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Woman Convicted Of Elaborate Plan To Torture, Kill Ex, Burn House Down
December 17, 2015
State Attorney Bill Eddins announced that Nadine Sapp Harris, age 60, was convicted by an Escambia County jury for charges of attempted first degree murder, attempted false imprisonment, attempted arson, aggravated assault with a firearm, and battery. The charges stem from an elaborate plan to ambush, capture, torture and kill her ex-husband and to burn down the marital home.
Over a course of weeks Harris distributed hundreds of pounds of shredded or crumpled paper bundled into plastic grocery bags throughout the entirety of the three-story Escambia County home she had shared with her ex-husband. She placed paper in every dresser and cabinet drawer in the house, in cardboard boxes in every room, and inside the heating and cooling closets, return air vents and attic of the home. Some of the grocery bags were stacked in pyramid configurations placed into corners to maximize the intended fire’s intensity.
Harris planted over 115 drinking bottles that had been filled approximately one-third full with gasoline with the cap on. She also purchased thirteen bottles of charcoal lighter fluid from nearby Home Depot and Walmart stores on three separate trips, along with wooden dowels. She cut the wooden dowels down to 6-inch lengths and presoaked them in the lighter fluid to act as kindling for the fire. She also soaked the paper and all the mattresses in the home with lighter
fluid.
Then, on June 27th, 2014, Harris lured her ex-husband to the home. She parked her car three miles away and then sent him a text message that she was vacating the house – a condition of their divorce. Then she laid in wait. When the victim
came inside, she was waiting for him with a gun. She confronted him in the living room near the front door, and told him that she “was going to end it right here.” The evidence suggests she intended suicide as well as murder.
One fact saved the victim’s life. He had brought witnesses. The witnesses were outside at the time of the confrontation, but were within earshot. When Nadine Harris moved to close the open door, the victim desperately lunged for the gun. As they fought for control of the gun, Nadine Harris discharged one shot. The bullet missed the victim and buried itself in a wall.
After the discharge, the victim successfully disarmed the defendant and tossed the gun outside. He broke his hand in the process. After being disarmed of the handgun, Nadine Harris then produced a stun gun and attempted to shock the victim with it. He knocked the stun gun out of her hand. Then she pulled out a can of pepper spray and sprayed the victim. Nevertheless, after being sprayed with pepper spray, he wrestled the defendant to the ground and held her down until law enforcement arrived. While being held down, she also bit his forearm causing a significant wound.
The subsequent investigation conducted by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and the State Fire Marshal’s Office revealed the extent of the defendant, Nadine Harris’s plan. They discovered the arson preparations. They discovered that within arm’s reach of where Nadine Harris had confronted her ex-husband, she had planted zip ties fashioned to serve as handcuffs, a strip of duct tape precut and ready to grab, a rope tied with a noose, and a small black duffel bag. Inside the duffel bag, Nadine Harris had placed the accelerant-soaked dowel rods, a lighter, a box of safety matches, more zip-tie handcuffs, a roll of duct tape, a pair of socks potentially to be used as a gag, a screwdriver, a folding camping saw, a drywall saw, and two clear easy-access containers full of muriatic acid.
Nadine Harris will be sentenced by Circuit Judge Scott Duncan on January 12, 2016. She is facing a minimum mandatory sentence of 20 years and a maximum sentence of up to life in state prison. The minimum mandatory sentence of 20 years is to be served day for day without the possibility of parole or gain time.
Comments
21 Responses to “Woman Convicted Of Elaborate Plan To Torture, Kill Ex, Burn House Down”
In response to Ellenb:
“It’s not always about that. A man will break, destroy a woman’s spirit just because he can. I don’t know what happened in this marriage , but I’d bet that Nadine had some emotional & mental abuse. Yes she went to far, I’ll say it again. Please don’t condemn her to hell without knowing all the facts. Emotional, mental abuse is devastating to a person’s spirit and very difficult to get over & past especially if it happens for years. Not everyone is a strong independent emotionally stable person.
Praying for you Nadine.”
You’re comment is ironic. You say “I don’t know what happened in this marriage, but I bet” and then “don’t condemn her without knowing the facts.”.
It’s great that you are praying for Nadine. Your comment is cruel though. You blame the victim. You are doing what other do in rape cases. The “if she hadn’t worn that skimpy dress, she wouldn’t have been raped” excuse.
A jury of Nadine’s peers found that she tried to torture and murder her husband. They saw the evidence, deliberated and found her guilty. Jurors are the finders of fact.
I don’t think you mean to be cruel. I think you simply believe that a woman would only behave this violently if the man “had it coming”. Not every man is abusive. In this cases, every fact points to Nadine trying to torture and kill her ex-husband.
So as you pray for Nadine, perhaps you can say a prayer for the victim too.
Wow this World has became So Evil !! She had thought That killing Out That’s for sure!! Think she may Have seen That movie,” MISERY “!! She was gonna Torcher Him, He Must have really Hurt and left Her Scorn, Or She SNAPPED, and said.” HELL HERE I COME”!! It’s sad To think How Crazy We all Can Become over another person; When Betrayed or have issues Going on that Can Be Easily Covered As Noone Picks Up On It !!!
You’d Be amazed what One Can Do and Really Never seem as though It was a Different Day!! They act and seem as they Know Nothing and all Is Is Fine;Yet Be killed the entire Family !!! Believe Me People, People Could be Anyone You Think would Never Do No Harm may Have Mental illness and Are Good at Hiding It and Some Folks; Man Or the Woman; Cheat abuse and drive someone To be crazy Too !!! Just Sad Days this 21st Century I feel Frightened For my children and grandchidren and Their kids it Can And Is Only gonna Be Worse Before The Lord King Of Kings Comes and Takes Ya HOME !!!
