🎙 Episode 98: Clara Harris — “Trial of a Wife”
Part 4 of a multi-part series
February 2003. A Houston courtroom holds its breath.
The prosecution plays the tape: a silver Mercedes circling, headlights sweeping across asphalt, a body lying still.
The defense pleads sudden passion — the collapse of a wife betrayed.
In Part 4 of the Clara Harris story, host Sidney Smith takes you inside the trial that transfixed the nation. From excluded evidence and expert testimony to the haunting words of Clara herself, this episode follows the courtroom battle that decided her fate.
Through witness accounts, legal rulings, and the powerful pull of the surveillance video, we examine how a jury balanced intent against passion — and why the verdict left the country debating who, and what, was truly on trial.
📍 Location: Houston, Texas
📅 Key Dates: February 2003 – trial and sentencing
👥 Central Figures: Clara Harris, David Harris, Gail Bridges, Lindsey Harris, Prosecutor Mia Magness, Defense Attorney George Parnham
🧠 Themes: Betrayal, sudden passion, media framing, the weight of evidence, the myth of the “perfect wife”
📖 Next Episode Preview: Aftermath. How Clara’s conviction shaped headlines, inspired television dramas, and followed her through prison, parole, and beyond.
🎧 Murderess Podcast is written and hosted by Sidney Smith
🎙 Produced in partnership with Sidney Smith Cre8tiv, LLC and the You Hear Good Things podcast network
📅 New episodes every Thursday
🔗 Find past episodes, merch, and tour dates:
https://www.sidneysmithcre8tiv.com
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Official Sources Used:
– Clara L. Harris v. The State of Texas, Court of Appeals Opinion (2004) — trial rulings, exclusion of defense videos, sudden passion finding
– CNN trial and sentencing coverage (2003)
– Houston Chronicle prison interview with Clara Harris (2005)
– KTRK/ABC13 parole coverage (2018, 2023)
– Oprah television interview with Clara Harris (2005)
– Skip Hollandsworth, Texas Monthly feature (2002)
– CBS television movie Suburban Madness (2003)
– Steven Long, Out of Control (2004)
– Snapped and Deadly Women series episodes on Clara Harris
