From left, Michele and Calvin Harris. (Photos provided by CBS Communications Group)
Prosecutors in northern New York believe Cal Harris is guilty of killing his estranged wife, Michele, to preserve his fortune. Twice he’s been tried and found guilty, and twice those cases have been overturned. Now, after a third jury weighed in on his fate, Erin Moriarty and 48 Hours reexamine the case in “Cal Harris: Deadlocked” to be rebroadcast on Saturday, May 23, 10 10 p.m. ET/PT on the CBS Television Network.
48 HOURS has been covering the Harris case since 2006. It’s a story that has made headlines and has been the talk of the Tioga County, N.Y., area since Michele Harris disappeared on the night of Sept. 11, 2001. At the time, Michele and Calvin Harris were nearing the end of a bitter divorce when she vanished after leaving a boyfriend’s house.
In 2005, without finding a body or a murder weapon, police arrested Calvin Harris for his wife’s murder. Investigators felt they had a good circumstantial case buoyed by tiny drops of blood found in the Harris’ home.
Calvin Harris was tried in 2007 and convicted of second-degree murder. But then, while awaiting sentencing, a new witness emerged and the conviction was overturned. He was tried again in 2009, and the jury reached the same verdict. That case was overturned on appeal as well. Calvin Harris recently went on trial for a third time.
“I feel like I’m being kidnapped in broad daylight in front of my kids, in front of everyone, and no one can do anything about it,” Calvin Harris told Moriarty before the third trial. “And now we’re to a point now where I have to solve this case.”
Prosecutors have argued Calvin Harris killed his soon-to-be ex-wife to protect his family’s wealth, while his defense team maintains police never looked close enough at other potential suspects, including some of the men in Michele’s life at the time.
“This has been such a roller coaster,” Calvin Harris told Moriarty. “I’m getting ripped away, I come home. I get ripped away, I come home. I get ripped away, I come home.”
Not everyone believes Calvin Harris is innocent, however. “He shouldn’t be out on the street,” says Greg Taylor, Michele’s brother. “He should be in a jail cell someplace and not having an enjoyable life out there.”
Calvin Harris’ defense team was confident a third trial would clear his name. Was the defense team right? Or would Michele Harris’ family get the justice they’ve sought for so many years? 48 Hours Presents, “Cal Harris: Deadlocked” is produced by Lisa Freed, Ruth Chenetz and Anthony Venditti. Al Briganti is the executive editor. Susan Zirinsky is the senior executive producer.
Visit http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/sneak-peek-cal-harris-deadlocked/ for a preview.
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