COOPER HARRIS - 2 yo (6/14) - / Charged: Father, Justin Ross Harris - Marietta, GA

Toddler dies after being left in hot car for 8 hours

Posted: Updated: By Mike Paluska



ATLANTA (CBS46) -  A 22-month-old child has died after being left in a hot car for more than eight hours.

According to Cobb County police, the father of the toddler was supposed to drop the baby off at daycare, but forgot. The father then drove to work around 9 a.m. Wednesday and left the baby in the car. It wasn't until the man left work and started driving home that he looked in the backseat and saw the child still strapped in the car seat and unresponsive.

"It is tough, I am not sure how someone could forget they have a child in the backseat," Dale Hamilton said.

Hamilton said he was in the Akers Mill Square shopping center getting lunch when he saw the man drive into the parking lot, stop his car straddling two lanes of traffic, jump out and begin CPR on the baby.

"He hopped out of his car. I didn't know what he was doing at the time," Hamilton said. "But, he eventually pulled the child out of the car seat. I guess he was trying to un-restrain him. He pulled him out of the car seat, laid him on the ground and was trying to resuscitate him."

Hamilton said it was difficult to watch.

"He was constantly saying, 'What have I done, what have I done.'"

Some good Samaritans tried to resuscitate the child but it was too late. Investigators took the father in for questioning at the Cobb County Police Department. Police said the man had to be restrained at the scene because he was so distraught. At this point charges have not been filed. Police said pending the outcome of their investigation the father could face a charge of involuntary manslaughter.

Temperatures in Atlanta topped 90 degrees Wednesday afternoon. Temperatures inside a hot car could go as high as 130 to 140 degrees in a few hours.


http://www.wafb.com/story/25812472/child-dies-after-being-left-in-hot-car

Father accused of leaving child in car charged with murder; Bond denied

Posted: Updated:
By Mandi Milligan
By Will Frampton


Justin Ross Harris

COBB COUNTY, GA (CBS46) - A father has been charged with murder in the death of his 2-year-old child after he allegedly left the toddler in a hot car for eight hours.

Police said Justin Ross Harris, 34, was supposed to drop the child off at daycare, but forgot. He then drove to work around 9 a.m. Wednesday and left the toddler in the car. It wasn't until Harris left work and started driving home that he looked in the backseat and saw the child still strapped in the car seat and unresponsive.

A witness saw Harris pull into the Akers Mill Square shopping center, stop his car straddling two lanes of traffic, jump out and begin CPR on the toddler.

Harris is charged with murder and cruelty to children, both felonies and is currently being held without bond at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center.

He made is first court appearance Thursday night and was denied bond.
Several friends and relatives were seen at Harris' condominium in Marietta Thursday morning, but they declined to speak about the incident.

Anyone with information about this case which may assist detectives is asked to call (770) 499-3945.


http://www.wafb.com/story/25818959/father-accused-of-leaving-child-in-car-charged-with-murder

Father Charged With Felony Murder in Son's Heat-Stroke Vehicle Death

Jun 23, 2014, 8:20 AM
By STEVE OSUNSAMI and DAN GOOD

A Georgia father has been charged with felony murder in the death of his 22-month-old son after the boy was left inside a mini-SUV for hours on a sweltering day.

The man’s family claims it was an honest and tragic mistake. But police disagree – and Justin Ross Harris, 33, now faces heightened charges in Cooper’s heat stroke death, a case that has drawn outrage from people who believe the man has already suffered enough.

Harris buckled his son Cooper into his car seat Wednesday before heading to his job as a Web developer at a Home Depot corporate office near Atlanta. On the way, Harris was supposed to drop off his son at daycare.

He never did.

The temperature outside reached 92 degrees by noon.

Hours passed. As Harris was driving home for the night, he noticed his son still in the backseat and pulled into a shopping center parking lot. Witnesses say he rushed to try to save Cooper.

“He kept saying, ‘What have I done? What have I done,’” witness Dale Hamilton told ABC affiliate station WSB-TV. “He laid his son on the ground and started doing CPR, trying to resuscitate him. Apparently, the child wasn’t responding.”

After searching Harris’s office, police arrested the grieving father and charged him with felony murder and child endangerment.

“Until we more or less run out, a lot of the information that we are having to track down, right now these charges will stand,” Cobb County Police Sgt. Dana Pierce said.

The arrest has caused outrage, with some saying the father simply made a mistake, although others agree with police. Supporters have raised more than $18,000 for his defense.

“The justice system can’t punish Ross worse than he is punishing himself,” one commenter wrote.

“It will only cause more pain for a grieving family,” another wrote.

An average of 38 children die across the United States annually after being left in a hot car, with 44 deaths reported nationally last year, according to kidsandcars.org, a national nonprofit devoted to vehicle safety. In Atlanta, more than 22 children have died this way since 1990.

Public safety advocates say these are usually accidents and happen to the most loving and protective parents of every color and socioeconomic background.

Cooper’s death marked the second vehicle heat stroke death involving a child last week. A Florida man, Steven Lillie, faces aggravated manslaughter charges in the June 16 death of his 9-month-old daughter, Anna Marie.

In Harris’ case, police feel strongly about the murder charge, ABC’s Chief Legal Affairs Anchor Dan Abrams said.

“We don’t know exactly what evidence they have, but they’ve executed a search warrant. And it’s not uncommon for computer-related searches to yield information,” Abrams said. “Whatever the evidence is, the authorities believed it warranted bringing charges very quickly.”

http://abcnews.go.com/US/father-charged-felony-murder-sons-heat-stroke-vehicle/story?id=24258412

Was toddler who died after father forgot him in hot car actually murdered? Police say his story is riddled with inconsistencies

• Police investigating the possibility that Justin Ross Harris, 33, may have intentionally killed his 22-month-old son, Cooper
  
• He was supposed to drop his toddler to daycare around 9 a.m. Wednesday
  
• But instead went straight to work, apparently forgetting the boy was strapped in his car seat in the back of the vehicle
  
• It wasn't until 4 p.m., when he was driving home, that he noticed his son was lifeless in the back seat
  
• Police have said they cannot be sure whether Cooper was even in the car at 9am
  
• The high temperature in Atlanta was 91 degrees Wednesday
  
• He was charged with murder and cruelty to children in the first degree

By James Nye and Jessica Jerreat
Published: 16:16 EST, 23 June 2014  |  Updated: 17:08 EST, 23 June 2014

New warrant gives more detail in hot car death

11Alive Staff, WXIA
10:28 a.m. CDT June 25, 2014

COBB COUNTY, Ga. -- A new warrant has been issued against Justin Ross Harris, the father accused of killing his 22-month-old son by leaving him in a hot car for over seven hours.

Harris is being charged with felony murder and second-degree cruelty to a child. Originally, Harris was charged with felony murder and first-degree cruelty to a child.

Read the Criminal Warrant for Justin Harris

The warrant states Harris did place his son, Cooper, into a rear facing car seat after eating breakfast with his son at the Chick-fil-a on Cumberland Boulevard. Harris left his son in the car when he entered his workplace.

During Harris' lunch break, the warrant states, he returned to the car through the driver's side door to place an object in the vehicle. At around 4:16 p.m., Harris left work in his vehicle and pulled over at a shopping center on Akers Mill Road asking for assistance with his child.

Police arrested and charged Harris with child cruelty and felony murder a little over five hours after he discovered his son's body.

Harris told police he'd forgotten to drop his son off at daycare that morning.

http://www.ksdk.com/story/news/nation/2014/06/25/georgia-hot-car-death-justin-ross-harris-new-warrant/11352995/

Father charged with murdering toddler son by leaving him trapped in 91F car had done internet search on how long it would take for animal to die in hot car

○ Justin Ross Harris, 33, from Marietta, Georgia, has been charged with murder of son, Cooper, aged 22 months
○ Investigators reportedly seized Harris' work computer after his arrest on June 18
○ Father claims he went to work at Home Depot, forgot to drop Cooper off at daycare, and only discovered his tragic mistake seven hours later
○ Earlier witnesses said he was acting 'odd' and claimed at first that Cooper was choking
○ An autopsy revealed the cause of death was consistent with hyperthermia, the medical examiner announced Wednesday
○ Police said on Wednesday that Harris actually RETURNED to his car at lunch while at work to put something in the front passenger seat
○ But an online petition has been launched with 11,000 signatures supporting Harris' release

By RYAN PARRY IN MARIETTA, GEORGIA and DAILY MAIL REPORTER
PUBLISHED: 18:00 EST, 25 June 2014 | UPDATED: 08:18 EST, 26 June 2014

A father whose son died after he left him in his scorching hot car had used his office computer to search how long it would take for an animal to die in such a way, it was alleged today.

The news comes as the Cobb County Medical Examiner's office announced that little Cooper Harris' cause of death was hyperthermia - or intense heat exhaustion - and confirmed the manner of his death was a homicide.

A law enforcement source in the Georgia county reportedly told Fox 5 News that investigators seized Justin Ross Harris' work computer at Home Depot after his arrest last week and that an internet search suggested the child's death was premeditated.

A police warrant also revealed Wednesday that Harris took his son to breakfast at the Vinings Chick-fil-A before driving to work, and that he returned to the car at lunch time to place an object in the car before leaving the child again.

Fox 5 couldn't confirm exactly when the computer search was conducted.

Harris is accused of leaving 22-month-old Cooper alone in the car while he went to work at the Home Depot corporate office for roughly seven hours.

Harris is charged with felony murder and cruelty to a child in the second degree. He is being held in the Cobb County Detention Center without bond.

Cooper will be buried in a private family ceremony in Tuscaloosa on Saturday.

The Cobb County Police Department issued a statement late Wednesday asking for the public's patience in the case.

Chief of police John R. Houser said in the release that during the course of the investigation, detectives began to obtain physical evidence and testimonial evidence that lead them to believe a more serious crime had been committed that first thought.

'I understand that tragic accidents similar to this one do occur... (but) this investigation must be weighed on its own merit and the facts that lead our detectives to charge the father must be presented at the appropriate time during the judicial process.

'The chain of events that occurred in this case does not point towards simple negligence and evidence will be presented to support this allegation.'

He added finally: 'In fairness to everyone involved in this emotional case, I would ask that you not make conclusions based on rumor or suspicions and let our judicial system work as it is designed

The medical examiner revealed the cause of death was hyperthermia - or intense heat exhaustion.

Alternatively, hypothermia occurs when the temperature drops below that required to maintain normal metabolism.

The new information comes after it emerged the father was 'acting oddly' and told bystanders who tried to save the child that he had been 'choking' minutes earlier.

Harris, 33, was supposed to drop 22-month-old Cooper to daycare around 9 a.m. last Wednesday but instead went straight to work, allegedly forgetting the boy was strapped in his car seat in the back of the vehicle for seven hours.

But instead of confessing to the tragic blunder – and admitting his baby had been dead for hours – it has been claimed Harris tried to cover his tracks by telling members of the public the child had just been choking.