I pray For the whole World !!!! Amen
REGARDING:
“It amazes me at the number of men who make women crazy and then scream victim. I agree with the fact that this woman went way above and beyond crazy but I’m sure her husband was driving the crazy train at least part of the time. Men cheat, lie and make you doubt everything you ever knew and then scream “she’s crazy.”How is it you go from okay one day to this extr…”
It amazes me how people can be SURE every crazy woman was driven crazy by a man.
That’s crazy.
Hmmm, circular argument if all who believe it are crazy women with abusive men.
Does this mean all crazy men are gay and also driven crazy by their men or that men can be crazy for other reasons but not women? (Sexist theology)
“Men cheat, lie and make you doubt everything you ever knew and then scream “she’s crazy.” ”
All men do this and it always makes the women crazy?
Some men do this and it makes some women crazy?
Could it be that the crazy ones were always crazy and the men were too clueless to notice in time?
Isn’t getting with and staying with an abusive man a sign the woman is already crazy?
I’ve known women to point out some other women who go from one abusive relationship to another, over and over.
Freud (a man) would blame their mother.
David for discernment regarding sanity/insanity
Shay said a mouthful, while she hit the nail on the head.!!
It amazes me at the number of men who make women crazy and then scream victim. I agree with the fact that this woman went way above and beyond crazy but I’m sure her husband was driving the crazy train at least part of the time. Men cheat, lie and make you doubt everything you ever knew and then scream “she’s crazy.”How is it you go from okay one day to this extreme and not see it coming a mile away. If she’s crazy ask yourself what you did to make her that way. That much anger doesn’t just appear overnight.
@pensacola pete
Unfortunately crazy isn’t gender specific. It affects both men and women.
When a man does something to his ex, he’s a monster.
When a woman tries to torture, kill and burn her ex in his house, she’s the victim of abuse.
Aren’t you glad we’ve abolished sexual discrimination and double standards in this country?
20 years would leave her free around age 80.
Probably safe to be around by then, but might not be.
REGARDING:
“Maybe she just said, enough is enough,, ”
“no one knows what she might have gone thru.. ”
“Some men mistreat women and abuse them, just because they can.. ”
“Now she’s locked up and he’s on to his next victim.. ”
“Next time he may not be so lucky.. ”
I broke it up to point out a thought which starts with a “maybe’ acknowledges the writer doesn’t know and believes no-one knows, points out what some others do, goes on to assume that is just what happened and assumes not just his guilt but his continuing misdeeds.
It even goes by the pseudonym , “Been there !!!” to indict him for what others have done.
It’s even possible he is the presumed monster.
Possible he isn’t.
Possible others know exactly what each was like:
Judge in divorce, jury hearing evidence presented, lawyers, law enforcement officers, kinfolk, neighbors within earshot.
For whatever reason, she seems dangerous to herself and others.
They will have years to learn more.
David for sanity, safety, good choices in marriage
To me, those bottles of acid are the most horrific part of the story. Murder/Suicide is one thing but that kind of torture is another. I’m amazed by those trying to justify her actions by saying she was possibly mentally or physically abused. I don’t know the whole story but this woman went way….WAY too far!
Maybe she just said, enough is enough,, no one knows what she might have gone thru.. Some men mistreat women and abuse them, just because they can.. Now she’s locked up and he’s on to his next victim.. Next time he may not be so lucky.. Praying for her and her torn mind..
Let God handle this and do not pass judgement yourselves. I am glad that she DID NOT commit murder.Nadine had a troubled mind and I wish she would have sought help.I pray for her and her family, as well as her ex husband.
“When women love us, they really love us. When they hate us, they REALLY HATE US”.
Yes, she went too far, but I can relate to what she did. I was emotionally abused and sometimes I was hit. Until one day, I did snap. I didn’t go that far, but the last time he punched me, I decided I had enough and I beat the crap out of him. Told him if he so much as looked at me wrong, he was going to jail, cause I have had enough. That was seven years ago, and he hasn’t hit me since, and if he starts the mental abuse, I shut him up right then and there. Tell him I was not going to take his verbal abuse anymore, and if he didn’t like it, don’t let the door hit you in the butt. Praying for you Nadine.
Sounds like she had reached her breaking point. Sometimes you can just be pushed too far. Any woman that has been abused can relate. Iam not saying this was ok. But there is back ground to this. Praying for Nadine.
That’s just……wow. She’s very creative. Crazy, but creative!
Busy lady.
Yes she went to far, BUT I pray for Nadine. Yes some will say, It’s not worth spending the rest of your life in jail to get revenge. It’s not always about that. A man will break, destroy a woman’s spirit just because he can. I don’t know what happened in this marriage , but I’d bet that Nadine had some emotional & mental abuse. Yes she went to far, I’ll say it again. Please don’t condemn her to hell without knowing all the facts. Emotional, mental abuse is devastating to a person’s spirit and very difficult to get over & past especially if it happens for years. Not everyone is a strong independent emotionally stable person.
Praying for you Nadine.
Lots of crazy in Escambia county! I can’t buy a jug of milk without running into some nut!
Tenacity and creativity.
A potentially deadly combination.
There is a whole lotta crazy wrapped up in that one. He’s lucky she wasn’t a little bit crazy. She might’ve tried to poison him or something.
My goodness! Wow! She had it all laid out. It’s taken a year & a half for this to get processed, that is too long. Hundreds of pounds of paper, that took some energy, too bad she did put that kind of effort into her marriage, we might never have heard of her.
She is quite insane, obviously, & should go for that defense, or should have, I guess.
Seems like we hear more & more, of crazier & crazier acts committed as time goes by.