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

twinkletoes wrote:

"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.

Another thing that makes my blood run cold is how the "father" sits in court looking like a gigantic pouting child.

mari2013 wrote:

twinkletoes wrote:

"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.

Another thing that makes my blood run cold is how the "father" sits in court looking like a gigantic pouting child.

Wonder how long they planned this.

Interesting when dumb criminals think they can outsmart LE.  This time it didn't work.

twinkletoes wrote:

mari2013 wrote:

twinkletoes wrote:

"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.

Another thing that makes my blood run cold is how the "father" sits in court looking like a gigantic pouting child.

Wonder how long they planned this.

Interesting when dumb criminals think they can outsmart LE.  This time it didn't work.

They probably planned it for the same amount of time "dad" spent growing his hair to look like Pre-Badboy Justin Beiber. Sorry, I'm just beyond sick of people who kill their own kids.

http://m.ajc.com/news/news/local-govt-politics/cobb-toddlers-health-car-seat-focus-of-new-warrant/ngZty/

By Christian Boone

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Overlooked amid a torrent of sensational revelations last week about Ross Harris’ behavior before, during and after his son’s death, 22-month-old Cooper’s car seat figures to be a key component in the prosecution’s case against the Home Depot IT specialist.

Search warrants released Monday reveal police are taking a close look at Cooper’s health records to see whether the child was, as his father told detectives, developing normally.

During a probable cause hearing Thursday, Cobb County Police Det. Phil Stoddard testified Cooper was “several inches” too big for the rear-facing child seat in which he perished June 18 after being locked inside his father’s Hyundai Tucson for more than seven hours. Harris, who claims he mistakenly left his son inside the sweltering SUV, is being held without bond in Cobb jail, charged with felony murder and second-degree cruelty to children.

According to Stoddard, the boy’s parents had purchased a new, forward-facing child seat six weeks ago but, just a few weeks before his death, they switched back to his old seat for reasons not made clear.

“Harris knew the specific make and model of the seat and what the weight limit was for the child to be seated in it,” the warrants state. “When the seat was inspected the straps for the seat were set on the lowest level for a small child.”

Harris, 33, told detectives his son was “developing fine.”

“He was walking, talking and appeared to be a normal child for his age,” the warrants state.

Cooper was not ill the morning of his death and was taking no medications, Ross Harris told detectives.

Return for updates.

http://m.wsbtv.com/news/news/warrant-police-searched-medical-records-ross-coope/ngZtR/

Posted: 8:09 a.m. Monday, July 7, 2014
Warrant: Police searched medical records for Ross, Cooper Harris

COBB COUNTY, Ga. —

Police released several search warrants and reports in the case against Ross Harris Monday morning.

According to a warrant, police searched the family’s condo on Wynnes Ridge Circle in Marietta.

Police searched for financial records such as banking, credit card and life insurance information.

Officers also inspected lights in and around the home to determine if there was a need to purchase light bulbs.

The day Cooper Harris died, his father went to Home Depot to purchase light bulbs and placed them inside his car.

Police searched for similar insurance and financial information on a portable hard drive, a thumb drive and Ross Harris’ iPhone 5. The devices were also examined for evidence of searches about car seats and car deaths, as well as communication with other people in the days leading up to the incident.

Officers also executed a search warrant at Kaiser Permanente Medical Records to obtain information about Cooper’s health and development, as well as medical records for Ross Harris.

Cooper Harris died in June after his father left him inside a hot SUV while at work for seven hours. Investigators say Ross Harris intentionally left the child in the car. He is charged with murder and child cruelty.

Attention shifts to mother in Georgia boy's hot car death

Jul. 7, 2014 9:27 AM


Mom 'had no reaction' after son's hot car death: Investigators say after Cooper Harris died after being left in a hot car by his father Ross Harris, his mother Leanna had no reaction and asked her husband after court if he had "said too much" to prosecutors.

