# Sentence Clara Harris! **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 13, 2003, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sentence-clara-harris/154948 "2003-02-13T22:56:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mothchunks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@Mothchunks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mothchunks)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sentence-clara-harris/154948/1 "2003-02-13T22:56:36Z")
She ran over her husband in the parking lot of the hotel where he met his mistress…(link to whole story) [http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/02/13/harris.trial/index.html](http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/02/13/harris.trial/index.html) She’s been found guilty, and now comes the sentencing phase of her trial. If it were up to you, how would you sentence Clara? ---
**Author:** ![photopat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e95f7d/32.png) [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sentence-clara-harris/154948/2 "2003-02-13T23:08:13Z")
Well, probably not life, maybe 10-20 years with possibility of parole. It does seem like it may have been an act of passion, and she’s not likely to do it again, but she did kill him and deprived his daughter of a father, so she shouldn’t get probation. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sentence-clara-harris/154948/3 "2003-02-13T23:20:12Z")
She has to do _some_ time. Adultery is not a justification for murder. I think if a man were to kill his cheating wife with their child in the car, he would not get a moment of sympathy, nor should he. Harris should get at least a few years. We don’t want to send a message that, if you ctch your spouse with another person, you can kill them and only get probation. She’s obviously caused a lot of pain for her daughter. ---
**Author:** ![Robb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a183cd/32.png) [@Robb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robb)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sentence-clara-harris/154948/4 "2003-02-13T23:29:04Z")
It might help to know the sentencing ranges. Murder is a first degree felony, punishable by 5 to 99 years or life in a penitentiary. I assume she has no previous felonies, and is therefore probation eligible. If she is sentenced to 10 or fewer years in the pen, that sentence can be probated. Also, if she can prove she commited the crime in a sudden passion, the crime will be punished as a second degree felony - 2 to 20 years in the pen with the potential for probation. Everyone convicted in Texas, save those sentenced to die, is eligible for parole. For murder with a finding of a deadly weapon, she must do half her time before becoming eligible for parole. ---
**Author:** ![Mothchunks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@Mothchunks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mothchunks)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sentence-clara-harris/154948/5 "2003-02-13T23:30:35Z")
"She told jurors she wanted to save her 10-year marriage after learning of the affair. She said she quit her job, had sex with her husband three times a night, cooked his favorite meals and hired a personal trainer. She also testified she even went to a tanning salon and scheduled liposuction and breast enhancement surgery to make him happy, only to catch him in a tryst with Bridges at the same hotel where the Harrises were married on Valentine’s Day 1992. David Harris was killed in the hotel parking lot moments later." She should walk. Probation. I walked out halfway throught “Chicago,” but this case reminds me of the death row number where all the female women justify their crimes. Thumbs up, Clara. ---
**Author:** ![Avalonian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@Avalonian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avalonian)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sentence-clara-harris/154948/6 "2003-02-13T23:44:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mothchunks \* > \*\*She should walk. Probation. \*\* I don’t think so. Sure, he was a cheating bastard… but if she wanted away from him that much, divorce was a far better (and cleaner) alternative than smashing him with her car while his daughter watched. As someone has already said, adultery is not justification for murder. She can only control her own actions, not his. His actions were deplorable, hers were criminal. ---
**Author:** ![catsix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@catsix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catsix)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sentence-clara-harris/154948/7 "2003-02-14T00:05:14Z")
No matter what a low-down cheating bastard the guy was, running him over is unacceptable. What she did was murder, and where she belongs is prison. IMO, 10 years isn’t enough time to even begin to make any kind of restitution for what she has done, and she should be in prison for as long as is possible given the crime. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sentence-clara-harris/154948/8 "2003-02-14T00:05:58Z")
3 years in a “honor ranch” including time off for good behaviour, with 7 more probation. Can’t get off scot free, but is unlikely to do it again. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sentence-clara-harris/154948/9 "2003-02-14T00:31:49Z")
I heard someone say the other day that if she didn’t go to jail, there would be corpses of dead husbands strung for coast to coast… She murdered the guy and should do time. How much depends too much on the details fo the trial. ---
**Author:** ![buttonjockey308](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@buttonjockey308](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buttonjockey308)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sentence-clara-harris/154948/10 "2003-02-14T00:42:21Z")
10 years in the slam, 15 minutes on the table, and eternity in the ground. Ask for equal rights, and by God, you’ll get 'em. ---
