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In 2000, Roger Harris, an Air Force retiree and a father-of-two from Lake City, was found guilty of murdering his wife, Donna, in 1998 while having an affair with a woman named Jennifer Palmer, who was once their family's nanny. He was convicted of first-degree murder and was initially given the death sentence, which was later changed to life in prison.
Jennifer pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder and being an accomplice to the crime, while testifying against Roger later. As part of the plea deal, she was given 25 years, which was later reduced to 20. She has since been released from prison.
Prosecutors alleged that although the lovers plotted Donna's murder together for weeks, Roger committed the crime alone. Jennifer later confessed to her role in the murder and was a key witness in his trial. According to the Florida Department of Corrections, Roger Harris is currently serving his sentence at the Hardee Correctional institution.
An upcoming episode of American Monster on ID is slated to revisit Donna Harris' murder case this Friday, June 9, at 7:00 pm ET. Here's a look at synopsis of the episode, titled The Only Way Out:
"Air Force veteran Roger Harris and his wife Donna, a nurse, built their dream home in Florida, but just after the birth of their second son, a vile secret threatens their sweet, simple life; someone's hatching a plot that no one ever saw coming."
The Florida Supreme Court changed Roger Harris' death sentence to life in prison three years after conviction
Roger Harris was arrested in his wife's 1998 murder after his mistress and his family's former nanny, Jennifer Palmer, confessed to her role in the slaying, claiming that the retiree had been wanting to murder Donna.
Jennifer, who previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and another count of accessory after the fact to first-degree murder, was a star witness at Harris' April 2000 trial during which a jury deliberated for four hours before finding him guilty of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.
Roger was sentenced to death, a ruling which was later changed to life in prison without the possibility of parole in 2003 after the Florida Supreme Court threw out the death penalty. The court upheld his conviction and imposed a new sentence upon him.
Roger Harris did not want to divorce his wife to be with mistress because he was afraid of losing his children
In mid-1998, 45-year-old Roger Harris started an affair with their family's live-in babysitter Jennifer Palmer, who looked after his and Donna's two children. Soon after finding out about the affair, Donna asked Jennifer to leave and eventually fired her, but the lovers continued to pursue their s*xual relalationship.
Roger, who initially claimed he wanted to divorce his wife, then told his mistress that he was afraid of his the custody of his children and thus, did not want to proceed with it. Donna had also threatened to take their children away from him.
Thus, the retired Air Force serviceman started plotting his wife's murder with the mistress. He murdered the victim on December 2, 1998, using a homemade nail gun that he fired at the back of Donna's head. He then called Jennifer and asked her to dispose off a black trash bag, which consisted of physcial evidence.
Roger then drove Donna's van to a truck stop in Interstate 75 where he abandoned the vehicle with her body inside. Jennifer, who had followed him, gave him a ride home from there.
He reported Donna missing on December 4 and three days later, the abandoned van with her decomposing body inside was found. That same day, Jennifer was arrested after she confessed.
ID's American Monster will further delve into Donna Harris' murder case on Friday, June 9, at 7:00 pm ET.
