infuckingcredible...

[starvingeyes]

and some people say there is no bias towards mothers in the custody courts of the united states. ha.

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mp ... an/2101903

Harris to share in sons' custody
Grandparents win visitation rights
By RUTH RENDON
Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle
RESOURCES

Clara Harris was found guilty of murdering her husband by running over him in her Mercedes again and again.

A judge on Monday granted Clara Harris, serving a 20-year sentence for running down her husband with her Mercedes Benz, joint custody of her 5-year-old twin sons. The boys' paternal grandparents were given visitation rights.

The agreement approved by state District Judge K. Randall Hufstetler in Brazoria County names Harris as well as her former neighbors, Pat and Ana Jones, as joint managing conservators of Brian and Bradley Harris.

The boys' grandparents, Gerald and Mildred Harris, will have visitation rights every other weekend, for extended periods in the summer and on alternating holidays, said attorney Lloyd Stansberry, who represented the Joneses.

"I am very happy the way it ended," said Ana Jones, 51, a registered nurse who is now a stay-at-home mom. Her husband, Pat, 51, is an anesthesiologist.

"We've all come to an agreement in the best interest of Brian and Bradley," Ana Jones added. "Because of all this, we both have gotten a bigger family."

Gerald Harris, 73, and Mildred Harris, 70, could not be reached for comment at their Pearland home.

Monday's agreement lays to rest a battle over who should care for the Harris boys while their mother is incarcerated. The grandparents, who initially took care of the boys when Clara Harris was convicted in February of murdering her husband, had wanted to raise the twins.

The custody ruling for Clara Harris means she and the Joneses will have a say on the choice of schools, extracurricular activities and medical treatment for the boys.

Clara Harris and her in-laws originally had joint custody of the boys, but Hufstetler voided the agreement in May after finding flaws in it. The parties had failed to notify the boys' court-appointed attorney in their father's estate case.

Since then, Clara Harris had urged the court to grant her and the Joneses joint custody of the children.

A trial to determine custody of the children had been set for Sept. 29.

"I think everybody recognized that the trial was going to be really hard on the kids in creating a legacy for them," Stansberry said as to why the grandparents, Harris and the Joneses came to an agreement.

"All the nasty stuff that comes out in litigation is not anything anyone wanted to go through. In the last four months that we've had these temporary orders, the Joneses and Harrises have seen that they can work with one another."

During the summer, the boys spent half their time with the grandparents and the other half with the Joneses.

Clara Harris, 45, was convicted by a Harris County jury of running over her husband, David, with her luxury sedan after finding him with his mistress at a Nassau Bay hotel in July 2002.

Under the agreement, which takes effect immediately, the boys will live with the Joneses and their 4-year-old twin sons in Friendswood's Polly Ranch subdivision. The Harris boys turned 5 on Sept. 4.

Pam Hoerster, a court-appointed attorney who represented the boys, said she agreed with the living arrangements.

"Just seeing the kids, they seem like they are really happy. They love their grandparents. They love their mom and they love Ana and Pat. They love the family atmosphere at the Joneses' house with their two boys," she said. "It's a good environment. It's good that they're staying in touch under this agreement with their father's family."

Monday's hearing, which Clara Harris attended, proved to be emotional, Stansberry said.

"There was a lot of hugging and tears," he said.

Clara Harris, who has been in the Brazoria County Jail outside of Angleton while the custody matter was resolved, is appealing her conviction. She soon will be moved back to a women's prison in Gatesville.

[Dabekk]

wow that's great, their son gets brutally murdered and then a court tells them when they can and can't see their grandchildren.

[gavtodd71]

Err, not sure how i feel about the justice system now.

[happening fish]

they granted joint custody to a mother who murdered the other parent and is in jail for 20 years? someone explain to me exactly how that works...

[Sufjan Stevens]

What is there to explain? The judicial system is nothing more than a sympathizer for women. If a man killed his wife for cheating, especially in Texas, that man would be put to death and his grandparents would never see their grandsons ever again. Plain and simple.

[Bandalero]

the grandparents are in their 70's. i think that is the only thing the judge saw in this case.

[Sufjan Stevens]

No, I really think that the judicial system are female sympathizers. Here's a fun case that I like to refer to.

In Michigan, they made a new law where if you injure or kill a construction worker, you get 15 years in jail and have to pay a $7500 fine. Back in 2001, the first worker was killed under the new law, by a woman. Now this woman not only killed the man, she was driving on a suspended liscence, but guess what happened? She got away without any jail time and had to pay a fraction of the crime. That lady got away with murder.

Now this year, an elderly man was driving his car and got disoriented behind the wheel. He injured a construction worker pretty badly. Now the man faces life in prison, and he's elderly. Now if he gets convicted, where's the justice in this? Why should the woman be able to walk away from a crime that was worse than the man committed? You guessed it, because the judicial system feels bad for women that do wrong. It doesn't matter what the crime is, it matter what the sex is. That's a fact.

[sYdeshowFreek]

It's interesting how women used to not have any rights at all and now the judicial system coddles them to the point that it makes you sick.

[closeyoureyes]

I think people are quite baised towards mothers, for instance: I was born in glasgow, scotland, and once in awhile i go back, once i went with my father, and when we were going through customs, he had to present I.D that he was my father, a letter from my mother, and i had to say he was my dad. 2 years later i travelled with my mum, and we sailed through, and the more idiotic part is, my parents are divorced, and i ahve the same last name as MY DAD, my mum has a different name on her passport..and they sailed us right through...-its sad.

[gavtodd71]

Maybe its that you were 2 years older, and customs changed. I am sure that as you get older they get less worried that you are being taken by the wrong parent!

[doug]

what's the big deal about this? it makes sense to me.

[Bandalero]

i know, the grandparents aren't going to live to be 90 to take care of the kids. the judge doesn't have a choice.

[nelison]

I agree, they're too old to take full care of the children. That's the main thing that I too noticed...

[happening fish]

but see, the mother is in JAIL.

[Bandalero]

the best alternative for the kids is to keep them with family members.

Mom-Jail
Dad-dead
His Parents-in their 70's
Her parents-in another country/possably dead.

what else is there? I feel sorry for the kids.

[Narbus]

In jail for running someone over repeatedly. As in "hit him, spin around, hit him again, spin around, hit him again," while his 16 year old daughter from a previous marriage was in the passenger seat stuck watching the whole thing.

[happening fish]

Exactly... how could she possibly get joint custody of them?

[Bandalero]

well, let's see, any aunts, uncles, cousins, comming foward to give these kids a home? this judge is clearly a conservative. he wants these kids to have as many family members as possible in their life. more than likely the neighbors are godparents. and the mother isn't dead but she might as well be.

[doug]

granted she doesn't seem like the best role model, but think of her kids. it's important for them to have parents. by the time the boys are old enough to go on dates their grandparents will be dead.

somebody's gotta be their family. might as well be the mother. maybe exposure to her kids will help straighten her crazy ass out.

[starvingeyes]

uh, doug, these kids should not be living with this psycho. period. neighbours seem like a much better choice to me. fuck, <i>i</i> could parent them better then she could, i'm sure.