Profiles of key people in the Harris trial
Posted: Monday, January 12, 2009
Marla Stroman, victims' mother
Marla Stroman, formerly Marla Harris, is the mother of Kendra Suing, 10, and Alysha Suing, 8.
She married Lawrence Douglas Harris, accused of killing Kendra and Alysha, in 2006 in Hinton, Iowa. The couple lived in Minnesota before moving to Sioux City.
Defense attorneys placed Stroman and her son, the girls’ older brother, on a potential witness list but Stroman said recently she was unsure if they would call her to the stand.
While attending a vigil on Jan. 6 for her daughters, Stroman said she's thought of her daughter's every day since their deaths and planned to attend the trial. Harris knows what he did, she said.
“I’m just going to go and make the family’s presence known, that what he did was wrong,” she said.
A legal representative for Stroman’s son, who is a minor, filed court documents attempting to spare him from having to testify for the defense, but a judge denied the request.
Stroman filed for divorce in July, writing in divorce documents “Lawrence killed two of my children."
Lawrence Harris, Accused
Lawrence Douglas Harris, 26, faces two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of Kendra Suing, 10, and Alysha Suing, 8.
Police say Harris, the girls’ stepfather, stabbed and strangled Kendra and Alysha Suing to death while conducting a spell or ritual in the family’s home at 1420 Nebraska St. on Jan. 6, 2008.
Harris allegedly told police he was conducting a spell or ritual that “had gone bad.”
According to court documents, Harris studied and had books about Wicca, paganism and Satanism. He also allegedly had his own spell notebook.
Harris pleaded not guilty to the charges. His attorneys indicated in court documents they plan to use an insanity defense.
According to court documents, Harris does not have a criminal record in Iowa.
Kendra Suing, victim
Born March 10, 1997, in Sioux City, she attended fifth grade at Irving Elementary School in Sioux City. Family and friends say Kendra, 10, was an outgoing girl who enjoyed writing stories and loved learning about the Japanese culture.
According to her death certificate, Kendra died of asphyxiation.
Kendra's cousin, Kelsey Tope, 12, said at a vigil held on Jan. 6 that she would remember Kendra's love of Japanese culture.
She said her cousin, who once started speaking Japanese during an argument, was learning the language so she could be a veterinarian in Japan.
Kendra could sing their favorite song, Barbie Girl, in English and Japanese, Tope said.
Marla Stroman, Kendra's mother, said her daughter was learning the language on her own through a 10-disc informational series she bought with her own money.
Kendra was halfway through the series when she died.
Related links
<a href="http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/articles/2008/01/09/news/local/a2fab985d294e48d862573cb000e1b03.txt">Family and friends remember Kendra</a>
<a href="http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/articles/2009/01/07/news/local/78d92af98cdd3d0286257537000a287a.txt">Memorial service for Kendra and Alysha Suing</a>
Alysha Suing, victim
Born March 22, 1999 in Sioux City, Alysha attended third grade at Irving Elementary School in Sioux City. Family and friends described Alysha, 8, as a sweet girl who loved to read.
A former teacher said she could read at a fifth-grade level while only in second grade. She also was quick to finish her work, using extra time to help her classmates with their assignments.
According to her death certificate, Alysha died of asphyxiation due to ligature strangulation with a neck fracture.
Related links
<a href="http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/articles/2008/01/09/news/local/a2fab985d294e48d862573cb000e1b03.txt">Family and friends remember Kendra and Alysha Suing</a>
<a href=" http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/articles/2009/01/07/news/local/78d92af98cdd3d0286257537000a287a.txt">Memorial service for Kendra and Alysha Suing</a>
Mark Campbell, Assistant County Attorney
Mark Campbell has been with the Woodbury County Attorney’s Office for 24 years, joining the staff in 1984. He has been the first assistant county attorney since 1988.
He was an assistant county attorney at the Cherokee County Attorney’s Office before joining the Woodbury County staff.
