What’s next in case of Georgia father whose child died in hot car?
Posted 9:41 pm, July 12, 2014, by CNN Wire



ATLANTA, Ga. (CNN) — It’s a tragedy that has made many people across the country sick to their stomachs. A Georgia father said he drove to his job in suburban Atlanta June 18, parked and worked a full day only to return to his car and find that he’d forgotten that his infant son was in the back. Cooper, 22 months, was dead. Temperatures that day had soared to 92 degrees.

There have been a lot of twists and turns in the case involving Justin Ross Harris, who is facing murder and child cruelty charges. The 33-year-old has pleaded not guilty. At a hearing July 3, one of the story’s most sensational details emerged: the prosecution’s lead investigator testified that while Harris was at work and his son was dying in the car, the father sent explicit messages and exchanged texts with six women. Harris also sent a picture of an erect penis to an underage female, Cobb County Police Detective Phil Stoddard testified.

Cobb County Chief Magistrate Frank Cox denied bond for Harris and ruled that there was sufficient evidence to move forward in the legal process.

So what does that mean exactly? Where is this drama headed, what’s happening with Leanna Harris, Cooper’s mother, and what have we learned so far?

...more at link
http://wtvr.com/2014/07/12/whats-next-i ... n-hot-car/

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H/T Nettles....

Most shocking moments in hot car death hearing

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Public may have turned, but jurists see holes in case against Georgia dad
By Christian Boone of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

ATLANTA — For three relentless hours, Ross Harris served as a prosecutor's punching bag, his reputation leveled by one broadside after another.

By the time the recent probable cause hearing was over, he had become one of the nation's most infamous defendants — accused of intentionally leaving his toddler son in a sweltering SUV long enough to die.

But, while the public may have made up its mind about the baby-faced IT specialist, charged with felony murder and second-degree cruelty to children, legal experts say the case against him, while solid, is no slam dunk, especially if the charges are upgraded to indicate malice.

"Look at Casey Anthony," said jury consultant Jeri Cagle, referring to the Florida mother found not guilty of killing her 3-year-old daughter despite what prosecutors thought was overwhelming evidence.

Harris, 33, contends he mistakenly left his 22-month-old son Cooper locked in his car seat for seven hours as temperatures inside the 2011 Hyundai Tuscon soared above 130 degrees.

The case has generated headlines worldwide, and with good reason. According to those who track the number of children who have died when left in hot cars, this is the first time a parent or guardian has ever been accused of doing so on purpose.

"This is unprecedented," said Janette Fennell, president and founder of the advocacy group KidsAndCars.org. "I've examined over 700 cases in my career, and I've never heard of this before."

Cobb Assistant District Attorney Chuck Boring said at last week's hearing that evidence presented "has shown this was intentional." However, the charges don't yet reflect that.

Veteran criminal defense attorney Steve Sadow said the defense should push the prosecution to make up its mind on the issue of malice.

"I would want them to take a stand," Sadow said. "And, if they didn't, I'd exploit that. If they can't make up their mind, that indicates they can't prove it."

Upping the charges raises the bar on the prosecution. "I'd be hoping for that if I was the representing him," Sadow said. Charging Harris with intent to kill would make the defense's job a little easier, he said.

By doing so, the prosecution would, in essence, identify Harris as "a monster" without peer, said former DeKalb County District Attorney J. Tom Morgan.

...more at link
http://news.msn.com/crime-justice/publi ... eorgia-dad

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I really can't wait to see how this one plays out. The dad is so unlikeable and, apparently, morally bankrupt in some regards. Yet, did he kill his own kid on purpose. I tend to doubt it.

I am not at all up to speed on the case. I saw there was online discussion, but only finally started this thread because of some convo on twitter.

I can at least evaluate the evidence as a "unbiased" juror might.

_________________
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Unfortunately, I know every freaking detail. So if you wanna know something, just ask

What I have seen is that the guy was sexting while he KNEW his son was in car dying?
Looking now I dont see there is evidence that he "knew"?


PLEASE Karmady give me the SHORT summary of FACTS

I have read the stuff I posted. And formed some initial thoughts. I could easily be convinced to change my view by evidence.