And early Wednesday, police said that 'during lunch said accused did access the same vehicle through the driver's side door to place an object into the vehicle', hours before the drama unfolded.

Eyewitness Edward Cockerham, 49, told MailOnline: 'I was interviewed by the police last night and I told them I thought the guy was acting, he was really over-reacting to the situation.

'I know he had lost his baby but he was acting up more than he should have been. It seemed like acting to me. When he pulled in and people started asking him what had happened, he said that the baby had just started choking.

'But the baby didn't look like it had been choking, it looked like it had been sweating, like it had been in a swimming pool, his hair was all wet.

'I think the dad knew all along that his baby was dead because he'd been left in the car, I think he was looking round for a place where there was people so he could make it look like the baby had choked and it wasn't his fault.’

Cockerham's claim comes as two more witnesses also told MailOnline that Harris had behaved 'suspiciously' and 'very oddly' in the immediate aftermath of the incident last week.

The new witness accounts raise even more questions surrounding the unusual case.

After police sensationally charged Harris with murder and cruelty to children in the first degree, the case sparked national debate.

More than 11,000 people have signed a petition pleading with the Cobb County District Attorney’s office to 'drop the murder charges,' believing they are too harsh for a caring father who has been punished enough with the loss of his child.

But police are openly questioning whether the Home Depot employee is telling the truth.

'Much has changed about the circumstances leading up to the death of this 22-month-old since it was first reported,' Cobb County Police Sgt. Dana Pierce told CNN.

'I've been in law enforcement for 34 years. What I know about this case shocks my conscience as a police officer, a father and a grandfather,' said Pierce.

Another witness, bartender Artiyka Eastland, 25, of Smyrna, also thought Harris' behavior was bizarre.

She was having lunch with friends and had gone outside to charge her phone in her car when the commotion happened.

Artiyka told MailOnline: 'I saw him (Harris) immediately jump out of the car, very quickly, very frantically.

'He pulled the baby out of its child seat and on to the floor, but I didn't realize the baby was lifeless at that point, I thought maybe he was choking. He put the baby on the ground and started to give him CPR, there was one other person there with him helping.

'I didn't want to get too close. I was emotional, it was crazy. He was shouting "What have I done, oh my God I've killed my son."'

But Artiyka said after that something wasn't quite right about Harris' demeanor.

She recalled: 'He was frantic as you'd expect, but when someone else came over to help with the baby he stepped away and he was acting like this is not happening type of thing.

'Something didn't seem right, I thought he was going through these weird spurts of being frantic and then being very calm.

'The police put him in the cop car and he was talking to one of the detectives and he would be very calm, but then very crazy, crying. I saw him looking back trying to work out what was going on, but he wasn't looking back in concern for his son, he was looking back to see who the police were talking to.

'I can't imagine what it's like to lose a child but his body language in the back of the car was very odd.


'I felt like he was worrying about something, it was strange behavior, he was back and forth between crying and looking around.'

Artiyka also believes the baby had been dead for many hours before Harris pulled the child out of the car.

'The baby was a grey/blue color, not its natural color. I know he was in the car seat but when the dad placed him on the ground his legs stayed in the same sitting position, as if he was laying on the ground with his knees up in the air stiff. It wasn't natural.

'It's so so sad that a little baby has died like this.'

On Thursday, Harris pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.

Ominously for Harris' story, Pierce told CNN On Friday, 'I cannot confirm that the child, as originally reported, was in the car at 9 a.m.'

According to Harris' initial story, it wasn't until 4p.m., when he was driving home from work, that he noticed his son was lifeless in the back seat.

He pulled over the SUV at the Akers Mill Square shopping center on Cobb Parkway and tried to perform CPR on the boy but it was too late.

The child was pronounced dead at the scene - on a day where the high temperature in Atlanta was recorded at 91 degrees.

Harris, a Tuscaloosa, Alabama, native, had been working at Home Depot as a web developer for just over two years. Harris, his wife Leanna and Cooper were renting a condo off Terrell Mill Road, but hoped to buy a home.

Many locals believe the charges against Harris are too steep and his arrest prompted a petition aiming to get the murder charge dropped.

Thousands of people across America have now joined the campaign voicing their support for dad-of-one Harris by signing a petition urging Cobb County DA's Office to drop the murder charges.

The petition - posted on change.org by a group called Parents Support Parents - has garnered over 11,000 signatures since it was launched last week.

The petition claims that Harris 'loved his son immensely' and the fatal incident was just a 'horrible accident.'

It adds: 'These were very loving parents who are devastated. Justin already has to live with a punishment worse than death. Sending what's left of his family in to bankruptcy to defend him against these charges is only bringing more hardship to a family that will never recover from the loss of a child.

'There is nothing to indicate that the father intentionally left his child in the car, so a charge of murder is not appropriate.'

Sarah Laatsch, of Moorcroft, Wyoming, is campaigning for Harris's release after the same thing happened to her.

Her husband Kaleb left their nine-month-old baby Gideon in his boiling hot truck for eight hours in August 2011. Gideon, now three, miraculously survived but was left severely brain-damaged and is now confined to a wheelchair.

Sarah's husband was found guilty of child endangerment but during sentencing a judge claimed what he lived through was punishment enough.

Angry Sarah said she has decided to sign the petition to stop another family going through the same hellish ordeal she had.

Many friends and close associates of the Harris family have also signed the petition which calls on Cobb County District Attorney Vic Reynolds to drop the 'murder charges against Justin Harris for his son's accidental death.'

Michael Gordon from Northport, Alabama, said he had known Harris for about 15 years and even remembered the day his friend announced his wife's pregnancy.

He said: 'It breaks my heart that this horrible tragedy has happened.

'Ross high five'ed me at church almost 3 years ago and said we're pregnant, he had a huge smile on his face. He has been nothing but a caring father and supporting husband...

'Is the judicial system going to start charging every parent that has an accidental child death? Pool drownings, TV's falling, guns etc.

'It is unbelievable the technicalities that have allowed criminals to walk away from premeditated crimes. The justice system can't punish Ross worse than he is punishing himself. All they are doing is robbing a family of the time they need together. It's really not fair to call it the justice system. - Just the system.'

Another online fundraiser was created to collect money for Cooper's funeral.

The site has so far raised more than $20,000.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2669988/Justin-Ross-Harris-internet-searched-long-takes-animal-die-hot-car-toddler-son-died-way.html#ixzz35kj7ClqA

updated 2:48 PM EDT 06.28.14

Warrant: Dad researched child car deaths

By Ralph Ellis, Carma Hassan and Vivian Kuo, CNN

Police: Dad researched hot car deaths

(CNN) - The suspect in a Georgia toddler's death told police he used the Internet to research child deaths inside vehicles, a search warrant said.

The father, Justin Ross Harris, 33, has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and second-degree child cruelty in the death of his 22-month-old son, Cooper Harris. The boy died after he was left seven hours in a sweltering SUV on June 18.

"During an interview with Justin, he stated that he recently researched, through the Internet, child deaths inside vehicles and what temperature it needs to be for that to occur," according to a sworn statement in the warrant from a police officer. "Justin stated that he was fearful that this could happen."

According to search warrants from a Cobb County magistrate court, investigators seized a number of items from the father's home: An iPhone 5, Hyundai car, home laptop computer, computer tower, a "Google chrome cast Internet searcher" and other electronic devices.

Cobb County Police said the purpose of the search warrants was to find blood, DNA, writings and photographs relating to child abuse, child neglect, homicide to children and cruelty to children.

Harris sits in jail without bond, with an appearance before a judge set for next Thursday. Police in Cobb County, part of metro Atlanta, have been tight-lipped and haven't said whether what they found on the computer is one of the reasons they arrested Harris.

Father calls in to son's funeral

Though Harris wasn't allowed out of the Cobb County Jail to attend his son's funeral on Saturday in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, he called in and spoke to the entire auditorium on speakerphone.

"Thank you for everything you've done for my boy," he said. "Good life. (Inaudible) No words to say. Just horrible. (Inaudible) I'm just sorry I can't be there." "

He told everyone he loved them and started crying again.

The child's mother had wanted to obtain photos of her son from seized computers for use at the funeral, but Cobb County police turned down her request, said Maddox Kilgore, the attorney for Harris.

Police spokesman Michael Bowman told CNN, "If we have evidence, we will not be releasing that due to chain of custody issues."

Bowman would not confirm what, if any, evidence they had in their possession.

A charity fund at Harris' employer, The Home Depot, will pay for the funeral, company spokeswoman Catherine Woodling told CNN. Harris, who worked as a Web designer, has been placed on unpaid administrative leave, she said.

The funding of the funeral from the Home Depot charity, the Homer Fund, is a "standard approach," she said.

In an obituary for Cooper appearing in the Tuscaloosa News newspaper, the family asks that in lieu of flowers donations should be made to the Homer Fund.

'What have I done?'

Initially, police described the death of the toddler as the result of tragic absent-mindedness.

They said the dad had apparently forgotten the boy was in the back seat of his Hyundai Tucson; he didn't remember until he was done with his workday, drove a couple of miles and pulled into a shopping center parking lot.

But suspicions grew as police investigated.

"The chain of events that occurred in this case does not point toward simple negligence, and evidence will be presented to support this allegation," said Cobb County Police Chief John House.

A criminal warrant released Wednesday described the events that led to Cooper's death.

A timeline of events

On the day Cooper died, Harris stopped for breakfast at a fast-food restaurant and afterward strapped his son into a rear-facing child restraint seat on his SUV's back seat, police said.

He drove to his workplace, a Home Depot corporate office, about a half-mile away. He works as a Web designer there.

Usually, he would take his son to an on-site day care. But that day, police said, Harris left him in the car seat.

During his lunch break, he returned to his car, opening the driver's side door to put something inside, police said.

After work, around 4:16 p.m., the 33-year-old father got in his car and drove away. A few miles away, he stopped the car at a shopping center and called for help.

When it became clear Cooper was dead, Harris was so inconsolable police had to restrain him.

"What have I done?" he wailed as he tried to resuscitate the boy.

A wave of sympathy

Each year, dozens of children die from heatstroke in cars, according to KidsandCars.org. More than 40 died last year. The organization says its tally is likely incomplete and much lower than the real toll.

The charging of Harris triggered a wave of sympathy and a vigorous debate over whether the heartbroken father should be punished.

Two change.org petitions urging authorities to release Harris were started and then shut down this week. One petition posted this note: "I think that based on the recent developments this petition is no longer relevant. I still pray that this was truly an accident. If that is the case, the DA now knows that the community does not want Justin prosecuted on murder charges."

Another, set up at YouCaring.com, has raised more than $22,000 for the Harris family.

"Please don't listen to the media. It just upsets me to watch it," wrote Heather McCullar, who set it up. "Please don't listen to the media. The family will speak when they can."

Contacted by CNN via e-mail, she wrote back, "No one is allowed to comment right now."

'The manner of death is homicide'

As Harris sits in jail, his wife, Leanna, would not discuss the case with the media.