Joining Campbell at the prosecution table will be Assistant Woodbury County Attorney Terry Ganzel, who has been with the office since 1993.
Dr. Angela Hegarty, expert witness
Forensic psychiatrist Dr. Angela Hegarty is expected to be one of the defense team’s expert witnesses. Although she appears to be a new face in Siouxland, Hegarty has testified in many high-profile cases.
Related links
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<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/21/nyregion/21murder.html">New York subway killer</a>
<a href="http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2003/12/11/doctor_says_killer_couldnt_stop_himself/">Gary Lee Sampson trial in Massachusetts </a>
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Dr. Harold Bursztajn, MD, psychiatrist
Dr. Harold Bursztajn is a forensic psychiatrist and associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He has been retained by defense attorneys, who indicated in court documents they plan to pursue the insanity defense for Lawrence Harris.
If he testifies for the Harris case, this will be Bursztajn’s second trip to Siouxland.
In 2007, he testified as a defense expert that June Lyman, of Anthon, Iowa, was unable to consider her actions when she shot and killer her husband, Leo Lyman, 64.
Related links
<a href="http://www.forensic-psych.com/">Bursztajn’s Web site</a>
Dr. Tracy Gunter, MD, expert witness
Dr. Tracy Gunter is a forensic psychiatrist with St. Louis University School of Medicine. Formerly of the University of Iowa, she is the state's expert witness who evaluated Lawrence Harris at the Iowa Medical and Classification Center in Oakdale, Iowa.
Related links
<a href="http://neuroandpsych.slu.edu/index.php?page=tracy-gunter-m-d">Gunter's biography at St. Louis University</a>
<a href="
http://www.gazetteonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071101/NEWS/710310028">Testifying at Kyle A. Marin's murder trial in Cedar Rapids</a>
<a href="http://www.public.iastate.edu/~nscentral/mr/08/0328/courts.html">Story about profs who moonlight as expert witnesses</a>
Marla Stroman, formerly Marla Harris, is the mother of Kendra Suing, 10, and Alysha Suing, 8.
She married Lawrence Douglas Harris, accused of killing Kendra and Alysha, in 2006 in Hinton, Iowa. The couple lived in Minnesota before moving to Sioux City.
Defense attorneys placed Stroman and her son, the girls’ older brother, on a potential witness list but Stroman said recently she was unsure if they would call her to the stand.
While attending a vigil on Jan. 6 for her daughters, Stroman said she's thought of her daughter's every day since their deaths and planned to attend the trial. Harris knows what he did, she said.
“I’m just going to go and make the family’s presence known, that what he did was wrong,” she said.
A legal representative for Stroman’s son, who is a minor, filed court documents attempting to spare him from having to testify for the defense, but a judge denied the request.
Stroman filed for divorce in July, writing in divorce documents “Lawrence killed two of my children."
Lawrence Harris, Accused
Lawrence Douglas Harris, 26, faces two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of Kendra Suing, 10, and Alysha Suing, 8.
Police say Harris, the girls’ stepfather, stabbed and strangled Kendra and Alysha Suing to death while conducting a spell or ritual in the family’s home at 1420 Nebraska St. on Jan. 6, 2008.
Harris allegedly told police he was conducting a spell or ritual that “had gone bad.”
According to court documents, Harris studied and had books about Wicca, paganism and Satanism. He also allegedly had his own spell notebook.
Harris pleaded not guilty to the charges. His attorneys indicated in court documents they plan to use an insanity defense.
According to court documents, Harris does not have a criminal record in Iowa.
Kendra Suing, victim
Born March 10, 1997, in Sioux City, she attended fifth grade at Irving Elementary School in Sioux City. Family and friends say Kendra, 10, was an outgoing girl who enjoyed writing stories and loved learning about the Japanese culture.
According to her death certificate, Kendra died of asphyxiation.
Kendra's cousin, Kelsey Tope, 12, said at a vigil held on Jan. 6 that she would remember Kendra's love of Japanese culture.
