Six months after she was a passenger in the car which struck and killed her father, 17-year-old Lindsey Harris will be asked by prosecutors to help send her stepmother to jail.

The teenager, who eyewitnesses have testified screamed and struggled to get out of the Mercedes-Benz her stepmother was driving, was expected to be called as a witness by prosecutors Wednesday in dentist Clara Harris' murder trial.

Clara Harris, 44, is charged with murdering her orthodontist husband, David Harris, 44, after a confrontation with him and his alleged mistress, Gail Bridges, in the lobby of the Hilton Nasa Clear Lake, Nasa Road 1, in Nassau Bay.

"I don't want to put her through such a torturous ordeal and I won't, but I'm going to get the facts out," defense attorney George Parnham said Tuesday of the possibility of questioning Lindsey Harris, who has cooperated with prosecutors but refused to talk with defense attorneys since her father's death.

"I do not relish cross-examining Lindsey Harris," Parnham said.

The teen's testimony is expected a day after her stepmother's emotional outbursts twice halted the trial. A pathologist testified Tuesday that her husband was run down by the luxury sedan at least twice, causing him to suffer a broken back, ribs, pelvis, collarbone and jaw.

Clara Harris never looked at the medical examiner's photographs, but began weeping uncontrollably as she listened to the testimony.

Her attorney led her out of the courtroom for a short time so she could compose herself.

The trial was briefly halted and jurors were removed from the courtroom.

"Obviously, we have a very emotional setting," Parnham said. "We have a woman who is on trial for her life."

Harris County pathologist Dwayne Wolf told jurors the victim was run over once while he was face down and another time while face up. Wolf detailed numerous injuries to David Harris' head and back, showing photographs of cuts, bruises and scrapes he suffered.

The doctor also showed jurors a picture of a red mass on the side of Harris' head, telling them: "It's hard to recognize as an ear given the degree of tearing and the impact."

Prosecutor Mia Magness asked Wolf if the injuries he documented on Harris' body were consistent with being "run over two separate, distinct times?"

"Correct," Wolf replied.

During cross-examination, Wolf acknowledged he didn't include his opinion that Harris had been run over twice in his autopsy report. Defense attorney Dee McWilliams suggested Harris could have been hit once, carried by the Mercedes and then rolled over.

"If that's what the autopsy indicated, I'd be testifying that way," Wolf responded. "I don't see this pattern of injuries fitting the scenario you're describing."

Cross-examination of Wolf was to continue Wednesday. Prosecutors were later expected to call Lindsey Harris, who was 16 when her father was killed. She could be the case's most pivotal witness.

Clara Harris has claimed her husband's death was an accident. Parnham says she would have done anything to save her marriage and family.

On Tuesday, evidence was presented that in the days leading up to her husband's death, Clara Harris had written thousands of dollars in checks for items ranging from lingerie and a gym membership to plastic surgery in an attempt to please her husband, Parnham said.

Prosecutors say the defendant became enraged when her husband chose a woman he was having an affair with over her at the same hotel where the Harrises were married on Valentine's Day a decade earlier.

If convicted, Clara Harris faces up to life in prison. If jurors determine she acted under the legal definition of sudden passion, they could consider a lighter sentence of two to 20 years in prison.

Previous Stories:

• January 28, 2003: Harris Cries Uncontrollably, Removed From Trial
• January 27, 2003: Private Investigator Testifies In Clara Harris Trial
• January 27, 2003: Clara Harris Trial Enters Second Week
• January 23, 2003: Witnesses Describe Harris Running Over Husband
• January 22, 2003: Jury Seated In Clara Harris Trial
• January 22, 2003: Jury Selection Continues In Harris' Murder Trial
• January 21, 2003: Jurors To Be Picked For Clara Harris' Trial
• January 16, 2003: Harris' Stepdaughter's Remarks Spark Debate
• November 19, 2002: Audiotapes Allege Clara Harris Also Having Affair
• November 1, 2002: Harris Featured In Magazine Article
• October 18, 2002: Clara Harris Pleads Not Guilty
• October 10, 2002: Grand Jury Indicts Clara Harris
• September 18, 2002: Custody Battle Stems From High-Profile Murder
• August 23, 2002: Clara Harris' Murder Trial Set
• August 2, 2002: Slain Orthodontist's Daughter Files Suit
• July 31, 2002: P.I. Turns Over Video Of Dentist's Death
• July 29, 2002: Judge: Dentist To Remain Free
• July 26, 2002: Wife Free After Allegedly Running Over Husband
• July 25, 2002: Police: Wife Runs Over Cheating Husband