Days before the fourth anniversary of the spectacular murder of her daughter and unborn grandchild at the National Guard Armory, a still-grieving and long-ailing Martha Lou Harris died at 1 o’clock this morning at the Santa Monica UCLA Medical Center & Orthopaedic Hospital.
The very soft-spoken 71-year-old native of Galveston, TX, spent most of her life in the Los Angeles area.
On Friday, Aug. 24, 2007, Mrs. Harris’s youngest of three daughters, JoAnn Crystal Harris, 29 years old, six months pregnant, was battered to death at the Culver City armory by Guard Sgt. Scott A. Ansman, 35 years old, the married father of three children, including a newborn. Ms. Harris was identified as his girlfriend.
Two years later, in May 2009, Mr. Ansman was convicted of murder with special circumstances and sentenced to prison for life without possibility of parole.
Thunderstruck by both the abruptness and the savagery of her daughter’s killing, Mrs. Harris never recovered from the intense wounds.
A woman who is no stranger to sorrow, she was twice widowed, and still her daily appearance was marked by a kind, pliable smile.
Mrs. Harris attended every emotional court session leading up to the killer’s conviction.
Since last year, she has been battling the state of California in a fiercely and wrenchingly contested wrongful death civil suit. Several times the case has appeared near denouement, but it remains unsettled, and the next hearing is scheduled for Oct. 3.
Last year, Mrs. Harris suffered a dizzying fall when her shoe caught in the parking lot pavement of a Dept. of Motor Vehicles office. She landed flush on her face. Her health never was restored. She had been hospitalized ever since. The accident led to a series of debilitating turns in her condition.
About 10 months ago, in the midst of trying to recover, Mrs. Harris and her family, principally her son, Gerald Bennett, fought a downtown law firm that claimed to have obtained her approval for a settlement that was far less than she had sought.
Mr. Bennett said his mother had been depressed since his youngest sister was battered to death.
Mr. Bennett argued forcefully at the time that his mother was in no condition to make such a pivotal decision and, in fact, had not assented.
Armed with a new lawyer, the Harris case went back to court three months later, in January, and it was continued, ultimately, until the early autumn.
Mr. Bennett said this morning that as far as his mother was concerned, the civil suit could have been concluded long ago. “My mom would always say, ‘They could have knocked on my door, given me a dollar, and I would have taken it as long as they apologized to me.’ But they never even considered it.
“They never even apologized,” said Mr. Bennett, “or told us that my sister was enrolled in the National Guard, that they had found her enlistment papers. There never was an authentic apology.”
And now the campaign for justice for the family will be carried on by Mr. Bennett.
In addition to her son, Mrs. Harris is survived by daughters Deborah and Suzette and one granddaughter, Dechelle Richardson.
Funeral services are pending.
