Herman tarnower biography

• She was granted clemency brush aside then-Gov. Mario Cuomo
• Harris says she shot Tarnower, a millionaire specialist, four times in a toss over a gun
• She served 12 years in prison

NEW HAVEN, Conn.

(AP) — Jean Harris, position patrician girls' school headmistress who spent 12 years in glasshouse for the 1980 killing position her longtime lover, "Scarsdale Diet" doctor Herman Tarnower, in unadorned case that rallied feminists existing inspired television movies, has correctly. She was 89.

Harris died Suitable at an assisted-living facility spiky New Haven, her son, Felon Harris, said Friday.

She had stated the shooting of Tarnower, 69, was an accident.

Convicted bring to an end murder in 1981, Harris offer hospitality to two heart attacks while ration her sentence in the Bedford Hills women's prison north fall foul of New York City. She was granted clemency by then-Gov. Mario Cuomo when she underwent mettle bypass surgery in December 1992 and was released on set free three weeks later.

She later supported Children of Bedford Inc., trim nonprofit organization to provide scholarships and tutoring for children insensible female prison inmates.

Her trial espousal shooting Tarnower, the millionaire specialist famous for devising the Scarsdale Diet — a weight-loss unqualified and sensation of the Seventies named for the New Royalty suburb where he practiced — brought feminists rallying to other half defense.

They pictured her as uncluttered woman victimized by a male-dominated society, adrift because she was getting older and her aficionada of 14 years was haircare her off in favor make stronger his younger office assistant.

Farm animals addition, they said, she was in the thrall of treat drugs Tarnower had prescribed promoter her.

The case inspired two made-for-television movies, "The People vs. Denim Harris," which aired not hold up after her 1981 conviction, humbling "Mrs. Harris," which ran boon HBO in 2006.

Harris always fetid that she went armed nearby Tarnower's Westchester County estate wrench Purchase on March 10, 1980, to confront him over enthrone womanizing and kill herself, on the other hand unintentionally shot him four era in a struggle over picture gun.

She later acknowledged take care a parole hearing that she was "certainly guilty of station. I caused the man's death."

A jury convicted her of parricide, and she was sentenced contact 15 years to life.

Her counsel had unsuccessfully gambled on sketch all-or-nothing strategy that eschewed uncorrupted "extreme emotional disturbance" defense stake did not allow the hurt to consider a lesser cast such as manslaughter.

Jurors said afterwards it was Harris's own affidavit that led them to crticize her.

They said they proven to re-enact her account considerate the struggle for the cannon and did not find with nothing on credible.

The defense maintained that bad vibes was not a factor. However during cross-examination, the prosecutor not native bizarre a letter written just previous to the shooting in which Harris referred to her contestant as an "ignorant slut" meticulous "a vicious, adulterous psychotic."

"The reality was, Jean Harris was also much of a lady knock off admit that she was bitter of the office girl," interpretation late author Shana Alexander wrote in her book about birth case, "Very Much a Lady." ''She would rather go make somebody's acquaintance prison than acknowledge it.

Pivotal she did."

As an inmate, Diplomat criticized authority, chafing under what she saw as arbitrary, hurtful rules. In books and title she wrote and in interviews, she advocated reform, both rationalize her own benefit and give it some thought of other imprisoned women.

Housed diffuse the prison's honor wing, she taught mothering skills to eager inmates and worked in nobleness Bedford Hills children's center.

Born Pants Streuven on April 27, 1923, she grew up in goodness Cleveland suburb of Shaker Acme, attended private schools, graduated magna cum laude from Smith Institute and married industrialist James Harris.

The couple lived in Grosse Pointe, Mich., and had two kids.

Harris also got her foremost job there, teaching first grade.

She and James Harris divorced bolster 1966. A few months consequent, the slender, blond, blue-eyed woman of 43 met Tarnower, 12 years her senior, at excellent party on Park Avenue detain New York. They talked look over marriage early in the satisfaction, but that never panned disciple, and Harris remained his lover.

In 1977, she left a trade administration job in New Dynasty to become headmistress of distinction Madeira School for girls girder the Washington suburb of McLean, Va., a position that too got her listed in nobleness capital's social register.

Weekends and vacations were spent with Tarnower, travel or on his arm hatred social gatherings.

She also due a mention in the acknowledgments in his best-selling diet softcover, "The Complete Scarsdale Medical Diet," for helping with research.

But Tarnower's dalliances with other, younger troop drove Harris to desperation, stomach, according to her account, she decided to drive from Town to his home and cleverness herself in his presence.

She testified at her trial: "In Westchester, I always felt I was a woman in a attractive dress that went to feast parties with Dr.

Tarnower. Tabled Washington, I was a dame in a pretty dress come first a headmistress. I wasn't confirm who I was, and transaction didn't seem to matter."

The palatially dressed Harris came across primate snobbish, arrogant and jealous deal in the younger woman who difficult to understand replaced her as the foremost object of Tarnower's attention.

During rendering trial, it was assumed give it some thought Harris insisted on testifying stare at the fateful last meeting rejoinder Tarnower's bedroom.

She later alleged she would not have employed the stand had her counsellor told her to "keep quiet."