ANGLETON, Texas – For the first time since her murder conviction, the woman who ran over and killed her adulterous husband with her Mercedes-Benz spoke out in an exclusive on-camera interview with News2Houston.
Clara Harris is being held at the Brazoria County Jail until a custody hearing over her 4-year-old twin sons is over.
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She told News2Houston's Cindy Garza that her husband's death was a horrible accident and that she misses and loves him.
The only thing that keeps her going is her children, she said.
"Every time I go to see them, I think that they have forgotten about me, you know?" Harris said. "And I walk in that room and they go, 'Momma.' And it's like they just give me life back."
She cried as she thought about life without the boys.
"They tell me everything they have done. And they hug me. And when it's time for them to go, they always tell me, 'Momma, I want to stay with you,'" Harris said.
A Harris County jury sentenced Clara Harris to 20 years in prison after finding her guilty of murdering her orthodontist husband, David Harris, 44, on July 24. The incident occurred after a confrontation between Clara and David Harris and David's acknowledged lover, Gail Bridges, in the lobby of the Hilton Nasa Clear Lake, Nasa Road 1, in Nassau Bay.
She maintains that the deadly night was an accident.
"If my in-laws would know, for certain, that I did not commit any crime with intention, they would not be able to be with me. They wouldn't be able to stand with me. I know the pain that (my in-laws) are going through," Harris said.
Gerald and Mildred Harris have custody of Clara and David Harris' children, Brian and Bradley.
Harris said that she now wants her best friend to raise her sons instead.
"The reason why I had decided to change the custody of the boys is to help my in-laws to make it easier on them. I have had, finally, the time to think about the long-term of the situation that they will encounter -- both my in-laws and my kids.
"I know in my heart that my in-laws love them very much. And that nobody would love them more them, other than me. Since I'm not out there, I felt that they had to be with a couple that can handle little ones. I know my situation can last two years or it can last a year. My in-laws are 74. And in 10 years, they will be 84 with a 14-year-old is not going to be an easy situation. So, yes, I am very concerned about my in-laws and their well-being. I'm concerned about my boys, also. I don't think it's a fair situation for anyone," Harris said.
Clara Harris was sentenced on her 11th wedding anniversary. She is serving her sentence at the Mountview facility in Gatesville, Texas.
Previous Stories:
- May 7, 2003: Custody Battle Begins Over Harris Children
- February 20, 2003: Harris' Stepdaughter Sues Hotel, Detective Agency
- February 18, 2003: Hotel Official Fired After Testifying In Clara Harris Trial
- February 17, 2003: Clara Harris Says She Still Loves Her Dead Husband
- February 14, 2003: Jurors Send Clara Harris To Prison
- February 14, 2003: Jury Considers Punishment For Clara Harris
- February 13, 2003: Clara Harris Guilty, Sentencing Begins
- February 12, 2003: Jurors Deliberate Clara Harris Case
- February 12, 2003: Jurors Set To Begin Deliberations In Clara Harris Case
- February 11, 2003: Closing Arguments Wednesday In Harris Trial
- February 11, 2003: Jurors Told To Bring Toothbrushes In Clara Harris Trial
- February 10, 2003: Defense Rests In Clara Harris Trial
- February 10, 2003: Clara Harris Retakes Stand
- February 7, 2003: Harris: Didn't Mean To Run Over Husband
- February 5, 2003: Clara Harris' Attorney Collapses Outside Courtroom
- February 4, 2003: Harris' Lover Testifies About Relationship
- February 4, 2003: Defense Goes After Victim In Clara Harris Case
- January 31, 2003: Collision Expert Testifies About Harris' Death
- January 30, 2003: Accusations Fly After Harris Daughter Testifies
- January 30, 2003: State Rests In Clara Harris Case
- January 29, 2003: Harris' Daughter Testifies: 'She Meant To Kill Him'
- January 29, 2003: Stepdaughter To Testify In Clara Harris' Trial
- January 28, 2003: Harris Cries Uncontrollably, Removed From Trial
- January 27, 2003: Private Investigator Testifies In Clara Harris Trial
- January 27, 2003: Clara Harris Trial Enters Second Week
- January 23, 2003: Witnesses Describe Harris Running Over Husband
- January 22, 2003: Jury Seated In Clara Harris Trial
- January 22, 2003: Jury Selection Continues In Harris' Murder Trial
- January 21, 2003: Jurors To Be Picked For Clara Harris' Trial
- January 16, 2003: Harris' Stepdaughter's Remarks Spark Debate
- November 19, 2002: Audiotapes Allege Clara Harris Also Having Affair
- November 1, 2002: Harris Featured In Magazine Article
- October 18, 2002: Clara Harris Pleads Not Guilty
- October 10, 2002: Grand Jury Indicts Clara Harris
- September 18, 2002: Custody Battle Stems From High-Profile Murder
- August 23, 2002: Clara Harris' Murder Trial Set
- August 2, 2002: Slain Orthodontist's Daughter Files Suit
- July 31, 2002: P.I. Turns Over Video Of Dentist's Death
- July 29, 2002: Judge: Dentist To Remain Free
- July 26, 2002: Wife Free After Allegedly Running Over Husband
- July 25, 2002: Police: Wife Runs Over Cheating Husband