Clara Harris, the woman convicted of murdering her cheating husband by running him over with her Mercedes-Benz, was sentenced to 20 years in prison Friday. She was also given the maximum fine of $10,000.

Jurors deliberated for approximately five hours before returning the verdict. The panel answered "yes" on the question of whether the crime was committed as a result of "sudden passion," which is legally defined as the following:

• Accused was provoked by the victim
• Crime happened at the time of the offense
• Provocation made an ordinary person so enraged that he or she was incapable of cool reflection

Under "sudden passion," jurors had the option of sentencing Harris from two to 20 years in prison, handing down the maximum sentence allowed.

Harris sobbed, burying her face in her hands and then leaned into the lap of one of her attorneys after the verdict was read. Her attorneys gathered around her to comfort her as she wept. A deputy led her from the courtroom after she composed herself.

Harris, a 45-year-old dentist, was convicted of murder Thursday by the jurors, who deliberated eight hours over two days. Her orthodontist husband was run over July 24 after she found him leaving with his mistress from the hotel where the Harrises were married.

Harris County prosecutor Mia Magness was pleased with the trial's outcome.

"I am proud of (the jury's) verdict and I am proud of how hard (the jury) worked," Magness said. "I believe that justice was done today. After hearing all the evidence, the jury recognized the case for what it was -- and that is the senseless taking of a life. Their verdict recognized Mrs. Harris' conduct and they didn't excuse it. Naturally, they were sympathetic. They sent a message that was pretty clear and it's simply this -- if you unlawfully take a human life for whatever reason, you're going to go to jail. And that's the way it is in our county and that's the way that it ought to be."

Defense attorney George Parnham was surprised and disappointed with the sentence.

"The verdict is overwhelming. However, there are so many issues and so many grounds in the appellate process, so many options available to us. This fight is not over. We will continue to pursue the issues in this case as hard as we pursued them prior to this verdict," Parnham said. "(Clara is) devastated."

Parnham said he would appeal case rulings such as the exclusion of a videotape taken of Clara Harris the night of the murder, which showed her state of mind.

Parnham said that she was rambling, making off-the-wall comments and obviously incoherent after running over her husband.

Prosecutors had urged jurors to send her to prison, while the defense asked for sympathy for "a good mother and a good wife."

"Probation is not appropriate in this case," District Attorney Mia Magness told the jury. "If the situation were reversed and David Harris had run her down, would you consider probation?

"Here's a woman who had everything. And she chose, she chose to ruin it."

Magness made no specific recommendation on length of sentence to the jurors.

"I'm respectfully requesting that you send her to prison because she has earned it and because David Harris deserves it," she said.

Defense attorneys asked for leniency.

"Clara Harris is a person respected by her neighbors, loved by her neighbors, loved by the very colleagues that she employed," Parnham said.

"She worked hard, she is and was a good mother, and a good wife," he said.

Parnham strongly appealed to the jurors to consider Harris' 4-year-old twin boys in their decision.

"Don't want those boys ripped away from the last parent that they have on this earth," Parnham said.

Harris, who returned to the courtroom Friday after spending a night in jail, wore no makeup or jewelry to court for the first time during the four-week trial.

She sobbed quietly at times as Parnham spoke, then buried her head in her hands, nodding in disagreement as Magness suggested Harris was using her 4-year-old twin boys as "a shield" to gain probation.

"She ought to not take credit for making herself a single parent," Magness said.