The Cobb County medical examiner's office found the child's cause of death "consistent with hyperthermia and the investigative information suggests the manner of death is homicide," according to a Cobb County Department of Public Safety statement issued Wednesday. Temperatures hit 92 degrees Fahrenheit on the day of his death.

The medical examiner's office is waiting for toxicology test results before making an official ruling as to the cause and manner of the toddler's death.

Read the criminal warrant (PDF)

Who is the father?

5 key questions about Georgia toddler's hot-car death

Police seize computers in Georgia hot car death case

CNN's Joe Sterling contributed to this report
CNN Home  Next Article

http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/28/justice/georgia-toddler-death/index.html?c=&page=5

Dad who left son in hot car calls son's funeral from jail

The funeral for 22-month-old Cooper Harris was Saturday, and his father called the funeral and spoke by speaker phone to those attending.

11Alive Staff, WXIA 8:09 p.m. EDT June 28, 2014

COBB COUNTY, Ga. -- The funeral for 22-month-old Cooper Harris was Saturday, and his father called the funeral and spoke by speaker phone to those attending.

Justin Ross Harris is charged with murder after leaving his son in the car for more than 7 hours while he was at work. Last Thursday, Ross pleaded not guilty.

Harris was not allowed to attend the funeral, but told the crowd "thank you for everything. I'm sorry I can't be there."

Harris' wife Leanna said "Ross is, was and will be a great daddy," to which family and friends gave a standing ovation, Leanna told the crowd she is not angry with her husband over their son's death.

Around 200 people attended the services for 22-month-old Cooper. Church officials told us the family would not make any statements to the media. But inside the funeral they spoke glowingly of Ross Harris who was listening via speakerphone from Jail.

Earlier in the week Coopers family requested a flash drive of pictures of cooper to show at the funeral. That request was denied by Cobb county police who said they needed to protect the integrity of the evidence. Due to the controversy and media attention surrounding this case, there was a heavy police presence. After the funeral the family left for a private burial.

The family was helped by the Home Depot homer fund which have them a 10 thousand grant to help with funeral expenses.

Cobb police released the search warrants for Harris Saturday morning. The newly released search warrants show police searched Ross' home, computer, cell phone and car.

According to the official warrants:

On 06/18/14 at 1624 hrs Pct 3 officers responded to 2955 Akers Mill Rd, Atlanta GA regarding a person down call. When the officers arrived on scene they discovered that Cooper Harris 08-02-12 was deceased. The CAP unit was contacted and responded to the scene regarding a homicide investigation. Justin Harris, the deceased subject's father was witnessed pulling into the parking lot of Uncle Maddio's Pizza, 2955 Akers Mill Rd in a 2011 Hyundai Tucson, GA tag.... The vehicle came to a sudden stop. Justin quickly exited the vehicle, opened the driver side passenger door and pulled his child, Cooper Harris out of the vehicle. Justin was witnessed yelling "Oh my god what have I done". He then began doing CPR on the child. When someone came to assist Justin he stopped providing medical attention to the child and started making calls on his cell phone. EMS responded to the scene. It was obvious that the child was deceased. Justin stated that he went to work that morning and forgot to drop the child off at day care. Justin left his residence, took the child to Chic-fil-A in Vinings and then went to work. The child was left in the vehicle since approximately 0930 hrs this morning until he was discovered by Justin at around 1620 hrs when he was driving to meet up with some friends. The temperature was in the 90's for most of the day. During an interview with Justin, He stated that he recently researched, through the internet, child deaths inside vehicles and what temperature it needs to be for that to occur. Justin stated that he was fearful that this could happen.

The warrant to search Ross' home was for "evidence to include papers, writings, documents, photographs, evidence of child neglect, child abuse and photograph the residence."

The warrant to search Ross' home computer was for "evidence to include a laptop computer, computer tower, Google chrome cast internet searcher and other electronic devises."

The warrant to search Ross' car was for "trace evidence including but not limited to latent impressions, hairs, fibers, fingerprints, blood, or DNA, a child car seat, cell phones, photograph the vehicle, take measurements of the vehicle, computers, electronic communication devices, any electronic data storage devices located inside the vehicle, any paperwork and or writings related to the crime of Homicide and Cruelty to Children"

The warrant for the cell phone stated the phone "will be physically examined, documented, the storage devices forensically imaged or copied (if necessary), and later examined for evidence of these crimes."

http://www.11alive.com/story/news/crime/2014/06/28/justin-ross-harris-child-hot-car-death/11609645/

Police: Cooper Harris' mom also researched hot car deaths

COBB COUNTY, Ga. -- New search warrants released Sunday show Leanna Harris also admitted to police she researched hot car deaths and "how it occurs".

The warrants were for a Dell Dimension 9200 Computer Tower from the Harris' home, Google Chrome cast, a McBook Pro Laptop, a Lenovo T530 Think Pad taken from Justin Harris' car, an Apple MacBook Pro, and iPhone and an iPad from the car.

Harris' husband Justin Ross Harris is charged with murder and child cruelty after their 22-month old son Cooper died after being left in the car for more than seven hours while Justin Harris was at work. Harris claims he simply forgot his child was in the back seat.

The funeral for 22-month-old Cooper Harris was Saturday, and his father called the funeral and spoke by speaker phone to those attending.

Harris was not allowed to attend the funeral, but told the crowd "thank you for everything. I'm sorry I can't be there."

Harris' wife Leanna said "Ross is, was and will be a great daddy," to which family and friends gave a standing ovation, Leanna told the crowd she is not angry with her husband over their son's death.

Around 200 people attended the services for 22-month-old Cooper. Church officials told us the family would not make any statements to the media. But inside the funeral they spoke glowingly of Ross Harris who was listening via speakerphone from Jail.

Earlier in the week Coopers family requested a flash drive of pictures of cooper to show at the funeral. That request was denied by Cobb county police who said they needed to protect the integrity of the evidence. Due to the controversy and media attention surrounding this case, there was a heavy police presence. After the funeral the family left for a private burial.

The family was helped by the Home Depot homer fund which have them a 10 thousand grant to help with funeral expenses.

Cobb police released the search warrants for Justin Harris Saturday morning. The newly released search warrants show police searched Ross' home, computer, cell phone and car.

According to the official warrants:

On 06/18/14 at 1624 hrs Pct 3 officers responded to 2955 Akers Mill Rd, Atlanta GA regarding a person down call. When the officers arrived on scene they discovered that Cooper Harris 08-02-12 was deceased. The CAP unit was contacted and responded to the scene regarding a homicide investigation. Justin Harris, the deceased subject's father was witnessed pulling into the parking lot of Uncle Maddio's Pizza, 2955 Akers Mill Rd in a 2011 Hyundai Tucson, GA tag.... The vehicle came to a sudden stop. Justin quickly exited the vehicle, opened the driver side passenger door and pulled his child, Cooper Harris out of the vehicle. Justin was witnessed yelling "Oh my god what have I done". He then began doing CPR on the child. When someone came to assist Justin he stopped providing medical attention to the child and started making calls on his cell phone. EMS responded to the scene. It was obvious that the child was deceased. Justin stated that he went to work that morning and forgot to drop the child off at day care. Justin left his residence, took the child to Chic-fil-A in Vinings and then went to work. The child was left in the vehicle since approximately 0930 hrs this morning until he was discovered by Justin at around 1620 hrs when he was driving to meet up with some friends. The temperature was in the 90's for most of the day. During an interview with Justin, He stated that he recently researched, through the internet, child deaths inside vehicles and what temperature it needs to be for that to occur. Justin stated that he was fearful that this could happen.
The warrant to search Ross' home was for "evidence to include papers, writings, documents, photographs, evidence of child neglect, child abuse and photograph the residence."

The warrant to search Ross' home computer was for "evidence to include a laptop computer, computer tower, Google chrome cast internet searcher and other electronic devises."

The warrant to search Ross' car was for "trace evidence including but not limited to latent impressions, hairs, fibers, fingerprints, blood, or DNA, a child car seat, cell phones, photograph the vehicle, take measurements of the vehicle, computers, electronic communication devices, any electronic data storage devices located inside the vehicle, any paperwork and or writings related to the crime of Homicide and Cruelty to Children"

The warrant for the cell phone stated the phone "will be physically examined, documented, the storage devices forensically imaged or copied (if necessary), and later examined for evidence of these crimes."

http://www.11alive.com/story/news/crime/2014/06/28/justin-ross-harris-child-hot-car-death/11609645/

'I miss him with all of my heart'
By HLNtv.com Staff
updated3:25 PM EDT, Mon June 30, 2014
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NEED TO KNOW
Leanna Harris spoke about her son's hot car death publicly for the first time at his funeral on Saturday
'Am I angry with God? No. This is part of His plan for Ross and I,' she told the crowd
Justin Ross Harris has been charged with murder after leaving the toddler strapped in a hot car for hours

Dad told police he researched child deaths
Cooper Harris' family laid him to rest on Saturday, a little over a week after his father left him inside a hot car for hours while he went to work.

Police have charged Justin Ross Harris with murder and second-degree child cruelty in his son's death. He has pleaded not guilty and says he forgot to drop the 22-month-old off at daycare.

The boy's mother, Leanna Harris, spoke out publicly for the first time since the incident when she addressed mourners at the Tuscaloosa, Alabama, funeral this weekend.

Read more: Cops: Toddler's mom also researched child deaths

Here's what she had to say:

"First of all, Ross I love you and I'm doing this for you, OK. This is not where I expected to be here today. Two years ago when we welcomed a 6-pound, 8-ounce perfect baby into the world, this never crossed my mind. A lot of you know how much I prayed for a child and how much I worried about never being able to have a child," Leanna Harris said, adding that it happened in God's time.

"He was perfect -- he was and he is perfect. He changed mine and Ross' life. I've talked to you about the magnitude in which he changed it. As children do, he turned our lives upside down," she said. She described cleaning, changing diapers, dinner time, bath time, and finally what she called "mommy time" and said she wouldn't trade it for the world.  

Read more: Hot car kid deaths can be prevented

"Any of that time that I spend doing over and over and over, I would never trade that. Cooper's last two nights at home, he had trouble sleeping," she said, calling it unusual. During the last two nights, "he slept in between me and Ross snuggling in between both of us. I remember turning over in the middle of the night, his mouth was open and his full toddler lips just breathing right into my face. I will cherish that moment forever. Some of you might wonder how I'm even standing here today. I wonder that myself and I asked myself that question over and over the last week," she said.

"I should be crumpled into a heap of snot and tears into the dirt, but the Lord is holding me up right now. He is holding Ross up. And he is holding both of us up when we can't hold ourselves up. I miss my son and I will miss him forever."

Read more: Warrant: Dad checked on car while son was inside

She then went on to list the things she was happy her son will skip: His first heartbreak, junior high and high school [the audience laughed as she said she didn't like either one of them], who to sit with at lunch in those awkward middle school years. She also said he will not have to suffer through the deaths of his grandparents and the deaths of his father and mother.