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  Mom 'had no reaction' after son's hot car death
  
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  Dad in toddler's hot car death 'lived a double lif...
  

Written by Rebecca Lindstrom' WXIA-TV, Atlanta


Leanna Harris is now the focus of the investigation into her son's death in a hot car. Harris' husband, Justin Ross Harris,
is charged with felony murder in Cooper's death. / Screen grab from WXIA-TV, Atlanta

COBB COUNTY, GA. — Attention has shifted to the mother of a 22-month-old child who died after his father left him in a hot car.

Justin Ross Harris, 33, is charged with felony murder and second-degree child cruelty in the death of his son, Cooper. He claims that he forgot to drop his son off at daycare before heading to work on June 18. Cooper Harris spent nearly seven hours in the SUV as temperatures rose to 88 degrees, according to warrants.

A judge found probable cause for the charges and did not grant bond to Harris in a hearing Thursday. He remains at Cobb County Jail.

Authorities won't say whether an arrest warrant has been obtained for Harris' wife, Leanna. It's not known whether police believe she had anything to do with the death of Cooper.

During Thursday's court hearing, Cobb County Detective Phil Stoddard said that Leanna didn't rush to her child — or even ask to see him. Leanna only wanted to know about her husband, Stoddard testified.

At the police station, she asked Harris whether he said too much. And earlier in the day, after finding that her son had never been dropped off at the daycare, she immediately told workers that her husband must have left Cooper in the vehicle.

According to warrants, both parents admitted to researching hot car deaths online.

Police could have intentionally waited until after Harris' hearing to arrest Leanna, wanting her to be in the courtroom to hear about his alleged double life. Stoddard testified Harris has been sexting multiple women, even an underage girl.

Leanna has defended Harris as a good father, but it could bolster the prosecution's case if she were willing to testify against him.

Meanwhile, computer forensics will be key in the case as police uncovered Harris' sexting and penchant for videos about death from his computers.

Stoddard testified that Harris had accessed websites advocating "child free" and searched "how to survive prison" before Cooper died.

Cobb County prosecutor Chuck Boring asked Stoddard whether the police had examined the computers.

"We have," Stoddard responded.

"Are you finished with your examination of these computers?"

"We've only scratched the surface," Stoddard answered.

"These experts in law enforcement have been trained in computer forensics," said Greg Evans of Hi Tech Crime Solutions. "They have the best software in the world that will go in and go through each sector. It may not take a day. It can take a month; it can take a week; or it can take 6 months depending on how much data you have on there."

Harris had access to at least three computers. And police said it's clear he was covering his tracks on all of them.

But in cyberspace, "delete" doesn't mean "gone."

"When you delete a file on your computer, it's still there," explained computer security expert Evans. "It just renames the sector to say this is just unused space right now. And then something else can write over top of it."

Evans said the same applies to your tablets and cellphones.

"People think 'Well, this is a cellphone. Once I delete a picture or text message or my contacts, it's gone,' " Evans said. "No. Even when you hit 'reset' on your phone, that information is still stored on that hard drive."

Contributing: Keith Whitney and Julie Wolff, WXIA-TV, Atlanta.

http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20140707/NEWS08/307070014/Attention-shifts-mother-Georgia-boy-s-hot-car-death

Fundraising website for Harris family taken down

Posted: Jul 08, 2014 6:39 AM CDT
Updated: Jul 08, 2014 7:18 AM CDT
By Joshua Gauntt

TUSCALOOSA, AL (WBRC) - A fundraising website set up in the wake of a toddler who died in a hot SUV has been taken down.

A source says the site "YouCaring.com" has taken the Harris page down because it is "inconsistent with YouCaring."

Justin Ross Harris has been charged with murder in the death of his son, 22-month-old Cooper Harris. He's accused of leaving his child in a hot SUV for hours while he was at work.

Questions are also swirling about the behavior of Cooper Harris' mother, Leanna, the day he was found dead in Cobb County, Georgia.

