Her Crime Was a National Sensation. Now, She's Free

It was a parking lot killing caught on tape that rocked the world, generating crime books and a ripped-from-the-headlines TV movie, per the Houston Chronicle. Clara Harris, who was convicted of manslaughter for running over her husband in a crime that earned her the nickname “Driller Killer,” was released from prison this week at age 60 after serving 15 years of her 20-year sentence. It all started with an affair. Harris and husband David Harris were both dentists living in a South Houston suburb with their 3-year old twin sons, according to Texas Monthly. Harris became suspicious of her husband and hired an investigator to follow him. When told that her husband could be found with his former receptionist, Gail Bridges, at the Nassau Bay Hilton, Harris flew into a jealous rage.

She jumped into her silver S-Class 430 Mercedes-Benz along with her teenage step-daughter, Lindsey, who was visiting and would later testify against her, per KHOU11. With Lindsey in tow, Harris confronted the couple in the lobby, where she lunged at the woman, tore at her clothing, and pulled her hair. David Harris and Bridges eventually walked out of the hotel and proceeded to Bridges' SUV, while the investigator filmed the event from the parking lot. Clara Harris went back to her car, gunned the engine, and ran it into Bridges' vehicle, which tossed David Harris across the parking lot. As her husband lay on the ground, Harris drove the car around the parking lot several times, running over David Harris three times. Then Harris stopped her car and cradled her dead husband in her arms, saying “David, I’m so sorry.” Harris was reportedly a model prisoner. (More murder stories.)