Volume I No. 54
 02-15-03
 The Clara Harris Verdict
 author: Vance Cureton
 © Copyright 2003

 They can breathe a sigh of relief in Texas. The state that loves
 to execute people and brag about it, finally has a prominent court 
 case that ended without controversy. And with a just - but harsh 
 sentence given to a beautiful well-educated woman of status, 
 who had no prior history of conduct outside of the law.

 Clara Harris, the mad-Mercedes driving dentist, and mother of 
 twin four-year old sons, was handed a recommended sentence, 
 of twenty years in prison for murdering her philandering husband.
 Which she accomplished by running him down in her expensive 
 german automobile. An incident that was captured on grainy 
 videotape footage that has been replayed nightly on newscasts 
 for the last several weeks as the trial progressed towards its 
 inevitable conclusion.

 This case truly had it all. A handsome husband and his beautiful
 office assistant. A grieving stepdaughter - of Harris - who was in
 the Mercedes, and watched from the front seat as her father was 
 brutally ambushed. And the deceased very own parents eagerly 
 testifying in front of the jury, that their daughter-in-law was a good 
 woman who deserved leniency because of the exemplary life she 
 has led. And because of her dependent young children.

 This time the jury got it right. They did not let sympathy for the
 45 year old Harris sway their verdict. A defendant who was always
 near tears, and sometimes cried openly as heart-rending testimony
 was given in court.

 There was no way out of this one. But, the jury did Harris a big 
 favor by stating correctly that her crime was committed as an 
 "act of sudden passion." Thus saving the defendant from a 
 sentence that could have included life in prison or even death. 

 It was Harris' own action that fateful night that bought her the 
 twenty year sentence. As she ran over the victim not once. But 
 twice. And some argued, even a third time. A fact that is in dispute 
 still.

 No matter how attractive, law abiding, or the good mother that 
 the photogenic Harris has been. Should a light sentence have 
 been meted out for her crime. The victim was down. And yet 
 she came at him -- another time. 

 Her passions should have cooled after the first thump.

 How amazing it was to see some female commentators { ...on
 Court TV and elsewhere } repeatedly refer to the victim as a 
 creep. As if this would somehow lessen Harris' crime. Philanderer 
 or not. David Harris was brutally murdered. And the person 
 responsible for his death must be punished.

 A sentence of probation would have been rediculous. And an
 outrage. And it is startling to consider that given the peculiarity
 of Texas law concering "crimes of passion." It was even possible
 that Harris could have served no time in jail at all.

 Thankfully, the jury saved the nation such a controversy. 

 For the sake of Harris' four year old twin sons. We can only 
 hope that in 10 or more years - if she is eventually paroled - that 
 enough of the good woman that she has been for almost the 
 entirety of her adult life, will remain. And that her two sons can 
 get to intimately know this side of her. Something they cannot
 do looking at her from the other side of a plate glass window.

 Yet, in many cases similar to Harris' - how often do decent men 
 and women walk out of prison, bitter, defeated, and damaged.

 A sorrowful outcome indeed. 
 

 ReadingPost.Com
 © Copyright 2003

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