At hearing for OP man accused of killing wife, man testifies he was defendant’s lover
Tanisha Harris clocked out from her job at an Overland Park bank for lunch at 11:44 a.m. Jan. 8. She never clocked back in.
The next day, her body was found in Cass County. Her husband, 30-year-old Robert Lee Harris Jr., was arrested on Jan. 10 and charged with premeditated first-degree murder.
During a preliminary hearing Monday in Johnson County District Court, prosecutors called on witnesses in the case against Robert Harris. Family members and friends of Tanisha Harris watched during the proceedings, many wearing pins adorned with the likeness of their loved one.
The first witness was her mother, who commented on how uncharacteristic it was of her daughter, who was 38 at the time of her death, to ignore phone calls.
The last was a man who said he had a romantic relationship with Robert Harris, one that entailed daily visits and FaceTime calls.
The affair had been going on for about a year before Tanisha Harris was killed, the man testified. All three were members of a south Kansas City church — Repairers KC.
Robert and Tanisha Harris met at Repairers KC, where she was a minister and he was an elder. They celebrated their marriage at the church in 2016.
Witnesses detailed their versions of the events that took place Jan. 8.
Robert Harris’ supervisor at a medical center said that around 9 a.m. on Jan. 8, he texted her saying he wouldn’t be in for work because of a car wreck. But in court records obtained by The Star, reports indicated that Robert Harris had made several trips to a nearby Walmart as early as 9:30 a.m. that morning to buy a large trash can, plastic bags, carpet cleaner and a filleting knife.
At the preliminary hearing, a neighbor who lived below the Harris’ apartment, in the 8000 block of Perry Street in Overland Park, said he heard loud noises coming from their apartment between 2 and 3:30 p.m. that day.
The neighbor and apartment management called Overland Park police to report a domestic disturbance.
Police testified that when they arrived at the scene at 4 p.m., they found Harris alone in the apartment. They noticed red stains on the carpet and a pile of broken glass near the door.
Police said Robert Harris didn’t seem concerned when they asked him where his wife was. They tried to reach Tanisha Harris at the number her husband gave them, but left the apartment after they weren’t able to reach her.
One of the police officers said he ran a check on Robert Harris at 4:30 p.m., only 10 minutes after leaving the Harris’ apartment. He found that Robert Harris had an outstanding warrant from Prairie Village and returned to the apartment to arrest him, but no one was home.
The man who identified himself as Robert Harris’ lover said that during that time, the defendant came to his apartment, where he didn’t give any indication that anything was wrong. But shortly after arriving, Robert Harris told the man he needed to go home and change, since he was sweating. At 5 p.m., Robert called him to tell him that he thought Tanisha was missing.
About 8:30 p.m. Robert Harris placed an emergency call to police to report his wife missing.
When police arrived, they did a sweep through of the house, and noticed an area rug that had been in the living room when they visited in the afternoon had been moved beneath the dining room table. When they lifted the rug, they found more red stains and pieces of broken glass.
Robert Harris was arrested and taken to the police station that night, and later admitted to having a role in his wife’s disappearance, police said. Tanisha Harris’ SUV was found in Overland Park, one mile south of the couple’s apartment.
A preliminary autopsy showed that Tanisha Harris died on Jan. 8 from strangulation by someone’s hands, a court affidavit said. Her body also had signs of head trauma, including bleeding, that didn’t appear to be fatal.
At the hearing, Robert Harris requested to waive the rest of the preliminary hearing after eight witnesses spoke. His defense attorney noted that the rest of the witnesses the state intended to call were police officers or forensic lab technicians.
Judge Sara Welch granted the waiver and the defense entered a plea of not guilty. A trial is to be set within the next 30 days.
A YouCaring.com fundraising page has been established to support Tanisha Harris’ 9-year-old daughter, the “Tanisha Love Memorial Fund for her daughter Alex.”
This story was originally published June 19, 2018 at 9:26 AM with the headline "At hearing for OP man accused of killing wife, man testifies he was defendant’s lover."