"In front of several witnesses, all of sudden she states, 'Ross must have left him in the car.' And they're like, 'What?' 'There's no other reason, Ross must have...no other explanation, excuse me, Ross must have left him in the car,'" said Lt. Phil Stoddard of the Cobb County Police Department.

Warrants reveal Leanna told police she also searched hot car deaths online because she was fearful it might happen.

Police also say the day Leanna and her husband, Ross, saw each other inside the police department, Leanna asked Ross, "Did you say too much?"

A Tuscaloosa defense attorney, who isn't affiliated with the case, calls her behavior a little odd.

"If she's involved and if she had knowledge in any way, she could be guilty of conspiracy," attorney Bob Prince said.

Georgia prosecutors haven't said if they are looking into Leanna's culpability. They will only say "much work remains."

"Obviously this is a high profile case and the district attorney's office is leaving no stone underturned," Prince added.

Warrants also show investigators want to take a closer look at Cooper and Ross Harris' medical records. Investigators want to know their medical history, problems, and any medications they make have taken.

FOX6 News is still waiting to hear back from YouCaring about the over $20,000 raised and whether or not the family will receive the money.

http://www.kptv.com/story/25963078/fundraising-website-for-harris-family-taken-down

Did Cooper Harris’ Father Watch Heat Video As Instructional Manual? How Did Mother Act After Visit To Jail? Plus 3 Other New Developments
Posted on Jul 9, 2014 @ 6:39AM

..... 3. Instructional Manual?
Anderson Cooper Tuesday aired an animal safety video that police said Harris watched twice prior to the boy’s death. In it, Dr. Ernie Ward, a veterinarian, holds a thermometer as he discusses the hazards of leaving your pets in your automobile in hot weather. In the clip, Ward sits in a closed car describing the conditions as the car’s interior continued to bake under searing temperatures. “Needless to say, it’s incredibly hot . . . it’s awful . . . the only thought that’s going through my head right now is, ‘I just – I want out of the car,’” Ward said in the clip. “You know, it’s just everything in my body is saying get out, get out, get out. I can just feel rivulets of sweat just careening down my body. I don’t know if you can tell, but man, I’m just — I’m fully drenched now. I have sweat just completely cascading down my face and nose, my lips and I can do that . . . I mean, this kills, and it’s a lousy way to die.”

Watch the video on RadarOnline.com:
http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/bestoftv/2014/07/09/ac-dr-gupta-on-hot-car-death.cnn.html

http://radaronline.com/exclusives/2014/07/cooper-harris-leanna-boy-died-hot-car-death-georgia-search-warrant/

I don't really understand how Facebook works, but here is link to an FB page for Cooper Harris discussions. One of the comments supporting the parents is from the "Nana"; other comments have info about carseat switching, etc. This baby's death really bothers me because if it was deliberate then it is so hideously callous and planned by someone who watched videos about dying in a hot car - he knew how cruel. And I keep thinking of that dear, suffering baby waiting for rescue....I wonder if Cooper was still conscious when Ross tossed the light bulbs in the car, when the door opened so briefly.

https://www.facebook.com/cooperharrisdiscussion

What's next for father who left baby in car?
Justin Ross Harris facing murder, child cruelty charges

Author: By Ashley Fantz CNN
Published On: 2 h Updated 39 m

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

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

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

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

Testing on Harris' car and toxicology testing on Cooper

On Tuesday, CNN affiliate WXIA reported that investigators returned to Ross Harris' job location to recreate the conditions of the day that Cooper died.

Cobb County Police spokesman Michael Bowman told CNN that the department "turned over" Harris' vehicle that morning to the Cobb County District Attorney's Office for "heat testing" and it was returned Tuesday evening. No Cobb County police officers were at the scene when the testing happened, Bowman said, and the results of test will stay with the district attorney's office.

Bowman also told CNN Wednesday that a toxicology test was administered on Cooper's body, but those results are not yet available.

