Youtube
Tonight, MTV’s True Life Crime will investigate the murder of Hanna Harris.
Harris’ body was found in 2013, decomposed near the rodeo grounds in the Cheyenne Reservation.
Two years later, a federal judge in Billings, Montana, sentenced a woman named Eugenia Ann Rowland to 22 years in prison for Harris’ murder.
Her Body Was Found Badly Beaten 5 Days After She Went Missing
On July 3, 2013, Hanna Harris, who was 21 at the time, went out to celebrate July 4. One day later, her car was found abandoned and her body was subsequently found in a field.
According to Monsters and Critics, a cause of death could not be determined as her body had already started to decompose.
According to the Billings Gazette, “U.S. District Judge Susan Watters said while what happened will never be known because of the condition of Harris’ body and the excessive drinking that occurred, Rowland admitted that she and her husband beat Harris, resulting in her death.”
The outlet writes that Rowland was ordered to pay $13,215 for funeral and other expenses.
Rowlands ended up pleading guilty to second-degree murder, while her husband, Garrett Sidney Henderson Wadda, pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact.
Rowland Was Sentenced to 22 Years in Prison
Rowland, according to Monsters & Critics, was sentenced to 22 years in prison without the possibility for parole.
As the outlet points out, Rowland initially claimed she was so drunk that she forgot what happened. They write, “… Rowland’s sister-in-law testified to a grand jury that she and Rowland had been drinking a few months after Harris’ death, and Rowland told her that she had passed out that night after drinking heavily and woke up to Wadda and Harris having sex, with Harris — who had a 10-month-old son — screaming that she was being raped.”
When Rowland allegedly tried to help Harris, Wadda hit her. Then, she and her husband beat Harris to death. Wadda eventually admitted to hiding the body and destroying the evidence to protect his wife.
Wadda was sentenced to ten years in prison.
Harris’ mother is quoted by The Billings Gazette as telling Rowland, “I will never forgive you, and I don’t want to hear your ‘I’m sorries’… You threw away my daughter like a piece of trash. I will never forgive you for what you have done. You are a dangerous woman,” she said.
Harris’ grandmother said of Rowland, “She’s a murderer. It’s in her blood now. Like an alcoholic. When they fall, they’ll commit the crime again.”
Rowland reportedly tried to speak to Harris’ family in court, but they refused to listen to her. Rowland went ahead, saying, “I’m not an evil person. Most of you know that. You watched me grow up. I never hurt no one ever. I blacked out, and I’m sorry. I hope you can forgive me some day…”
Wadda, in court, explained that he and Harris were “really, really, really intoxicated,” when the incident occurred.
Defense attorney Robert Kelleher Jr. said of Wadda, “Not to be glib about it, but he’s getting away with murder,” Kelleher said.
Tonight’s episode will air on MTV at 9pm ET/PT.