Investigation Discovery’s documentary “American Monster: The Only Way Out” tells about the brutal killing of Donna Harris, a 30-year-old mother of two, in Columbia County, Florida, in December 1998.
Within a few weeks of the murder, investigators were able to find the killers and bring them to justice.
Let’s learn more about why Donna Harris was killed.
How was Donna Harris killed? Why was she murdered?
Roger Stewart Harris, who was in the military with Donna Harris, reported her missing on December 4, 1998.
He said that Donna left the house in her truck to go to the nearby Walmart to exchange a birthday present for him, and she never came back.
About 72 hours later, on December 7, the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office got a report about a suspiciously abandoned van in the parking lot of a truck stop.
When the detectives found out that Donna’s car was hers, the crime scene experts went to smell it.
The technicians found Donna lying on her back with her head stuck between the wall and the seats.
Court records show that a head injury was what killed the person. The murder weapon, a homemade gun that turned out to be the nail punch, and other tools were found near the body.
Who murdered Donna?
When the detectives talked to Donna’s coworkers, they found out that she had been complaining about her marriage problems and the fact that Jennifer, their babysitter, was having an affair.
During the investigation, the police found out that Roger and Jennifer were seeing each other.
When asked, they both denied having an affair at first. But when the police told Jennifer that Donna’s body had been found, she broke down crying and told the truth about what had happened.
She told the truth right away and took responsibility for the murder.
Donna found out that her husband is going out with Jennifer. Court records show that on July 3, 1998, Donna left the house with her kids because she thought Roger was cheating on her.
After a few weeks, she went back to her house to kick Jennifer out. Jennifer moved in with the neighbours and kept taking care of the kids.
When Donna found out that they were still together, she fired her.
Roger decided to get a divorce from Donna, but he later changed his mind after Donna allegedly threatened to take full custody of the kids.
Jennifer’s evidence showed that Roger was cleaning supplies and putting them in a trash bag when she got a call on December 2, 1998, after working at a pub nearby.
Jennifer said that Roger told her to throw away the bag because it had parts of the gun he made and used to kill his wife.
She followed him in his wife’s van and saw her get out of the van at a truck stop and get into her car to go home.
What were the killers accused of? Where are they now?
Roger was charged with first-degree murder and a first-degree murder plot on January 22, 1999.
In 2000, he was found guilty on all counts and given a death sentence, but the Florida Supreme Court changed it to a life sentence.
Official court records say that Roger, who is in his mid-60s, is being held at the Hardee Correctional Institution.
Jennifer pleaded guilty to being a murder accomplice and to planning to kill someone. She got a 25-year prison sentence, which was later cut to 20 years.
She is in her middle 40s, has done her time in prison, and is now free. She now lives a quiet life out of the public eye.
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