However, a few cases (OP most recently) have made me acutely AWARE of the "Lynch Mob" who go into cases with a "presumption of guilt". As I have said before... most perps are GUILTY.. the judicial system does not select people at random, but having said that then the Judicial system is such that we have to view cases from the perspective of "a presumption of innocence". I guess I am becoming a bit of a DEFENSE guy in my old age

_________________
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Impossible for someone like moi to give a short summary lol. Here's my best effort:

Parents married about 8 years. Have trouble conceiving due to low T. Finally get pg, have Cooper, appear to be loving parents and are active in church (just a fact, nothing to do with being good parents, imo)

Day of death, mom leaves home for work. Dad gets kid ready for daycare which is located at the corporate office of Home Depot, very near to another Home Depot location where the dad works. Daycare drop off duties are shared with Dad dropping off most of the time, but not all, and mom picking up about half the time. Mom works p/t.

Dad takes kiddo to Chik-fil-a for breakfast. Kid is fine on surveillance. They're done, dad puts kiddo back in rearfacing car seat centered on the back seat and leaves chik-fil-a parking lot (apparently, it's common for 22 month olds to still be rearfacing these days). There's an issue about changing car seats between mom and dad's cars in the couple of weeks leading up to the death.

Instead of turning left at intersection to go to daycare. Dad goes straight to his office. Parks. Sits in the car for 30 seconds doing whatever and goes into his office -- obviously w/o dropping the baby at daycare.

He later goes to lunch with two friends in their car. They eat lunch at Publix than all go to a Home Depot retail location where dad buys lightbulbs. Friends drop him off at his car. He opens the driver door, tosses the lightbulbs in and heads back in to his office. Police say he deliberately turns his head away from the car seat when he does this. They also say he told them about Publix and the friends he went with, but not about the lightbulbs or trip back to the car. LE executed a subpoena and determined that the lightbulbs were needed in the home.

Dad makes plans to meet friends for a movie at five (bunch of details about this and communications with the Mom about when she's picking up the baby around 4'ish). Dad leaves work at 4:15'ish. Gets in car, drives a few minutes in general direction of movie. Screams into a strip mall parking lot with tires screeching, exits vehicle, grabs kid from car seat and starts carrying on about how he's killed his son. Witness accounts are many and varied, but some of them say the dad said the baby was choking even though he was obviously dead (gray/blue with obvious rigor) and that he seemed to be acting rather than genuine.

Cops say he acted hinky at the scene in other ways, too. Appearing to talk to someone on the phone, but denying that he talked to anyone.

While this is all going on, but unbeknownst to mom supposedly, she arrives to pick up Cooper at daycare and finds out that he was never dropped off. Upon hearing this she supposedly states in a calm tone that her husband must have left him in the car -- even though the workers are telling her there are dozens of other explanations. She has remained calm/odd ever since and, at the police station later, supposedly asked her husband whether he "said too much".

At the probable cause hearing, it comes out that the husband was sexting with a bunch of different women on a hook-up site all day that day, including at least one minor, and that he has actually met up with one or more of them. He also sent pics of his errmmm....erect member.... to them. Making him a complete tool and, in the eyes of practically every biddy at WS, unequivocally guilty of intentionally leaving his kid in a car to die. I wholeheartedly agree he's a tool (and a half). Just not sure he deliberately killed his kid.

HTH!

Thanks, Karmady

Short enough!

As with many cases... the devil is in the detail. (or will be when/if we get to it)

I find it hard to believe he WOULD intentionally kill his child. And in that way.

He sounds like he was involved with the child, not some low life who had no time for a child etc.

Forgetting a child in a car sounds REALLY BAD. Beyond me to imagine me doing that...But I can see how a person would forget something and having forgot not remember it for the rest of the day.... routine being as it was many days.

I have on occasions (with a LOT of stuff on my mind) driven the wrong way... I describe it as "auto-pilot"... head off driving a regular route (say to work) when actually going somewhere different. I have always remembered before actually arriving at the wrong place. No where near as bad as forgetting a child in a car.

Sexting and sending picks of his dick just make him daft, not especially bad... not relevant to him being a murderer. Unless there was a "relationship" involved where he wanted to be free of wife and child? And even that does not make sense. I think I read somewhere that the sexting may HELP the defense.. as in a huge distraction on his mind. Classic case of a Guy's big head brain being overruled by his little head.

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

oh, and I almost forgot one of THE most important msm details. They both admitted googling hot car baby deaths in the days prior to this happening and the mom said it was one of her biggest fears.

Important fact to miss out!

Is it true?

COULD be a horrible coincidence. Could well be he had done it before, by mistake. They were both aware of him having "got away with it" previously.

Which adds to his culpability, lack of care, negligence. But As yet I can not imagine him having done it on purpose.