"I miss him with all of my heart. Would I bring him back? No. To bring him back into this broken world would be selfish," she said. "Am I angry with God? No. This is part of His plan for Ross and I. Is this our purpose? I don't know. I'm still waiting on the Lord to reveal that to me. Am I angry with Ross? Absolutely not. It has never crossed my mind. Ross is and was and will be, if we have more children, a wonderful father. Ross is a wonderful daddy and leader for our children [there is loud clapping at this last statement]. Cooper meant the world to him. There was not a day that went by that we did not say how blessed we were able to have him in our lives."

http://www.hlntv.com/article/2014/06/30/georgia-toddler-hot-car-cooper-harris-leanna-funeral

This bitch wouldn't bring him back because it would be selfish.  Was it selfish to give birth to him?  Was it selfish to raise him for 2 years?  Was it selfish to look up online how to kill him in a hot car?

I hope she is charged with conspiracy in the murder of her son.

Insurance policy?  Just wondering.

Was it selfish to murder him?

Dad Charged With Toddler's Hot Car Death Was Sexting While Boy Died: Cop

Jul 3, 2014, 3:09 PM ET
By RHEANA MURRAY

The Georgia dad charged with killing his toddler son by leaving the boy in a hot car all day was exchanging graphic texts with multiple woman, including a teenage girl, in the hours before he found the boy dead, a detective testified today at a court hearing.

The prosecutor said that he brought up the sexting on the messaging app Kik during the probable cause hearing because it "goes to the state of mind" of the defendant, Justin Ross Harris.

"He wanted to live a child free life," the prosecutor said.

The detective said that one of the females Harris sexted with was 17.

Cobb County Police Department Detective Phil Stoddard told the court that before little Cooper Harris died, his father took him to a Chik-fil-A restaurant for breakfast and while buckling the boy back into his car seat, "Cooper gives him a kiss and he [Harris] gave him a kiss back."

Stoddard testified that before the boy died, Harris had visited the website Reddit to search for articles on life without children, and viewed videos on Reddit that showed people dying -- by suicide or execution, in some cases.

Harris, 33, had also twice viewed a video that shows the painful death of animals left in hot cars, and had searched for how to survive in prison, according to searches of his laptop, Stoddard said.

The detective said both Harris and his wife, Leanna Harris, seemed unemotional after learning their son died. Harris never called 911 after finding the boy unresponsive in his SUV on June 18, Stoddard said.

The detective told the court that Cooper suffered a "painful death."

But Harris told his wife the boy "looked peaceful ... his eyes and his mouth were closed," Stoddard recalled of the pair meeting at the police station. The detective added under questioning, however, that photos taken by police show that the boy's eyes were not closed.

At one point, Harris told his wife: "I dreaded how he looked," according to Stoddard's testimony.

And Leanna Harris asked her husband, "Did you say too much?" during police questioning, Stoddard added.

The detective also raised some points about the wife's behavior in his testimony. He said that employees at the day care center said that when she went to pick up her son and was told her husband hadn't drop off Cooper that morning, she said moments later, "Ross must have left him in the car."

The officer also said that he clearly heard a phone call between Leanna Harris and her mother in which Cooper's grandmother was distraught over the news of the boy's death and asked her daughter, "Why aren't you crying." Leanna Harris replied, "I must be in shock," Stoddard said.

There were also marks on Cooper's face and abrasions on the back of his head, the officer said.

Police noticed a "foul stench or odor" coming from the vehicle and hour and a half after Cooper was removed, Stoddard said, suggesting Harris would have also realized the smell.

"It smelled like decomposition, or death," Stoddard said.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/dad-charged-toddlers-hot-car-death-sexting-boy/story?id=24416967

ABC US News | ABC Sports News

http://abcnews.go.com/US/dad-charged-toddlers-hot-car-death-sexting-boy/story?id=24416967

http://www.hlntv.com/article/2014/07/03/justin-ross-harris-cooper-toddler-hot-car-death-live-blog

10 shocking details in hot car death hearing
By Amanda Sloane
updated5:52 PM EDT, Thu July 03, 2014
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NEED TO KNOW
Justin Ross Harris sits stoically while prosecution describes his infidelity, desire to have ‘child-free’ life
Harris has pleaded not guilty to murder after his son was left in a hot car for hours
Lead investigator testifies as prosecution lays out its case against Harris during Thursday's hearing

Retrace dad’s footsteps day of hot car death
Most shocking moments in hot car death hearing
A Georgia judge denied bond for Justin Ross Harris on Thursday and ruled that prosecutors had enough evidence to move forward in their case against the father, whose 22-month-old son died from hyperthermia after being left in a hot car for hours last month.

Harris is currently behind bars, facing charges of second-degree cruelty to a child and felony murder. He has pleaded not guilty and says he forgot to drop his son off at day care on the morning of June 18.

“It’s easy to get distracted when you get behind the wheel. Everyone’s done it. His mind is already skipping ahead to the rest of the day,” defense attorney Maddox Kilgore told the judge Thursday. “We forget things in a moment -- that’s how we forget things.”

Here are 10 shocking details that emerged from the hearing:

It was allegedly a routine morning for dad and son:

The prosecution’s lead investigator, Phillip Stoddard, testified that Harris was the one who dropped his son off at day care in the mornings. Stoddard also said that Harris and his son, Cooper, would stop by Chick-fil-A a couple of times a month.

“It’s daddy/son time -- a special occasion to them," Stoddard said. His description suggests that Harris wasn’t breaking his normal routine that morning.

It took less than a minute for Harris to allegedly forget his son:

Stoddard timed the trip from the Chick-fil-A parking lot to the turn Harris had to make to go to his son’s day care. It was about 0.6 miles and took 30-40 seconds, according to Stoddard.

Harris told police that, after he straps Cooper into his car seat, he "always gives him a kiss in case he gets into a car accident and dies,” according to Stoddard. So in less than a minute, Harris would have gone from kissing his son to forgetting to drop him off at day care.

Cooper’s head would have been visible over the car seat:

The 22-month-old had outgrown his rear-facing car seat, according to Stoddard. Investigators put a mannequin, which was smaller than Cooper, into the seat and said they were able to see the mannequin’s head over the top of the seat.

When Harris arrived at work, he backed up before parking in his spot. He had no backup camera, according to Stoddard, and would have had to look in his mirrors (or turn around) to see behind him.

Bizarre actions following the incident:

A witness who performed CPR on Cooper after Harris stopped his car and pulled the boy’s body out, described Harris as “messing around” on the scene, according to Stoddard.

Stoddard also had this to say about Harris’ behavior at the police station (where he was being watched on camera): "He started off trying to work himself up... He’s walking around, rubbing his eyes. It looked like he's trying to hyperventilate himself... no tears, no real emotion coming out except for the huffing as I would put it."

Chilling statements by husband and wife:

Harris became emotional when his wife arrived at the police station, according to Stoddard: “It was all about him: ‘I can’t believe this is happening to me. Why am I being punished for this?’ It was all very one-sided,” Stoddard said. “He talked about losing his job… ‘What are we going to do? I’ll be charged with a felony.’”

According to Stoddard, Leanna Harris later asked her husband, "Did you say too much?"

Justin Ross Harris also described Cooper to his wife as peaceful with his eyes closed, when this wasn't the case, according to Stoddard. He allegedly also told his wife: "I dreaded how he would look." Stoddard stressed that Harris used the past tense.

Injuries found on the boy’s body:

Stoddard said there were “marks on the child’s face. It would have come from the child or a scratch being made while the child was alive and then not healing or scabbing over or anything after that, soon after he passed away.”

There were also abrasions to the back of the boy’s head, according to Stoddard.

Harris was sexting while his son was dying:

During the day, while at work, Harris was having conversations with up to six different women, according to Stoddard. Explicit photos were exchanged, with Harris even allegedly sending a picture of his erect penis to a 16-year-old girl, according to Stoddard.

Financial troubles and life insurance policies:

The couple had $2,000 and $25,000 life insurance policies on their son, according to Stoddard, who also said Harris’ wife “was complaining about [her husband’s] purchasing, sporadic purchasing or overcharging credit cards.”

More disturbing Internet activity:

Harris visited a subreddit about “people who die,” which shows videos of people dying (suicide, executions, war, etc.). He also visited a subreddit called child-free and searched the Internet for “how to survive in prison” and “age of consent for Georgia.”

“We’ve only scratched the surface,” said Stoddard in regards to the searches police have done on Harris’ computers.

Harris is completely deaf in his right ear:

The defense brought this point up several times, perhaps in order to help explain why Harris may not have been able to hear that his son was still in the car.

“I always have to go to the other side of his head to talk to him,” Harris’ friend, Winston Milling, testified.

Stoddard said Harris never relayed this information to him.

HLN is live-blogged Thursday's hearing. Read below for the updates (best read from the bottom up):

4:36 p.m. ET: The judge has denied the defense’s request for bond. Harris is led out of the courtroom as everyone is dismissed.

4:35 p.m. ET: The defense has called Penny Harrison, a children’s pastor at Harris' church, to the witness stand. She says she has known Harris and his wife for about two years.

“I knew him to be at typical, loving father of a toddler,” Harrison said. She says he has support at church and that she believes he would show up for court if he were released on bail.

The prosecution asks her if she knows he was sexting with other women. She says no and that "I know him in a church setting and that's all."



4:30 p.m. ET: The defense calls Randy Michael Baygents, Harris’ brother, to the witness stand.

“He was a loving father,” Baygents said about his brother, getting emotional. “He loved his son very much. We went on family vacations together and he was a good dad.” Harris wipes his eyes.

The prosecution says that Harris has been breaking the law by sexting with underage girls. Baygents says he didn't know about this but still believes his brother wouldn't commit a crime if released on bail.



4:24 p.m. ET: “I found there’s probable cause for the two charges contained in the warrant,” Judge Frank Cox tells the court. They're now moving on to the bond part of the hearing.

4:22 p.m. ET: Prosecutor Chuck Boring is now addressing the judge telling him “the evidence is overwhelming.”


4:18 p.m. ET: “It’s easy to get distracted when you get behind the wheel. Everyone’s done it. His mind is already skipping ahead to the rest of the day,” Kilgore said. “We forget things in a moment – that’s how we forget things.”

Kilgore says people forget their kids in the car, which is why the governor has instituted a “look again” campaign.

“The results of that forgetting… were absolutely catastrophic,” Kilgore said. “But an accident doesn’t become a crime because the results were catastrophic.”

Harris is visible crying as Kilgore speaks.



4:13 p.m. ET: Kilgore says the sexting information was only introduced to “publicly shame” Harris: “It’s not like his family hadn’t been through enough already.”

4:08 p.m. ET: The defense addresses the prosecution's sexting allegations from earlier:


4:02 p.m. ET: Defense attorney Kilgore is now arguing why Harris shouldn’t face charges.

"There’s no evidence Ross was aware that child was in the car. Why in the world would he bring his colleagues right up to the car? It makes no sense at all," Kilgore tells the judge.