**Author:** ![Skid\_Row](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/779978/32.png) [@Skid\_Row](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skid_Row)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sentence-clara-harris/154948/11 "2003-02-14T01:17:21Z")
I was admittedly on the fence about her sentence until I heard on CNN that this nutjob called her maid and demanded the hired help remove all of her husband’s clothes from their residence and put them in the dumpster as she drove to the hotel to “talk” with him (_snort_). Sorry. That’s premeditation and conclusive proof (for me, anyway) that it most certainly was NOT a sudden passion offense. Rot in hell Clara. You’ve earned it. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sentence-clara-harris/154948/12 "2003-02-14T01:22:01Z")
Nope, she should NOT get off. Adultery is wrong and hurtful, no doubt about it. BUT…murder is much worse. Did Betty Broderick get off? No. Neither should Harris. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sentence-clara-harris/154948/13 "2003-02-14T01:38:16Z")
Life in prison, chance of parole after 25 years. It’s murder, and there is evidence of premeditation. I assume the people calling for a lesser sentence are kidding or something, because most intelligent people think murder calls for a long prison sentence. Nobody “has it coming.” ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sentence-clara-harris/154948/14 "2003-02-14T03:23:11Z")
Whatever time she serves, she should be required to use a riding lawn mower and cut the grass on a poorly maintained cemetery. That way she will have to ride up and down over the dead body mounds all day long. ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/master_wang-ka/32/3325_2.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sentence-clara-harris/154948/15 "2003-02-14T03:43:26Z")
Well, y’know, adultery isn’t justification for murder. On the other hand, being publicly humiliated by your cheatin’ spouse who’s out on the town with his new bimbo, right there in front of God and everybody… well… that’s another matter. I’m most curious to see if the penalty phase comes up “Well, he needed shootin’, so we’re goin’ easy on 'er.” This is Texas. Wouldn’t be the first time. ---
**Author:** ![DaddyMack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dc4da7/32.png) [@DaddyMack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaddyMack)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sentence-clara-harris/154948/16 "2003-02-14T04:03:41Z")
She did not go there with a gun to kill him. She only wanted to see for herself (and show her daughter in law) what type of scum he was. She did not put him in front of the auto, she snapped in a moment of passion; left the asshole there with his honey and he followed her (how else did he end up in front of the car?). Will she do it again? Hell yea, and not just her but \*\*hims[?B] too. She should have presented an argument for her future plans, she didn’t. Probation the maximum. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sentence-clara-harris/154948/17 "2003-02-14T04:23:46Z")
People who “snap” badly enough to run somebody over TWICE are not safe to be among the general public. What happens the next time she gets upset? She committed murder. Sorry, but it’s open and shut. She killed a human being and damn near caused another one to commit suicide. Prison, for a long time, is the only appropriate sentence. ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Caustic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecc23a/32.png) [@Capt.Caustic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Caustic)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sentence-clara-harris/154948/18 "2003-02-14T05:28:28Z")
She ran over the guy multiple times \*\* while his daughter (from a previous marriage) watched in horror. \*\* Twenty years. ---
**Author:** ![cookeze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@cookeze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cookeze)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sentence-clara-harris/154948/19 "2003-02-14T11:33:12Z")
I’ve seen “The View,” and “The Tonight Show,” and others, where the mere mention of this case results in laughter, cheers, and applause. There seems to be a sizable chunk of studio audiences who think the guy got what he deserved. 25 years to life, no parole until 85% of the minimum is served. After all, part of sending someone to prison is to deter the others who don’t think the crime was a big deal. It was. ---
**Author:** ![Sock\_Munkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Sock\_Munkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sock_Munkey)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sentence-clara-harris/154948/20 "2003-02-14T11:37:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mothchunks \* > \*\*"She told jurors she wanted to save her 10-year marriage after learning of the affair. She said she quit her job, had sex with her husband three times a night, cooked his favorite meals and hired a personal trainer. > > She also testified she even went to a tanning salon and scheduled liposuction and breast enhancement surgery to make him happy, only to catch him in a tryst with Bridges at the same hotel where the Harrises were married on Valentine’s Day 1992. David Harris was killed in the hotel parking lot moments later." > > She should walk. Probation. > > I walked out halfway throught “Chicago,” but this case reminds me of the death row number where all the female women justify their crimes. Thumbs up, Clara. \*\* Question, did the husband MAKE her go through all that effort and sacrifice and surgery, or did she decide to do it on her own? If he made her do all that stuff, then 5 years tops. maybe probation. If he didn’t, then 20 to life. She ran over him at least twice with her daghter watching, the daughter is never going to get over this, ever. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sentence-clara-harris/154948.md?page=2)