She said her cousin, who once started speaking Japanese during an argument, was learning the language so she could be a veterinarian in Japan.
Kendra could sing their favorite song, Barbie Girl, in English and Japanese, Tope said.
Marla Stroman, Kendra's mother, said her daughter was learning the language on her own through a 10-disc informational series she bought with her own money.
Kendra was halfway through the series when she died.
Related links
<a href="http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/articles/2008/01/09/news/local/a2fab985d294e48d862573cb000e1b03.txt">Family and friends remember Kendra</a>
<a href="http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/articles/2009/01/07/news/local/78d92af98cdd3d0286257537000a287a.txt">Memorial service for Kendra and Alysha Suing</a>
Alysha Suing, victim
Born March 22, 1999 in Sioux City, Alysha attended third grade at Irving Elementary School in Sioux City. Family and friends described Alysha, 8, as a sweet girl who loved to read.
A former teacher said she could read at a fifth-grade level while only in second grade. She also was quick to finish her work, using extra time to help her classmates with their assignments.
According to her death certificate, Alysha died of asphyxiation due to ligature strangulation with a neck fracture.
Related links
<a href="http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/articles/2008/01/09/news/local/a2fab985d294e48d862573cb000e1b03.txt">Family and friends remember Kendra and Alysha Suing</a>
<a href=" http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/articles/2009/01/07/news/local/78d92af98cdd3d0286257537000a287a.txt">Memorial service for Kendra and Alysha Suing</a>
Mark Campbell, Assistant County Attorney
Mark Campbell has been with the Woodbury County Attorney’s Office for 24 years, joining the staff in 1984. He has been the first assistant county attorney since 1988.
He was an assistant county attorney at the Cherokee County Attorney’s Office before joining the Woodbury County staff.
Joining Campbell at the prosecution table will be Assistant Woodbury County Attorney Terry Ganzel, who has been with the office since 1993.
Dr. Angela Hegarty, expert witness
Forensic psychiatrist Dr. Angela Hegarty is expected to be one of the defense team’s expert witnesses. Although she appears to be a new face in Siouxland, Hegarty has testified in many high-profile cases.
Related links
<a href="http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=990CE5DB1538F935A15753C1A96F958260">New York subway killer</a>
<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/21/nyregion/21murder.html">New York subway killer</a>
<a href="http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2003/12/11/doctor_says_killer_couldnt_stop_himself/">Gary Lee Sampson trial in Massachusetts </a>
<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/22/AR2007022200971.html <http://wbztv.com/national/Jose.Padilla.al.2.279367.html">American Taliban Jose Padilla </a>
Dr. Harold Bursztajn, MD, psychiatrist
Dr. Harold Bursztajn is a forensic psychiatrist and associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He has been retained by defense attorneys, who indicated in court documents they plan to pursue the insanity defense for Lawrence Harris.
If he testifies for the Harris case, this will be Bursztajn’s second trip to Siouxland.
In 2007, he testified as a defense expert that June Lyman, of Anthon, Iowa, was unable to consider her actions when she shot and killer her husband, Leo Lyman, 64.
Related links
<a href="http://www.forensic-psych.com/">Bursztajn’s Web site</a>
Dr. Tracy Gunter, MD, expert witness
Dr. Tracy Gunter is a forensic psychiatrist with St. Louis University School of Medicine. Formerly of the University of Iowa, she is the state's expert witness who evaluated Lawrence Harris at the Iowa Medical and Classification Center in Oakdale, Iowa.
Related links
<a href="http://neuroandpsych.slu.edu/index.php?page=tracy-gunter-m-d">Gunter's biography at St. Louis University</a>
<a href="
http://www.gazetteonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071101/NEWS/710310028">Testifying at Kyle A. Marin's murder trial in Cedar Rapids</a>
<a href="http://www.public.iastate.edu/~nscentral/mr/08/0328/courts.html">Story about profs who moonlight as expert witnesses</a>
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