4:00 p.m. ET: The defense has called another one of Harris’ friends, Winston Milling, to the stand. He also went to lunch with Harris on the day his son died and says everything appeared normal.

“He loved showing Cooper off to everybody. He liked picking him up, bringing him around. He was always happy, Cooper was always smiling,” Milling said.

When asked about Harris’ deafness in his right ear: “I always have to go to the other side of his head to talk to him.”



3:47 p.m. ET: There are no more questions for Hall. The judge says court has been going for two hours now and dismisses everyone for a five-minute recess.

3:46 p.m. ET: "I saw a tear go down Ross's cheek as witness described how much he loved his son." -- HLN producer Natisha Lance

3:45 p.m. ET: “He said he loved his son all the time. He said his son was very important to him,” Hall said. The prosecution begins its cross-examination and asks Hall if he knew that Harris was sexting women all day. Hall says no.

"You don’t know everything about Mr. Harris, do you?" Hall shrugs.

3:41 p.m. ET: They bought light bulbs during lunch and Harris dropped them off at the car before returning to work.

“I drove as close as you would reasonably to drop somebody off at their car,” Hall said.


3:39 p.m. ET: The defense has called another witness to the stand, James Alex Hall. He works with Harris, the two went to college together and they also own a business together. Hall drove to lunch with Harris on the day his son died. When asked how Harris was acting that day: "I wouldn’t say abnormal in any way. I’d say normal as you can be. Nothing stuck out, nothing was weird."



3:36 p.m. ET: Harris has leaned over three times during Madden's testimony to wipe his eyes.



3:34 p.m. ET: Madden admits that he has watched media coverage of the case before testifying. He also said it took police 20-30 minutes to arrive but the prosecution says police arrived immediately. No one else has questions for this witness and the judge excuses him.

3:29 p.m. ET: "I felt his pain. I even wept and mourned his son and I’ve never even met him," Madden said, describing Harris' reaction as "genuine" and "organic." The prosecution is now cross-examining the witness.

3:28 p.m. ET: An officer told Harris to step back, according to Madden. Harris allegedly told the officer to "shut up." The officers put Harris in handcuffs.


3:26 p.m. ET: The defense has called a witness to the stand, Leonard Madden.

"When I got closer, I thought it was a doll. And about three or four feet away, I noticed it was the body of a toddler. Right then my heart dropped because I saw this precious boy laying there lifeless," Madden said. "The father, Mr. Ross, had just given his child CPR and about two other people came near to assist. As I got closer, you could just hear his cries and his desperate for his son to be revived. He was saying, 'Oh my god, oh my god. My son is dead. Oh my god, my son is dead.' It sounded as if he was saying it out of hurt and disappointment, desperation. He was yelling, he was hollering, he was screaming."



3:20 p.m. ET: The defense has finished its cross-examination of Stoddard. The judge wants to know how long between the time Harris left work and stopped to pull the boy out of the vehicle. Stoddard says five or size minutes. The judge also wants to know the normal morning routine. Stoddard says Harris would take Cooper to daycare in the mornings. The couple would split picking the boy up in the afternoons. Mom worked from home.

3:15 p.m. ET: The couple bought a forward-facing car seat a few weeks before their son's death but the mom had it in her car at the time. The detective earlier testified that Cooper had outgrown the limits on the rear-facing car seat he was in when he died.

3:09 p.m. ET: Harris' wife "is still attentive during this questioning. She is also chewing gum." -- HLN producer Natisha Lance

3:07 p.m. ET: Harris searched "dozens and dozens and dozens" of topics on the Internet, according to his attorney. He asks Stoddard if he has any evidence that Harris typed in a search for "child free," and Stoddard says no, he doesn't (Harris got to the site somehow but Stoddard's not sure how exactly). "How to survive prison" was a specific Google search, but Stoddard isn't sure when it was made (he doesn't have the dates yet).

3:03 p.m. ET:


3:00 p.m. ET: Harris is completely deaf in his right ear, according to his attorney, Maddox Kilgore. Stoddard says Harris didn't tell him that.

2:56 p.m. ET:


2:55 p.m. ET:


2:49 p.m. ET:


2:38 p.m. ET: Stoddard agrees with the defense that a grieving father could show a “range of emotions from outrage to blankness.”

2:37 p.m. ET:




2:28 p.m. ET: The child was likely dead before noon, according to Stoddard. The defense has begun it’s cross-examination of the detective.

2:26 p.m. ET: Harris never called 911 said "f**k you" to a police officer who asked him on the scene to get off his phone.


2:25 p.m. ET: The prosecution has ended its questions related to probable cause. They’re now addressing the issue of bond and whether or not Harris is a flight risk. Stoddard says yes: “He’s got this whole second life that he’s living with alternate personalities and alternate personas which would also make him a flight risk and harder to keep track of if needed.”

2:24 p.m. ET: Harris said he was afraid of leaving his child in the car and told investigators he was an advocate of the "turn around" program. Stoddard viewed a video twice where a veterinarian sits in a car and shows how hot it is. He watched it five days before his son's death.

2:20 p.m. ET: Harris visited a subreddit about “people who die,” which shows videos of people dying (suicide, executions, war, etc.)

He also visited a subreddit called child-free: “They advocate not having any more children and adding to the biomass I guess is the best way they put it,” Stoddard said.

Harris also searched “how to survive in prison” and “age of consent for Georgia.”

When Stoddard told him they were charging him, Harris allegedly responded by saying, “but there’s no malicious intent.”

2:17 p.m. ET: The couple had a $2,000 and a $25,000 life insurance policy on their son. Harris’ wife “was complaining about his purchasing, sporadic purchasing or overcharging credit cards.”

2:16 p.m. ET: One of the girls he was texting with asked him, “Do you have a conscience?” and he responded, “Nope.”

2:14 p.m. ET:


2:11 p.m. ET: Harris' wife told police the pair were having intimacy issues, according to Stoddard. There are texts to indicate that she knew he was cheating on her.

"We plan to show that he wanted to live a child-free life," the prosecution tells the judge.


2:09 p.m. ET: Stoddard said several injuries were found on the toddler’s body: “Marks on the child’s face. It would have come from the child or a scratch being made while the child was alive and then not healing or scabbing over or anything after that, soon after he passed away.” There were also abrasions to the back of the boy’s head, according to Stoddard.

During the day, Harris was having conversations with up to six different women, according to Stoddard, who said explicit photos were being exchanged.

“We’ve only scratched the surface,” said Stoddard in regards to the searches done on Harris’ computers.

2:02 p.m. ET: Harris became emotional when he was with his wife at the police station: “It was all about him: ‘I can’t believe this is happening to me. Why am I being punished for this?’ It was all very one-sided,” Stoddard said. “He talked about losing his job… ‘What are we going to do? I’ll be charged with a felony.’”

According to Stoddard, Leanna Harris later asked her husband, "Did you say too much?"

Justin Ross Harris also described Cooper as peaceful with his eyes closed, when this wasn't the case, according to Stoddard. He allegedly also told his wife: "I dreaded how he would look."

1:59 p.m. ET: Leanna Harris, the mom, went to pick up Cooper from daycare that day. They told her he was never dropped off. On her way out, she told witnesses: “Ross must have left him in the car… there’s no other explanation. Ross must have left him in the car.” Stoddard says they tried to console her but, “She’s like, ‘No.’”

1:57 p.m. ET: Stoddard describes Harris' demeanor following the incident: "He started off trying to work himself up... He’s walking around, rubbing his eyes. It looked like he's trying to hyperventilate himself... no tears, no real emotion coming out except for the huffing as I would put it." Stoddard says he never saw tears from Harris when he talked about his son.

1:53 p.m. ET: During the day, Harris received an e-mail from daycare: "He received a group email from his teacher, Cooper's teacher... and that email came in around 1:30 p.m.," said Stoddard.

1:51 p.m. ET: Harris didn't tell investigators he returned back to his car during the day, according to Stoddard. Investigators made the discovery when reviewing surveillance footage. He made a quick stop at the car to drop off light bulbs.


1:49 p.m. ET: Harris backed up his car when he arrived at work (before parking), according to Stoddard, who says Harris didn't have a backup camera and would have had to use his rearview and side mirrors (or turn around). Harris reached over the center console to grab his laptop in the passenger seat, according to Stoddard. Investigators used a mannequin in the car seat and found that the boy's head would have been visible over the top of the car seat. Harris sat in his car for 30 seconds before exiting the vehicle.

1:45 p.m. ET: It took 30-40 seconds for Stoddard to get from Chick-fil-A to the stoplight where Harris would have had to turn to go to daycare instead of work. Harris told investigators he had no distractions (like a phone call) on his way to work, according to Stoddard.

1:43 p.m. ET: "His excuse was he fell asleep," Stoddard said, referring to Harris. Stoddard says the boy seemed to be alert and fine at Chick-fil-A. Harris described how he would strap Cooper into his car seat and how he "always gives him a kiss in case he gets into a car accident and dies." Harris told investigators he wanted Cooper's last memory to be that daddy loved him.

1:41 p.m. ET: When Harris pulled into a parking lot after leaving work, witnesses described seeing him pull in at a high rate of speed, tires squealing.

"He seemed upset, his behavior was considered erratic," Stoddard said. "He would be yelling and screaming, 'Oh my god what have I done, my child is dead.' And then he would stop and he’d just have a blank look on his face."

A bystander started CPR on the toddler and described Harris as "messing around."


1:36 p.m. ET: After work that day, Harris was planning to go see a movie with friends -- "22 Jump Street," according to Stoddard.

1:35 p.m. ET: Stopping by Chick-fil-A is also not out of the ordinary for Harris and his son: "Justin stated that this happens two or three times a month. It’s daddy/son time – a special occasion to them," Stoddard said.

The distance from Chick-fil-A to work is 0.6 miles -- "Not even a mile," says Stoddard.

1:33 p.m. ET: There was nothing out of the ordinary on the day Cooper Harris died: "The child was doing great," Stoddard said. He also tells the judge that Justin Ross Harris normally took the boy to daycare, so this wasn't out of his normal routine.

1:30 p.m. ET: Detective Phil Stoddard is on the stand. He says the cause of Cooper Harris' death is hyperthermia and the manner of death is homicide.



1:29 p.m. ET: Harris is in the courtroom and the judge reads the charges against him. Harris' wife, Leanna, appears emotional, according to producers inside the courtroom.



1:27 p.m. ET: The judge is on the bench.


1:25 p.m. ET:



1:18 p.m. ET:



1:15 p.m. ET: "A lot of security in the courtroom. Six deputies. Local attorney says it is usually two, sometimes three." -- HLN producer Natisha Lance


1:11 p.m. ET:


1:09 p.m. ET: "Leanna is holding hands with the woman sitting next to her. Appears as if it could be her mother." -- HLN producer Natisha Lance

1:05 p.m. ET: "Leanna Harris (the toddler's mom) has entered the courtroom. She is in the row behind me along with other family members." -- HLN producer Natisha Lance



1:04 p.m. ET: "Courtroom is open and almost filled to capacity. A court deputy says the front row is being reserved but would not say for whom." -- HLN producer Natisha Lance

12:54 p.m. ET: Have questions about the #hotcardeath case? Tweet them to @HLNonthecase.