While the temperature on the day Cooper died was around 92 degrees, CNN weather experts believe temperatures could have climbed to nearly 140 degrees inside the car.

New documents released this week

Documents released Monday revealed more details of the investigation.

The documents, which included applications for search warrants and eight actual search warrants in the case against Harris, seek the medical records of Ross Harris and his son, a DVD, a 2-gigabyte memory card, a 32GB thumb drive and an external hard drive.

According to Stoddard, before Cooper Harris' death, the boy's father visited a Reddit page called "child-free" and read four articles; he allegedly searched online about how to survive in prison and how hot a car needs to be to kill a child. It wasn't clear from Stoddard's testimony exactly when these searches took place.

When does a grand jury come in?

Investigators continue to search through evidence and conduct interviews.

When they're done, law enforcement will hand over its findings to the prosecutor's office, which will present the case to a grand jury. Sources tell CNN that it may be late July before the grand jury makes a decision.

Cobb County District Attorney's Office spokeswoman Kim Isaza told CNN Wednesday that ethical standards bar the prosecutor's office from commenting on evidence in the case. "This case will run its course and we will follow wherever the evidence leads us," she said.

What about Cooper's mother?

On Tuesday, Leanna Harris, who has not been named as a suspect in her son's death, visited her husband at the Cobb County Jail, according to CNN affiliate WXIA.

It's unclear whether she was able to talk to him.

Citing the ongoing investigation, Cobb County Sheriff spokeswoman Nancy Bodiford told CNN the department wouldn't release details about any visitors Ross Harris has. Bodiford also said the department would not release audio of phone calls Harris receives or describe conditions of his confinement.

Couple is being closely watched

Any communication the couple has at the jail will be recorded, Atlanta attorney Page Pate said on CNN Wednesday. Page is not associated with the case.

On Thursday, Cobb County attorney Lawrence Zimmerman told CNN that Leanna Harris has hired him, adding that he is not speaking to the media at this time.

There's not much publicly known about his client. The 30-year-old dietitian is licensed in Georgia and Alabama, records show, and she has lived in Georgia since 2012. Before moving to the Atlanta suburb of Marietta, Leanna Harris lived in Moundville, Alabama, a town of about 2,400 people south of Tuscaloosa.

She married Ross Harris May 7, 2006, in Tuscaloosa where her husband worked as a police dispatcher from June 10, 2006, to May 22, 2009.

Leanna spoke at Cooper's funeral in Tuscaloosa, calling her baby boy "perfect" and saying that she would not trade "mommy time" for "the world."

"I miss my son," she said, "and I will miss him forever."

Wife can be compelled to testify against husband

Five days before Cooper died, authorities say Ross Harris twice viewed a video posted on YouTube in which a veterinarian demonstrates 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 doing that was a fear she had, Stoddard testified.

In some criminal cases, a spouse cannot be compelled to testify against the other. However, in Georgia, if the charges allege wrongdoing involving a minor, a husband or wife can be forced to testify against their spouse.

The case and the death penalty

In Georgia, the child cruelty charge carries a penalty of five to 20 years behind bars. If Ross Harris is convicted of murder, he could get life, life without parole or the death penalty. If a person commits a felony and that act results in the death of someone -- whether it's intended or not -- that person can be charged with felony murder.

A murder can qualify for the death penalty in Georgia if it was "outrageously or wantonly vile, horrible, or inhuman in that it involved torture, depravity of mind, or an aggravated battery to the victim," according to criminal attorney Philip Holloway, who has served as a legal commentator about the case on CNN.

In order to meet that threshold, the evidence will need to demonstrate more than criminal negligence. The current warrant is merely a preliminary charging document. The district attorney can upgrade the charges when the case is presented to the grand jury for indictment, he said.

The Harris' church calls for 'justice'

On Sunday, Stonebridge Church in Marietta -- where the Harris family attended -- presented a sermon asking that the congregation pray for "truth and for mercy and for justice."

