Jean Harris on Saturday spent her first full day of freedom in nearly 12 years recuperating from coronary bypass surgery and preparing to commit herself to helping the children of the imprisoned women she left behind, her lawyer said.
Harris, who was convicted in 1981 of murdering her lover, Dr. Herman Tarnower, is staying with friends after her release Friday night from the Westchester County Medical Center in Valhalla, N.Y. Her lawyer, Leon Friedman, declined to disclose the location of her current residence, but state officials said last week that she would remain in Westchester County for a few months.
“She’s going to work with the foundation she set up to raise money for the children of women in the New York prison system, so they can get some education and break out of the cycle those families are in,” Friedman said. He added that Harris, a former headmistress of the prestigious Madeira School in McLean, Va., was contemplating writing another book, which would be her third. One of her books, “Stranger in Two Worlds” (Macmillan Publishing, 1986), tells her version of her 14-year relationship with Tarnower.
While she is eager to speak publicly about her experiences, Harris must first regain her strength, Friedman said. “She’s very tired and still having some health problems,” he said, after speaking to her Saturday.
Harris, who had suffered two heart attacks while at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility in Westchester County, underwent bypass surgery Dec. 29, hours after learning that Gov. Mario Cuomo had commuted her sentence of 15 years to life. In her years in prison, she gained a legion of supporters who lobbied the governor for clemency.
She was hospitalized again this month for a blood clot in her leg resulting from the surgery.
On Wednesday, a state parole board granted approval for her release.
Harris killed Tarnower, author of the best-selling “Complete Scarsdale Medical Diet,” on March 10, 1980, at his home in Purchase, N.Y.
She testified at her trial that she was despondent over his affair with a younger woman and had intended to kill herself.