12:48 p.m. ET:


12:46 p.m. ET: Just confirmed: The prosecution witness who will be testifying at today's hearing is Phillip Stoddard with the Cobb County Police Department.


12:44 p.m. ET: The hearing is expected to start at 1:30 p.m. ET. HLN will bring you live coverage from inside the courtroom.

12:43 p.m. ET: "About 45 people are gathered outside the courtroom waiting for the doors to open. It is a mix of media and a few court watchers." -- HLN producer Natisha Lance

12:24 p.m. ET: HLN's Vinnie Politan is outside the courthouse. Check out how close today's proceedings are to Harris' church:

Police: Father was 'sexting' as son was dying

Justin Ross Harris denied bail
 
UPDATED 9:47 PM EDT Jul 03, 2014

 




Surprising claims came to light during a hearing Thursday for a Georgia man whose toddler son died after being left in a hot car, a man prosecutors sought to portray as an unfaithful husband who wanted a child-free life.

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  Leaving a child in a car seems unfathomable to many. What kind of person just forgets? If you are quick to say, 'I could never,' consider that people who devote their lives to studying these incidents say that anyone of any age or profession is liable to do it.
  

Among the most shocking allegations: Justin Ross Harris messaged six women, sending and receiving explicit texts -- some including nude images -- from work while his 22-month-old was dying, a detective testified at the hearing.


Harris' attorney repeatedly objected to Cobb County, Georgia, police Detective Phil Stoddard's testimony claiming that Harris sexted the women -- one of whom was underage at the time -- but the judge allowed it.

Police say Harris, 33, left his toddler, Cooper, strapped into a car seat under a baking sun for seven hours while he went to work June 18. Records show that the mercury topped 92 that day, and police say the temperature was 88 degrees when the boy was pronounced dead in a parking lot not far from his father's workplace.

At the hearing, Cobb County Chief Magistrate Frank Cox found probable cause for the case against Harris to move forward with respect to murder and child cruelty charges.

"For him to enter the car ... when the child had been dead and rigor mortis had set in, and the testimony is the stench in the car was overwhelming at that point in time, that he -- in spite of that -- got in the car and drove it for some distance before he took any action to check on the welfare of his child, I find there is probable cause for the two charges contained in the warrant," Cox told a packed courtroom.

The judge denied bail for Harris, who has pleaded not guilty.

In addition to the charges he faces in connection with his son's death, Harris may also be charged with felony sexual exploitation of a minor and misdemeanor illegal contact with a minor, Stoddard said.

Internet searches
The detective also testified about Internet searches that could raise eyebrows given the context of the case.

Before his son's death, Harris had visited a Reddit page called "child-free" and read four articles, Stoddard said. He also allegedly searched how to survive in prison.

Among the other details police have released is that Harris and his wife, Leanna Harris, told them they looked up how hot a car needed to be to kill a child.

Five days before Cooper died, Ross Harris twice viewed a sort of homemade public service announcement in which a veterinarian demonstrates on video the dangers of leaving someone or something inside a hot car.


Leanna Harris told police that she had recently seen a story on a state initiative aimed at reminding people not to leave children in cars and that it was a fear of hers, Stoddard said.

Ross Harris "stated that he recently researched, through the Internet, child deaths inside vehicles and what temperature it needs to be for that to occur," police have said, adding that Harris told investigators "he was fearful that this could happen."

During questioning, Leanna Harris "made similar statements regarding researching in car deaths and how it occurs," according to police.

The time frame for the alleged research remains unclear.

'I felt his pain; I even wept'
Thursday's probable cause hearing was expected to last 90 minutes; it stretched for some three hours.

A good chunk of that time was spent discussing how Ross Harris acted after he pulled into a shopping center asking for assistance with his son.

Witnesses told police they heard "squealing tires, and the vehicle came to a stop," Stoddard testified. Harris got out of the car yelling, "Oh, my God, what have I done?" Stoddard said.

The 33-year-old father then stood there with a blank look on his face, the detective said. When a witness told Harris his son needed CPR, Harris went to the other side of his vehicle and made a phone call, apparently to tell someone his son was dead, a witness told police, according to Stoddard.

Harris never called 911, and when an officer told him to get off his phone, he refused and even said, "F*** you" before an officer took his phone and handcuffed him, the detective said.

He also alleged that Harris told police he couldn't reach anyone on his telephone, but phone records show that Harris made three calls after he discovered his son's body, and one between him and his employer lasted six minutes, Stoddard said.

However, witness Leonard Madden offered a different version of what happened. Madden and an acquaintance were leaving a restaurant when they noticed a commotion and approached within 3 or 4 feet of a clearly distraught Harris.


"He was crying. He was hollering," Madden testified, recounting the father saying, "Oh, my God! Oh, my God, my son is dead!"

"I felt his pain; I even wept," Madden said.

Strange behaviors
According to Stoddard, Harris made statements that police felt were strange, including "I can't believe this is happening to me" and "I'll be charged with a felony."

"It was all about him," Stoddard said. "'Why am I being punished for this?' It continued. It was all very one-sided."

The detective said Harris talked about losing his job. He testified that messages between the Harrises indicate the two were having financial problems.


Ross Harris had recently been passed over for a promotion, and the couple had two insurance policies on Cooper, one for $2,000 and one for $25,000, the detective said.

Stoddard also testified about how Leanna Harris acted when she arrived at a day care enter to pick the boy up and employees there told her Cooper had never been dropped off.

"Ross must have left him in the car," she replied, according to the detective. Witnesses said they tried to tell her many other things could have happened, but Leanna Harris insisted that Ross Harris must have left the boy in the car, Stoddard said.

He also testified that when Ross and Leanna Harris were in an interview room, Ross Harris told his wife that Cooper looked "peaceful" and that his eyes were closed when he was removed from the vehicle. He told his wife, "I dreaded how he would look," Stoddard said, noting how Harris had used the past tense.

The detective added that the boy's eyes and mouth were not closed when he was taken out of the SUV.

At another point in the interview room, Stoddard said, Leanna Harris asked her husband about what he had said to police.

"She asked him -- she had him sit down, and he starts going through this. And she looks at him, and she's like, 'Well, did you say too much?' " the detective testified.

'Nothing was weird'
While prosecutors painted Ross Harris as a terrible, in fact criminal, father, the defense called witnesses who testified on his behalf.

James Alex Hall, who worked with Ross Harris and had run a Web development company with him for the past two or three months, said Harris didn't act out of the ordinary on the day his son died.

"I would say normal as you could be. Nothing stuck out. Nothing was weird," Hall said.

Ross Harris was scheduled to meet friends for a 5 p.m. showing of the movie "22 Jump Street," according to Stoddard, but he told them he'd be late. He left work at 4:16 p.m., and it would have taken him about 10 minutes to get to the theater, the detective said.

When Harris didn't show up 30 minutes into the movie, Hall stepped outside to contact him. Harris didn't respond to texts, and phone calls went straight to his voice mail, Hall said.

Asked whether Harris was a guy who talked about how life might be without a child, Hall said he was the opposite: the kind of dad who talked about his child to the point that people were tired of hearing about it.

"He said he loved his son all the time," Hall said.

On cross-examination, a prosecutor asked Hall whether he was aware of allegations that Ross Harris had been sexting various women. Hall replied no and conceded that, if that were true, he didn't know everything about his friend.

In what might be a harbinger, the defense repeatedly asked witnesses if they knew Harris was deaf in one ear, perhaps indicating that Harris might not have heard his child in the back seat when he got out of the car and when he returned to it.

"He is deaf in one ear or mostly deaf," a friend testified about Harris. "I always have to go to the other side of his head to talk to him," said Winston Rowell Milling.

'It's easy to get distracted'
Defense attorney H. Maddox Kilgore said after several witnesses testified that he didn't feel anything presented at Thursday's hearing indicated that Ross Harris intentionally left Cooper in the car, which would be key to finding him guilty on the charges.

"It's not even criminal negligence enough to support a misdemeanor," he told the judge, asking him to dismiss the warrant. "It's easy to get distracted when you get behind the wheel. Everyone does it."

Kilgore said he himself had forgotten boxed-up leftovers, a comparison on which the prosecution seized. Someone might remember that they left spaghetti in the car after 30 minutes, said Assistant District Attorney Chuck Boring.

But Harris not only forgot his child, he got an e-mail from his son's day care during the day and at one point went to the vehicle to place lightbulbs inside, never once remembering Cooper, the prosecutor said.

"I think it's remarkable he didn't stick his head in that car," Boring said. "He knew what he was going to find."

Cooper was buried Saturday in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

The Cobb County Medical Examiner's Office determined that the child's cause of death was "consistent with hyperthermia and the investigative information suggests the manner of death is homicide," according to a Cobb County Department of Public Safety statement.

The Medical Examiner's Office is waiting for toxicology test results before making an official ruling on the toddler's death.

At the boy's funeral, Leanna Harris said she loves her husband and stands by him.

"Am I angry with Ross?" Leanna Harris told mourners. "Absolutely not. It has never crossed my mind. Ross is and was and will be, if we have more children, a wonderful father. Ross is a wonderful daddy and leader for our household. Cooper meant the world to him."

I think his wife "stood by her man" because she was in on the murder.

How will she react now that the evidence shows he is a sex crazed whore and a pedophile?

I think I heard on Nancy Grace that there was evidence she knew he was cheating, but I haven't read that anywhere and I don't know what it was.
I can see his motive, but what was hers? $27,000 is not a lot of money. It does look like she was in on it though. :-(

twinkletoes wrote:I think his wife "stood by her man" because she was in on the murder.

How will she react now that the evidence shows he is a sex crazed whore and a pedophile?

EXACTLY!!! I kept watching her face for reaction, but she's a cool cookie. No expression.

What I liked is how his friends STILL got on the stand and said we took vacations together, he's loving father." Best change your opinion, because you're being shown to be not such a good judge of character.

I bet Casey is wondering why some people are such amateurs.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Christian Boone is in the courtroom for a hearing for Justin Ross Harris, who is accused of killing his 22-month-old son by leaving him inside an SUV.

4:38 p.m.: Harris is escorted back to jail. Hearing is over.

4:36 p.m.: Judge denies bond.

4:30 p.m.: Harris’ brother, Tuscaloosa Police Sgt. Randy Michael Baygents: “He was a loving father. Loved his son very much.”

4:20 p.m.: Judge rules there was probable cause for the charges against Harris. “At the very minimum there was reckless disregard,” he says.

4:13 p.m.: Kilgore: “Why would he take his closest friends to his crime scene? It makes sense that he didn’t know.”

Sexting doesn’t illustrate wanton, willful disregard.

