On December 4, 1998, Donna Harris, of Lake City, Florida, was reported missing by her husband. After three days, she was found lying face-down inside her abandoned van at an Interstate 75 truck stop. She was shot with a homemade gun that had fired a nail into her head.
Her husband, Roger, who was retired from the Air Force, claimed Donna left home to return a gift at Walmart but never returned. Detectives soon learned about Roger's affair with their family's live-in babysitter, Jennifer Palmer. Donna, who knew about her husband's infidelity, had threatened him with divorce and the custody of their two sons. She also fired Jennifer.
The nanny eventually confessed that Roger murdered Donna and that she herself was an accessory to the murder. She pleaded guilty in the case while the murderer was convicted and was sentenced to life in prison.
ID's American Monster revisits Donna Harris' 1998 murder in an episode titled The Only Way Out. The synopsis of the episode states:
"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 upcoming episode airs on the channel this Friday, June 9, at 7 pm ET.
Husband's affair with nanny resulted in Donna Harris' murder when she threatened him with their children's custody
Donna Harris and her husband, Roger, had a young son when they moved to Florida after the latter's transfer in the fall of 1995. Roger was an Air Force veteran, and Donna started working at a Lake City veterans hospital. She soon became pregnant with their second child. Afterwards, Roger retired and became a stay-at-home father before starting work at a local Walmart.
Their family hired a live-in babysitter, 21-year-old Jennifer Palmer, in June 1998. In the months that followed, Donna learned that her husband was having an affair with Jennifer. Donna fired the nanny and threatened to take the children away from Roger.
Roger allegedly wanted to leave her but did not want to lose custody of their children. Donna Harris was reported missing by her Air Force retiree husband on December 4, 1998. He claimed she left home to get her gift exchanged at a nearby Walmart but never returned. Three days later, her abandoned van was located at the Interstate 75 truck stop. The van had been in the parking lot for about 72 hours, and a foul odor was coming from it.
Inside the van, authorities found Donna's decomposing body lying face-down with a wound in the back of the head. The weapon was later identified as a homemade nail gun. They soon learned about Roger's affair with Jennifer Palmer and were even able to follow him to the latter's house. They claimed to have not met each other since December 1.
Jennifer Palmer confessed her role in Donna Harris' murder committed by Roger
Jennifer eventually confessed to her role as an accessory in the crime. As per her confession, when she returned from her shift at a local bar on December 2, she found Roger cleaning and packing items in a trash bag. Among the items, she saw Roger pack parts of a homemade gun. He asked Jennifer to get rid of the bag.
Roger then drove Donna's van to a truck stop on Interstate 75. Jennifer had followed him to the location from where the two returned home together. Two days later, he reported Donna missing, and on December 7, authorities located her van at the same stop.
Detectives later found the trash bag consisting of physical evidence, which was used to link Roger to his wife's killing. He was convicted in 2000 and was initially sentenced to death. The sentence was later altered to life in prison.
Meanwhile, Jennifer pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 25 years which was later changed to 20 years in prison. She has since been released.
Learn more about Donna Harris' murder on ID's American Monster this Friday.
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