Texas Wife Convicted of Running Down Her Cheating Husband
Sky
Assigned to Women's Prison
HOUSTON (AP) - A wife convicted of murder for mowing down her cheating
husband is out of a prison psychiatric hospital and has been assigned to a
women's prison to serve her 20-year sentence.
Clara Harris, 45, arrived late Wednesday at the Mountain View Prison, about
35 miles west of Waco, Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokesman Larry
Todd said.
"She is cooperative and had a brief interview with the warden and indicated
she would be serving her time without incident," Todd said Thursday. "She
will live in dormitory-style housing and will mix and work with other
inmates."
Harris, a dentist, also would be given a job at the prison's computer repair
and maintenance shop, where inmates rebuild computers for school districts,
Todd said. She is not allowed to practice dentistry.
The prison has 650 inmates and includes Texas' female death row.
Harris was convicted last month of killing orthodontist David Harris, 44.
She ran him down last year in the parking lot of the hotel where she had
caught him having an affair. She will be eligible for parole in 10 years.
posted 3/20 4:31 p.m. CT
**Sky
~~~~ Better to live with one spider than many bugs.
Sponky
(in message <1B6dnVZhVKs...@comcast.com>):
> Texas Wife Convicted of Running Down Her Cheating Husband
Thats a country song isnt it?
Sponky
naf
also a bumper sticker, fridge magnet, mantra, t-shirt slogan.
Sponky
(in message <2Owea.5696$K37.8...@news20.bellglobal.com>):
HA!
Sponky
Sky
news:2Owea.5696$K37.8...@news20.bellglobal.com...
: In article <0001HW.BAA0B721...@news.m.iinet.net.au>, Sponky
Wasn't it called "Run Down Your Man"?
**Sky
* * * * People often find it easier to be the result of a past than a
source for the future.
Hope Munro Smith
news:2kmdnQTY0Jy...@comcast.com:
Yes'm, Texas is just full of murdering wives! From today's Austin
American-Statesman:
Widow sentenced to 2nd life term
Celeste Beard Johnson also is fined $10,000 for her husband's shooting
By Andrea Ball
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Friday, March 21, 2003
In the end, jurors wanted Celeste Beard Johnson to pay for her husband's
murder.
On Wednesday, they found her guilty of capital murder, which comes with
a mandatory sentence of life in prison. On Thursday, they gave her with
the maximum penalty for injury to an elderly person: life in prison,
plus a $10,000 fine. Her two life sentences will run concurrently.
When it was over, jurors seemed satisfied with their decision.
"We did the right thing," said juror Jeffrey Grier, 33, a technical
support manager with IBM. "We went through a very logical process."
Johnson, 40, was convicted of orchestrating the October 1999 shotgun
shooting of Steven Beard Jr., a wealthy, retired TV executive.
Prosecutors had said Johnson romanced South Austin resident Tracey
Tarlton, then persuaded her to shoot Beard while he was sleeping in his
Westlake mansion. The motive: Beard's multimillion-dollar fortune.
Beard, described by those who knew him as gregarious, generous and
funny, died nearly four months later of complications from his wound. He
was 75.
Throughout six weeks of testimony, defense attorneys had claimed that
Johnson had nothing to do with the murder. Tarlton, they said, killed
Beard because she was obsessed with his wife.
Jurors didn't believe that story. They convicted the former Austin
Country Club waitress after 23 hours of deliberations over three days.
Although the capital murder conviction meant automatic life in prison,
jurors still had to decide how to punish Johnson for injury to an
elderly person. Prosecutors pushed for the maximum.
"Folks, she's over there in her little pink sweater, white tissue and
tears, but she is not the victim," said prosecutor Allison Wetzel. "She
has caused a lot of damage and hurt a lot of people."
Defense attorney Dick DeGuerin said he would not ask jurors to show his
client mercy. In a soft voice, the Houston lawyer told them they had
reached the wrong verdict and that he would appeal their decision. He
did not call any witnesses on Johnson's behalf or cross-examine the
prosecution's witnesses during the penalty phase of the trial. He blamed
himself for failing to sway jurors. He asked them not to pass any
sentence on the second conviction.
"You can't do anything about what's already happened," he said. "You
can't affect her sentence (for capital murder). But you can stand up and
say, 'I was wrong.' "
Jurors took just one hour to return with the maximum penalty.
Grier said jurors were swayed by the entire body of evidence. They paid
particular attention to medical and telephone records, he said.
Several family members addressed Johnson from the witness stand.
Kristina Beard, one of Johnson's two daughters from a previous marriage,
was adopted by Beard when she was 17. Throughout the trial, defense
attorneys had painted Kristina as a money-hungry traitor who turned on
her mother to get her hands on the Beard fortune.
On Thursday, Beard told her mother she deserved life in prison for her
crime.
"You violated him and murdered him," Beard said. "You are guilty."
Johnson did not react.