4:05 p.m.: Maddox Kilgore, Ross defense attorney: “We’ve heard a lot of suggestions, speculations, coincidences … but you certainly haven’t heard any evidence this was intentional. There’s no evidence Ross was aware the child was in the car. Why would he bring his colleagues right up to the car. It doesn’t make any sense.”

He’s got to be aware the child was in the car for there to be conscious indifference. “

3:46 p.m.: “He said he loved his son all the time,” Hall said. “His son was very important to him.”

3:40 p.m.: Defense witness Alex Hall, a co-worker at Home Depot.

Noted nothing unusual about Ross Harris’ behavior that day.

“I wouldn’t say abnormal in any way. Nothing stuck out, nothing was weird.”

3:28 p.m.: Madden: “I heard the desperate cries of a father who had just lost his son.” Two officers approached Harris aggressively. They put handcuffs on him.

3:24 p.m.: Witness Leonard Madden, called by defense.

Madden works in Ashford-Dunwoody area and was having lunch with a colleague.

“Saw this precious boy lying there, lifeless,” Madden testified. “The father, had just given his child CPR. Two other people had come near to exist. As I got closer you could just hear his cries and his desperation for his son to be revived.”

3:17 p.m.: Detective: Six weeks ago they bought forward-facing child seat. Few weeks went back to using rear-facing car seat.

Kilgore: At 3:16 on June 18, day Cooper died, Ross had texted his wife, “When are you going to get my buddy?”

3 p.m.: Defense lawyer disputes prosecution contention the Harris’ were in financial trouble.

2:50 p.m.: Kilgore: “[Harris] just tosses light bulbs in, closes the door and walks away.

Detective confirms, no sign that he checked back seat

2:44 p.m.: Kilgore (defense attorney): Ocassionally Harris would take Cooper to daycare, then go to Chick-fil-A.

2:42 p.m.: Kilgore: A parent could be shocked, dazed. That could account for his behavior.

Argues his client was in shock.

Stoddard: He had expressed concern for what he was going to tell his wife.

2:38 p.m.: Defense attorney: “Witnesses said Ross Harris was hysterical at scene.”

“Some did,” Det. Stoddard said

2:33 p.m.: Det. Stoddard being questioned by defense attorney Maddox Kilgore.

Kilgore: Warrant doesn’t allege the act was intentional.

Stoddard: “Evidence now is showing intent.”

2:27 p.m.: On bail and potential flight risk from Det. Stoddard. “Evidence is showing up [Harris] has this whole second life he’s leading.” Harris never called 911.

Do you view him a threat to commit another crime? “He’s committed other crimes. Sexual exploitation of a minor.”

2:25 p.m.: Harris visited a sub-Reddit site: “Child-free. People who advocated living child-free.”

Also did a search on: “How to survive in prison.” When they told him he was charged with murder,

Ross Harris looked at me and said, “But there was no malicious intent.” Ross argued cruelty to children charge: “It was an accident.” Viewed video [on a computer] twice about children dying in cars. Last one, June 13.

2:17 p.m.: Woman he was sexting with: She said, “Do you have a conscience.” What was his response?

“Nope.” Had interviewed with Chick-fil-A didn’t get [the job]. He was depressed. Had two insurance policies on Cooper. One, $2,000. Also had $25,000 policy on Cooper.

2:11 p.m.: To defense objections, DA introduced evidence of texting:“Goes to motive, marital problems with wife and his unhappiness. ” One of chats that day was with 16 year-old girl, now 17.

Examining computers, Stoddard said, “We’ve barely scratched the surface.”

2:09 p.m.: On the day Cooper died, Ross, at work, was “sexting” with up to six different conversations with different women. Sent photos of erect penis.

2:05 p.m.: Leanna went to daycare: “I’m here to pick up Cooper. They told her he didn’t drop Cooper off.

In front of several witnesses she said, “Ross must’ve left him in the car.”

“They tried to console her, said there could be a million reasons.”

She said no.”

Showed “no real emotion” after being told Cooper was deceased. Didn’t ask to see Cooper. Asked to see her husband.

Leanna called her mom, loud conversation could be overheard.

The emotion was coming from Leanna’s mom.

Mom to Leanna: “Why aren’t you crying? Why aren’t you reacting?”

Leanna: “I must be in shock.”

Leanna and Ross were put together at police station, wife and father put together. What was he emotional about.

“It was all about him. I can’t believe this has happened to me? Why am I being punished for this? What am I going to do. I’m going to lose my job.”

Wife: “Did you say too much?”

Ross to Leanna: “He looked peaceful. His eyes were closed. His mouth was closed.”

Stoddard: Actually, Cooper’s “eyes were not closed. Mouth not closed.”

Ross to Leanna: “I dreaded how he’d look.”

1:59 p.m.: Stoddard on when police talked to Harris after Cooper was found dead: “Harris is walking around, rubbing his eyes, look like he’s trying to hyperventilate. Then nothing. No tears, no real emotion. “

Told him Stoddard was a jailer, a dispatcher. Used cop language.

DA: Did u ever see tears?

Stoddard: No

Leanna went to daycare: “I’m here to pick up Cooper. They told her he didn’t drop Cooper off.

In front of several witnesses she said, “Ross must’ve left him in the car.”

“They tried to console her, said there could be a million reasons.”

She said no.”

Showed “no real emotion” after being told Cooper was deceased. Didn’t ask to see Cooper. Asked to see her husband.

1:52 p.m.: Harris never mentioned he had returned to car in deck at lunchtime. Police looked at the surveillance video to find out. Also, Harris didn’t tell police he went to Home Depot on lunch hour, purchased two boxes of light bulbs.

At lunch, he open driver side door, tosses light bulbs inside the car. Approaches from left hand side.

Shuts door, turns around and walks into Home Depot. Another person passes him walking towards his car. As person approaches him, he stops. Stops again, seemingly to distract passerby.

Received a group email from Cooper’s daycare.

1:49 p.m. : Stoddards says at Chick-fil-A Cooper was “active, talking, walking.”

Inside the car, Cooper’s head would’ve been in-between two front seats. Harris strapped him in tight.

Cooper gives him a kiss. He gave him a kiss back. Always gave him a kiss in case of car accident.

“Wanted his last memory to be his Daddy loved him.”

1:45 p.m.: Det. Phil Stoddard, Cobb police is on the stand. Family woke up around 6:30. Leanna left for work around 7:15 a.m. Watched cartoons before leaving for work, stopping at Chick-fil-A. Everyone said child was normal that morning. No mediciations, no illnesses.

“Nothing out of the ordinary.”

Justin normally took Cooper to day care. Taking him “not out of his routine.” Chick-fil-A visits happened 2-3 times a month. “Daddy’s on time.”

Child appeared “wide awake and happy” at 9 a.m. , Chick-fil-A

Cooper seen walking around Chick-fil-A.

They left 9:19 a.m., drove “not even a mile.”

Arrived at work 9:25 a.m.

Left work at 4:15 pm.

Less than 2 miles from office, defendant pulled over into Akers Mill on way to movie.

Parked car, entered rear door, removed Cooper from car seat, placed him on pavement next to vehicle.

1:28 p.m.: The line to get into the old Cobb County courtroom started forming around 12:15 p.m., some 75 minutes before Ross Harris – charged with malice murder and second-degree cruelty to children after leaving his 22-month-old son locked inside his SUV for more than seven hours— was due to make his first public appearance since his arrest two weeks ago. By day’s end he could be freed on bond.

Most were family members and supporters of Ross and Leanna Harris, who lived in the Tuscaloosa area until about two years ago. None of Harris’ relatives or friends would talk to the media. “We’ve been told not to by the lawyers,” said one.

The standing room only crowd pushed into the courtroom when the doors opened at 1 p.m., though some were left on the outside looking in. One woman could be heard yelling, “I’ve been here since 9:30 a.m.”

The probable cause portion of today’s hearing will provide the first glimpse into the prosecution’s case against Ross Harris, who claims he forgot he had left Cooper in his car seat inside the Hyundai Tucson.

http://m.ajc.com/news/news/inside-the-courtroom/ngYcc/

Startling claims hurled at Ga. dad
A man who is accused of intentionally killing his son by leaving him in a hot SUV was allegedly living a double life.

Jul 4th 2014 7:49AM

MARIETTA, Ga. (AP) - Justin Ross Harris was a devoted and loving father who talked about his toddler son often, his friends and family say. But prosecutors have portrayed him as a man unhappy in his marriage who exchanged nude photos with several women as his son died in a hot SUV.

Harris, 33, faces murder and child cruelty charges in the June 18 death of his 22-month-old son Cooper, who police say was left in a vehicle for about seven hours on a day when temperatures in the Atlanta area reached at least into the high 80s. The medical examiner's office has said the boy died of hyperthermia - essentially overheating - and has called his death a homicide.

During a three-hour hearing Thursday, prosecutor Chuck Boring questioned a police detective at length, outlining evidence he said proves Harris intentionally left his young boy in the hot SUV. But defense attorney Maddox Kilgore argued the evidence was insufficient and that the boy's death was a tragic accident.

A judge declined at the end of the hearing to grant Harris bond, meaning he will remain in jail as law enforcement officers continue to investigate and present their findings to the Cobb County district attorney, who will decide how to proceed with the case.

Alex Hall and Winston Milling, who have both been friends with Harris since college and worked with him at Home Depot, testified that Harris talked all the time about how he loved his son. The two went to lunch with Harris the day the boy died and had planned to go to a movie after work that day.

"Nothing stuck out," Hall said. "Nothing was weird."

The two men later dropped Harris off so he could put a couple of light bulbs he had purchased in his car.

Kilgore, the defense attorney, said that showed Harris did not mean to leave the boy there.

"Why would he take his closest friends to his crime scene?" he asked.

Kilgore said Harris had also sent his wife a text that afternoon asking, "When are you going to pick up my buddy?"

And Harris described himself to police as a doting father who always kissed his son when he strapped him into the car seat because "he wanted Cooper to know his daddy loves him," Cobb County Police Detective Phil Stoddard testified.

Harris is a native of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and moved to Georgia in 2012 to work for Home Depot.

Harris told police that on the day of the boy's death, he had watched cartoons in bed with Cooper, then had breakfast with him at a Chick-fil-A restaurant. Surveillance video from the restaurant showed a child who "appeared wide awake and happy," Stoddard said. Harris told police he forgot to drop the boy off at day care, instead driving straight to work.

Harris told police he realized the boy was still in the car as he drove to the movies after work. A defense witness testified that Harris appeared to be extremely upset after pulling into the parking lot, trying to do CPR on his son.

"He was saying, 'Oh my God, oh my God, my son is dead, oh my God,'" witness Leonard Madden said.

But Stoddard, the detective, said witness accounts were not consistent. Harris never called 911 but was on his cellphone when officers arrived, Stoddard said. Harris twice refused an officer's request to get off the phone and was arrested when he used profanity, Stoddard said. Harris showed no emotion while being interviewed by investigators, Stoddard said.