"Many continue to ask just how to love on Ross and Leanna right now," a minister can be heard saying in a sermon posted online. "I would say micro level, very close, it's all of the same stuff. Legally, all of that's out of our hands.

"We're just praying for truth and for mercy and for justice," the sermon continued. "Those are attributes of God, and we're just praying, continuing to pray through this whole legal process that those three things would be evident. That's God's character, and you can pray confidently for truth and for justice and for mercy, and I would say relationally, for opportunities to love them, whatever that looks like."

http://www.click2houston.com/news/whats-next-for-father-who-left-baby-in-car/26879152

Toxicology report negative in toddler’s hot car death
POSTED 12:51 PM, JULY 10, 2014, BY CNN WIRE

ATLANTA (CNN) – [Breaking news update, posted at 12:44 p.m. ET]

Toxicology tests on Cooper Harris, a Georgia toddler found dead last month in a hot car, revealed nothing abnormal, the Cobb County Georgia Medical Examiner’s Office said.

That report and the autopsy report — which determined he died of hyperthermia — will not be released to the public until the investigation is complete, the office said.

Earlier version, posted at 7:45 a.m. ET]

Car bakes in Georgia sun for investigation into toddler’s death

(CNN) — Open a car door on a summer day, and a sauna blast will quickly remind you just how seethingly, sticky hot it can get inside in just a short time. It’s suffocating.

For 22-month-old Cooper Harris, strapped all day into a child’s seat in his father’s SUV, as the sun baked it, it was fatal.

Investigators in Georgia wanted to know how high the temperature climbed in that back seat, so this week they recreated that sauna heat in Justin Ross Harris’ silver Hyundai Tucson.

They drove it to the spot where it sat in the heat for seven hours on June 18, the day Cooper died.

They parked in the same space that Harris did, WAGA reported, and measured the temperature at times of day that are key to the father’s felony murder case:

– At 9:30 a.m., when police say Harris pulled into the parking lot at Home Depot’s corporate offices, where he worked. He normally would have taken Cooper to daycare then but left him in the car.

– At 12:42 p.m., when the 33-year-old father placed light bulbs he had purchased inside the car.

– And at 4:16 p.m., when investigators say Harris drove off.

Up to 140 degrees

They have not released the data yet, but CNN weather experts believe temperatures could have climbed to nearly 140 degrees inside the car.

A government traffic agency has corroborated the possibility.

“Cars parked in direct sunlight can reach internal temperatures up to 131 degrees F — 172 degrees F when outside temperatures are 80 degrees F — 100 degrees F,” the National Highway Traffic and Safety Authority said.

“Even outside temperatures in the 60s can cause a car temperature to rise well above 110° F.”

On the day Cooper died, the high temperature reached 92 degrees. Investigators used outside thermometers on Tuesday to monitor outdoor temperature rises.

Dozens of children die in hot cars every year, the NHTSA said.

People are in danger of dying of heatstroke when their body temperatures climb above 104 degrees and stay there for prolonged periods, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Heat attacks the brain, heart, kidneys and muscles, the Mayo Clinic said.

Victims can experience nausea and faintness, before organ damage sets in, eventually leading to death.

The elderly and small children are particularly susceptible to heatstroke.

Uncomfortable details

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 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.”

Investigators have also unearthed uncomfortable details in Harris’ online activities. He has performed Internet searches on child death in hot cars, they said.

While Cooper was left in the car, Harris was allegedly chatting via an online contact service with women. Police say that Harris, who is married, has, in the past, sent sexually explicit messages and photos on the service, including to an underage girl.

Leanna Harris, Justin’s wife, has not been named a suspect in the case. Officer Michael Bowman, a Cobb County police spokesman, said Monday, “Leanna Harris has been interviewed. Detectives continue to work on the case.”

Police have alleged she behaved strangely in the days before and moments after the death of her 22-month-old boy.

