, "With all he's done to me, I could kill him and get away with it." If you need help with the Public File, call (713) 778-4745. Since it only showed Harris circling the parking lot, and since David was barely visible, the defense argued she only hit him once. 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. Claras goal was to get paroled so she could be reunited with her sons, Emily Detoto, one of her original defense attorneys, told me. Bridges says that's when Harris came back around and hit David then ran over him repeatedly. 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. As soon as News2Houston walked into her home with a camera, she bolted into the bedroom and did not want to come out until the camera was gone. Without warning, she stomped on the accelerator and went straight for my Dad, testified Lindsey, 17, at Harris murder trial Wednesday. David, Im so sorry., The murder made headlinesall over the world. Claras application for parole was granted, Inside the Bro-tastic Party Mansions Upending a Historic Austin Community. ''They had tricked her. "This is going to be a hard case," Parnham told Primetime 2 months before the trial. In 2005, Oprah arrived at the prison in the town of Gatesville (near Waco), where Clara was incarcerated, to interview her for her talk show. Hotel security was called and Clara was escorted from the building and told to leave the premises. Lived In Chesapeake VA, Monterey CA, Augusta GA, Grovetown GA. Related To Brad Harris, Ghanbria Harris, Alphonso Harris, Daphne Harris, Mary Harris. Clara Harris was sentenced to 20 years behind bars. I wish Clara would have been stronger, but unfortunately she wasn't . 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. Ashok Moza, who was playing tennis at the yacht club next to the hotel on the evening David Harris died, testified that he heard squealing tires as he went to retrieve a ball. Her sons went to live with another couple who had been close friends with Clara and David. A Federal Judge in Amarillo Could Effectively Ban the Abortion Pill. Harris cried through much of the testimony, and the defense team assured Primetime her emotions had not been rehearsed. 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. He went to church and loved Clara, she said. SRA ID: 125332 SRA Regulated. A symbol of her American success story, the luxury car soon became a murder weapon. 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. Harris sons visited her at the Mountain View Unit prison in Gainesville, Texas, every month. In her turn on the stand, Mildred Harris said she and her daughter-in-law ''were like friends.''. ''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. Granted parole in November 2017, Harris was released from prison at 8:20 a.m. on May 11, 2018. Her lawyer contends that the 44-year-old dentist acted in the heat of passion, a wife unhinged by her cheating husband. But last year, she got a new parole attorney, Kevin Stouwie of San Antonio. Not to mention destroying so many other lives. This is Dr. David Harris and hes fing this woman right here!. Staring at a photo of her twin boys, Clara bowed her head, her dark brown eyes brimming with tears, and then was escorted away. What did Disney actually lose from its Florida battle with DeSantis? 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. "Did you see the car coming towards you?" Mr. Harris said he had been aware of ''some difficulties in the relationship'' between his son and Clara, but suggested that he saw no serious impediments to a future together. I hit her because I knew that she had killed my Dad, said Lindsey. 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. Bridge's now suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder -- flashbacks, nightmares and is on medication. How Did James Dean Die? ''There was a lot of shouting going on,'' Mr. Moza said. Her friends have told me she is worried that people she meets will realize who she is and back away. Harris knew her husband was being unfaithful and hired a private investigation agency to follow him, as reported by ABC News. Instead of driving out of the parking lot, Harris drove toward Bridges' Lincoln Navigator. Clara Harris still rotting in prison is a waste of taxpayer money. Turner: TEA is giving Houston ISD two optionsclose school or be taken over, Who is Justin Dirden? 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. If she was cheap enough to carry on with a married man, she's cheap enough to have no remorse. Jeff Moore, chief of investigations for Blue Moon, said company officials are "very pleased" with the outcome. When it was over, the young girl was traumatized and frightened for her own life. Click a location below to find Lindsey more easily. Eventually, Clara and Lindsey stormed back to the Mercedes. What followed was a gruesome murder and a controversial legal saga. George Wong/Getty ImagesClara Harris and attorney George Parnham after the first day of testimony in 2003. 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? In the darkened cabin of her stepmothers Mercedes-Benz, Lindsey Harris thought the drama was over for the night. Next time, make a comment of some substance or utter something interesting regarding the article. Lawsuit by Clara Harris' children settled, Willie Nelson pays lovely tribute to another country legend, Rare photos show 2 ocelots crossing South Texas road, Astros GM Dana Brown has more praise team's top prospect, This is what Houston looks like from space. Murdaughs fall from grace ends in a life sentence for murder, CPAC shows the GOP has deep divisions that may prove impossible to repair, Abortion clinics crossing state borders not always welcome, Black Vietnam veteran finally awarded Medal of Honor, Toxic forever chemicals about to get their first U.S. limits, Hidden, illegal casinos are booming in L.A., with organized crime reaping big profits, Best coffee city in the world? On one hand, Lindsey said, she strenuously objected to her father's affair and disliked Ms. Bridges, who, she said, flirted openly with her father in his office. "This is Dr. David Harris and he's fing this woman right here!" As part of a prison program, she learned braille and worked several hours a day translating school textbooks into braille. David was consciously and purposely careless with his family. Prosecutors say Harris, bent on avenging her husband's adultery, used her car as a murder. She'd never seen her stepmother behave this way before. The 44-year-old Colombian had moved to America in the 1980s and opened her own successful dentistry practice. Creger, who said she was trained in CPR to care for a premature son, tried to help the injured dentist breathe. Then she went inside looking for David. When Dr. Harris and Ms. Bridges came down from their room, Clara Harris ''went straight for Gail,'' Lindsey said. She will at some point be transferred to a maximum-security prison to serve out the rest of her term. His slut of a receptionist was complicate in his demise but of course I'm sure she lives her life guilt-free. Fire Ants Have Unleashed Chaos in Texas for Decades. I was yelling, Stop, youre killing him!. The 1995 move Suburban Madness starring Selma Ward is loosely based on the Clara Harris case. When they arrived at the hotel, she said, they went to the front desk, where they were told that neither Dr. Harris nor Ms. Bridges was registered. She said her father had told her he would end the affair with Ms. Bridges on July 24. Sixteen years ago, Clara was a pretty and personable dentist who lived in a prosperous south Houston suburb with her husband David, an orthodontist, and their twin three-year-old sons.