Evidence uncovered by investigators shows Harris was unhappy in his marriage and was practically leading a double life, Stoddard said. He was exchanging nude photos with several women, including at least one teenager, even on the day his son died when he was at work, Stoddard said.

Kilgore, the defense attorney, said that evidence had no bearing on Harris' intent.

"I think the real purpose of all that is to publicly shame him," Kilgore said.

Kilgore also said Harris and his family will have to deal with what he called a catastrophic accident for the rest of their lives. Harris, who was stoic through most of the hearing, began crying at that point.

In the weeks before the boy's death, the man also had looked at a website that advocated against having children and had done an Internet search for "how to survive in prison," the detective said.

"I think the evidence now is showing intent," Stoddard said. He said Harris should remain in jail because he is a flight risk: There is evidence he was leading a double life, he has family in Alabama, and the former 911 dispatcher has law enforcement experience.

Scores of reporters and some curious members of the public were at the hearing just outside Atlanta, where police and prosecutors laid out the most detailed account yet of their case against Harris. Some of Harris' supporters also were in the courtroom, as was his wife.

Many were surprised and there was some public outcry when police immediately arrested Harris and charged him with murder in his son's death, and that may be one reason the prosecution presented so much of its findings at Thursday's hearing, said Georgia State University law professor Jessica Gabel, who attended the hearing.

"We can always say that publicity and emotion doesn't matter, but I think the reason the prosecution came out swinging today is because of the criticism," she said.

http://www.aol.com/article/2014/07/04/police-dad-intentionally-left-child-in-hot-car/20925248/?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmaing9%7Cdl6%7Csec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D497181

Justin Ross Harris hearing includes underage sexting allegations, witnesses calling him a great dad

By Carol Robinson | crobinson@al.com
Email the author | Follow on Twitter
on July 03, 2014 at 5:50 PM, updated July 04, 2014 at 7:22 AM


COBB COUNTY, Georgia -- A three-hour preliminary hearing today in the hot-car death of a Georgia toddler revealed stunning allegations against father Justin Ross Harris.

Prosecutors said Harris, a 33-year-old Tuscaloosa native, lived an "alternative lifestyle," was sexting six different women while young Cooper Harris was dying in Harris' sweltering SUV, including sending and receiving nude pictures, and had carried out various concerning internet searches, including "How to survive prison."

After hearing from both sides, Superior Court Judge Frank Cox ruled there was enough evidence against Harris to take the case to a grand jury. Cox also ordered that Harris remain jailed without bond. Harris is charged with felony murder and child cruelty.

Cobb County police Det. Phil Stoddard testified the boy's mother, Leanna Harris, was the first in the family to wake that day at about 6:30 a.m.

Ross Harris and Cooper stayed in bed watching cartoons a little longer, getting up and dressed about 7 a.m. Later that morning, Ross Harris took his son to Chick-fil-A, which Stoddard said Harris did several times a month.

"It was a Daddy-son time,'' Stoddard said. "It was a special occasion for them." The detective said they reviewed surveillance video from the restaurant and "the child appeared wide-awake and happy'' as they left.

After leaving the restaurant at 9:19 a.m., Stoddard said Ross Harris strapped Cooper into his rear-facing car seat. Because of the dimensions of the Hyundai Tuscson, a small SUV, the top of the car seat was only about six inches from Ross Harris' head, and protruded in between the two front seats, the detective said.

Ross Harris arrived at work about 9:25 a.m. Throughout the day, he talked on an inner-office chat with several friends, making plans for lunch and a 5 p.m. movie -- 22nd Jump Street. He went to lunch with friends at Publix, and then made a stop at Home Depot to buy light bulbs.

Harris' friends dropped him off at this SUV, at which time police said he opened the door to his vehicle, turned his head to one side and "tossed" the package of light bulbs into the vehicle.

When he got into his vehicle to leave the office about 4:15 p.m., Harris didn't roll down the windows, despite the day's hot temperatures, Stoddard testified. He then drove less than two miles before he pulled into a strip mall, jumped out of the SUV, and pulled Cooper from his car seat.

Stoddard said Harris put Cooper on the hot pavement and, Stoddard testified, didn't call 911, nor perform CPR. Instead, Stoddard said, his behavior as described by the first witness on the scene was erratic. He would scream one minute, and then just have a blank stare the next, Stoddard testified.

While witnesses performed CPR, Harris walked around to the other side of the car and got on his cell phone.  He was heard by officers on the scene telling whoever was on the other end of the line that his child had died, but police said Harris told them he was never able to reach anyone he called.

Stoddard testified that when officers told Harris to get off of his phone at the scene, he said, "No." When they asked again, he told them, "(Expletive) you."

His phone records showed a different story, Stoddard said. Logs showed he called his wife, and Home Depot twice, which included a six-minute call to Home Depot's daycare, Little Aprons, where Cooper attended.

When Harris told police he forgot his son was in the car, Stoddard said, he gave the excuse that Cooper had fallen asleep. It was less than a minute drive from the restaurant to the daycare, Stoddard said, and daycare workers told police Cooper was always awake and excited on days they went to Chick-fil-A.

Harris told police that after strapping Cooper into the car seat, they kissed each other good-bye. Harris said he made it a point to always do that in case they got into a fatal car crash. He wanted their last moment together to be one of "loving," he told police.

Authorities said while at work that day, Harris received a group email from the daycare. His attorney, Maddox Kilgore, said Harris texted his wife at 3:16 p.m. that day and said, "When are you going to get my buddy?" Police said they saw no texts between Harris and his wife that day.

Police did say, however, Harris was texting six other women while Cooper was dying in the SUV. They say records show he was sending and receiving explicit texts , including nude images of himself and the women, which included a teen girl. He had also made plans to meet with at least one of them.

The teen girl, Stoddard testified, is 17 now, but was 16 when she and Harris began 'sexting.'

Harris' attorney objected to the "sexting" line of questioning, but the judge allowed it. Prosecutor Chuck Boring said the questions helped to establish motive since Leanna Harris told police she and her husband were having "intimacy" problems. .

In one of the text conversations with another woman, Stoddard said, the woman asked Harris, "Do you even have a conscience?" Harris' reply was "Nope,'' the detective testified.

The prosecution said Harris visited a subreddit website about "people who die," which shows videos of people dying. He also visited a subreddit site called Child-Free. "They advocate not having any more children and adding to the biomass I guess is the best way to put it,'' Stoddard said.

Harris also searched "how to survive in prison" and "age of consent for Georgia."

The detective testified that Leanna Harris went to the daycare to pick up Cooper. She arrived there at 4:51 p.m. and was told that Cooper never came in that day. The mother's first words, police said, were: "Ross must have left him in the car."

When a daycare worker told Leanna Harris there were a "million" other reasons why Cooper never showed up, Leanna Harris immediately said, "No." She didn't show any emotion, police said, but did say it was her "worst nightmare."

Police said she never asked to see Cooper, but did asked to see her husband. She called her mother, who screamed and cried loudly and asked Leanna Harris why she wasn't crying. Leanna Harris' reply was, "I must be in shock."

Detectives put the husband and wife in a room together. Stoddard testified that it was in that room that Harris became emotional but that, "It was all about him,'' the detective said. It during that time together that Leanna Harris asked her husband, "Did you say too much?" police said.

Harris described to his wife how Cooper looked when he pulled him out of the vehicle. He told her Cooper looked peaceful, and that his eyes and mouth were closed. He also told his wife, "I dreaded how he would look,'' Stoddard testified.

In fact, police said, Cooper was in full rigor, the car smelled of decomposition even hours after the body was removed, and Cooper's eyes were partially open, as was his mouth. His tongue was protruding through his lips.

Stoddard testified that when police told Harris they were charging him, Harris replied, "But there was no malicious intent."

Witness Leonard Madden, who was on the scene that day, said he didn't see anything suspicious in Harris' behavior, he testified. He said he first thought Cooper was a doll, and then realized otherwise when he got closer. Harris, Madden said, was yelling "Oh, my God! Oh, my God, my son is dead!"

He said he felt Harris' pain. "I even wept," Madden testified.

Police testified that the parents had two life insurance policies on Cooper totaling $27,000. Stoddard testified that his wife had alluded to some financial difficulties and a $4,000 credit card balance. The detective said Harris had been passed over for a promotion at Home Depot, had interviewed but not gotten a job with Chick-fil-A, and had been depressed.

Defense Attorney Maddox Kilgore called several of Harris' friends to the stand.

Alex Hall, who attended the University of Alabama with Harris and worked with him, said Harris acted normal when they, along with friend and coworker Winston Milling, went to lunch. "He said he loved his son all the time," Hall said.

Milling agreed. "He loved showing Cooper off to everybody,'' Milling testified.

The defense's character witnesses included Harris' brother, Sgt. Michael Baygents who works at the Law Enforcement Academy in Tuscaloosa, and the children's pastor at the Harris' church in Georgia.

Both testified that they thought Harris should be granted bail because the Harris they know isn't a flight risk nor would he commit any crimes if out on bail.

The prosecution again pointed out the "sexting" allegations and asked if it was fair to say they obviously didn't know everything about him.

Kilgore, the defense attorney, asked the judge to dismiss the charges against Harris. He said there wasn't enough evidence against him to even support a misdemeanor, and said Harris simply forgot his son was in the car.

"Ross pulled out of Chick-fil-A and his mind went elsewhere,'' Kilgore said. "We forget in an instant because our mind races ahead."

"The results of forgetting in this case were absolutely catastrophic, but an accident doesn't become a crime because the results are catastrophic,'' Kilgore said.

Boring said in closing that he believed Harris knew what he was doing, and did it intentionally. He went back to the lunchtime visit at the car, and the fact that Harris tossed the fragile light bulbs into the SUV. He didn't get into the SUV, Boring said, "Because he knew what he was going to find."

http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2014/07/justin_ross_harris_hearing_bri.html

mari2013 wrote:

twinkletoes wrote:I think his wife "stood by her man" because she was in on the murder.

How will she react now that the evidence shows he is a sex crazed whore and a pedophile?

EXACTLY!!! I kept watching her face for reaction, but she's a cool cookie. No expression.

What I liked is how his friends STILL got on the stand and said we took vacations together, he's loving father." Best change your opinion, because you're being shown to be not such a good judge of character.

I bet Casey is wondering why some people are such amateurs.

A lot of his friends have changed their minds about him.  The ones who were having petitions signed to help him get out, and collecting money for him have ceased all efforts because of all the information that is slowly making it's way out about the man.

"I miss him with all of my heart. Would I bring him back? No. To bring him back into this broken world would be selfish," she said. "Am I angry with God? No. This is part of His plan for Ross and I. Is this our purpose? I don't know. I'm still waiting on the Lord to reveal that to me. Am I angry with Ross? Absolutely not. It has never crossed my mind. Ross is and was and will be, if we have more children, a wonderful father. Ross is a wonderful daddy and leader for our children [there is loud clapping at this last statement]. Cooper meant the world to him. There was not a day that went by that we did not say how blessed we were able to have him in our lives."

This statement made my blood run cold.