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

This case is not so black and white and slam dunk I suspect. Both of them checking out death in hot cars looks bad, but then if that was something they feared would happen then it's not necessarily bad. And it could be on someone's mind even more since there has been quite a few deaths mentioned in the news lately. And your idea about the sexting may be in favor of the defense as you said, Rumpole, since the one head does rule over the other one so to speak. Hmmmm.

It seems lately that so many people are not concentrating on the important stuff as much as they should, or taking time to do checks and balances so that they may be covered if they lose focus. But thinking the way of doing double checking or so may cause too much conflict because you'd have to think of all the what ifs that might happen. And a lot of people don't want to suffer through any conflicts it seems. Shut me up now.

H/T Nettles.....

Attorney: Leanna Harris releases statement
Posted: Jul 16, 2014 7:53 AM Updated: Jul 16, 2014 9:08 AM
By MYFOXATLANTA STAFF

Leanna Harris, the mother of Cooper Harris, released the following statement through her lawyer Lawrence J. Zimmerman late Tuesday afternoon:



...more at link
http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/story/26025 ... -statement

_________________
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Leanna Harris’ attorney speaks out
Updated: 5:31 p.m. Tuesday, July 15, 2014 | Posted: 5:00 p.m. Tuesday, July 15, 2014
By Christian Boone

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Comparing her to a famous suspect who was later exonerated, the attorney for Leanna Harris said Tuesday his client has been unfairly vilified by the media.

“In much the same way, the press unjustly harassed and hounded Olympic bombing hero Richard Jewell when he didn’t behave as some thought he should,” said Harris’ lawyer, Lawrence Zimmerman, in his first public comments since being retained last week.

Although she hasn’t been charged, Cobb law enforcement officials have tried to raise doubts about Leanna Harris’ words and actions following the death of her son Cooper, left in a hot car by her husband for seven hours. Ross Harris, who contends he forgot that his 22-month-old son was inside his SUV on the morning of June 18, remains in Cobb jail, charged with felony murder and second-degree cruelty to children.

The charges do not indicate malice but, at a recent probable cause hearing, Cobb Assistant District Attorney Chuck Boring said prosecutors believe Ross Harris intended to kill his son.

Leanna Harris, according to her lawyer, has been victimized by a rush to judgment based largely on her lack of outward emotion following Cooper’s death.

...more at link
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/breaking-n ... out/nggMP/

_________________
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Today, everyone is busy actively ignoring this ajc article that discounts practically every damning bit of LE's testimony at the probable cause hearing based on independent review of the actual video.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/77yu011bkne0p ... 0case.docx

Thanks Karmady I have only skimmed through a bit of it, but enough to see there may well be a "rush to judgement" involved. Web link from the "dropbox"...............


Questions on police account of Harris case
Updated: 6:18 p.m. Friday, July 18, 2014 | Posted: 12:00 a.m. Saturday, July 19, 2014
By Bill Rankin, Craig Schneider and Bill Torpy - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Two weeks ago, a Cobb County detective sat in a courtroom and presented a barrage of details that turned Justin Ross Harris into a pariah, a man widely seen as a monster who purposely left his 22-month-old son in a sweltering car to die.

But a review by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution of some of the state’s evidence shows authorities may have overstated some of their case during the July 3 hearing. A close review by the AJC of video from a surveillance camera at the Home Depot office complex where Harris worked revealed discrepancies — some striking — with assertions made by Detective Phil Stoddard on the witness stand.

...more at link
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/s ... =firefox-a

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

There is still a chance that "common sense" will prevail .. Harris has not been indicted yet. However, as things stand it looks likely that this case could become another "Lynch Mob" type case.

Stay tuned and check your local "True Gossip Forum" for signs of frenzy and hate.

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

He was sexting all day, including with a minor AND he forgot his kid in the car. It will be really interesting to see whether he's burnt at the stake for being a total jerk who forgot his kid in the car, as opposed to just some random who isn't known to have been a total jerk who forgot their kid in the car. It's also interesting that public opinion was almost completely behind him before the probable cause hearing. LE really went the extra mile to make sure the worm turned in that regard. I've never seen a probable cause hearing that went into such great detail about the evidence. Even the pitchfork crowd admits it was unusual.

I see no doubt that he is a jerk. Guilty of that as far as the law covers it.

But...... INTENTIONALLY murdering his child.... I think not. Prepared to at least "presume innocence" on that until State proves otherwise.

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light