Thursday, defense attorney Lawrence Zimmerman confirmed to CNN he had been retained by Leanna Harris.


wtvr.com/2014/07/10/cooper-harris-toxicology-report/

Georgia father charged with leaving toddler to die in hot car is fired from Home Depot
CAROL KURUVILLA
Yesterday, 12:47 PM
CHANGE.ORG
Cooper Harris, seen here with his dad, scratched his face and banged his head, a police detective testified, most likely in a vain attempt to escape his car seat and the blistering hot SUV he was trapped in.
YOUCARING.COM
Justin Ross and Leanna Harris with their son Cooper Harris.
POOL/REUTERS
Justin Ross Harris, 33, seen in Cobb County Magistrate Court in Marietta, Ga., is accused of murdering his toddler by leaving him in a scorching hot car.
The dad accused of letting his toddler roast to death in a hot car is officially unemployed.

Justin Ross Harris, 33, was fired from his job at Home Depot, 11Alive confirmed Thursday. He was already on unpaid leave after being accused of felony murder and child cruelty in the second degree for son Cooper Harris' June 18 death.

The dad told Cobb County cops he had forgotten to drop his baby boy at daycare while rushing to work at Home Depot. The 22-month old child was left alone in a parked SUV for for seven hours and later found with scratches on his face and abrasions on the back of his head—indications that the boy was desperately trying to get out of his tight car seat.

Cops unearthed evidence that suggested the death may have been premeditated, and that Harris had been living a double life. Before his son's death, Harris had reportedly read four articles on a Reddit page called "child-free." He had searched online about how to survive in prison and how hot a car needed to be to kill a child, CNN reports. While his son was dying in the 90 degree weather, Harris was reportedly exchanging nude pictures and explicit texts with up to six women.

He also told his family how to collect Cooper's life insurance policies while he was in jail.


The dad has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. If convicted, he could face the death penalty, Judge Frank R. Cox said during a hearing.

According to details from toxicology tests that were released Thursday, Cooper wasn’t given drugs or other sedation agents on the day of his death.

Legal experts say the toxicology results may help Ross’ defense, but will likely have little impact on the outcome of the case, according to WSBTV.

http://m.nydailynews.com/news/crime/toxicology-test-toddler-left-die-hot-car-back-negative-article-1.1861950

http://www.people.com/article/justin-ross-harris-double-life-death-son-cooper-leanna-toddler-hot-car

Friends Weigh In on the Troubling Double Life of Justin Ross Harris
By STEVE HELLING
07/10/2014 at 12:00 PM EDT

PLAY
Justin Ross Harris


PEOPLE MAGAZINE
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They looked like an ordinary family, living in an upscale community of Marietta, Georgia.

Justin Ross Harris, 33, known to his friends as Ross, worked as a web developer for Home Depot. He earned $61,200 per year and hoped to advance in the company to become a vice president. Leanna Harris, 30, was a licensed dietitian who often worked out of her home. The family had all the trappings of an upwardly mobile middle-class family: a nice home, late-model vehicles and the latest computers and phones. They even had a small terrier dog.

And then there was their son, Cooper. A cute 22-month-old toddler, he was known for his wide eyes and sunny disposition.

"He was a little chatterbox sometimes," says a parishioner at Stonebridge Church, where the Harrises have attended services for the past two years. "He loved to talk to anyone, always with a huge smile on his face. He had every nursery worker wrapped around his little finger."

But the image of the perfect family was shattered when Cooper died in a hot car on June 18, leading to Ross's arrest for murder and child cruelty. Damning evidence began to come out daily: his explicit texts to women as his son lay dying, the insurance policies on the boy and Ross's web searches about suffocation in a hot car. Ross has pleaded not guilty to all charges and remains in jail without bond. His attorney, Maddox Kilgore, calls Cooper's death a "tragic accident."

"We were shocked," says the church friend. "I'm still not sure that I believe everything they're saying about him, because they really seemed to love that boy."


Cooper Harris with his father
They Wanted More Children
If Leanna had her way, Cooper would not be an only child, according to the church friend, who says as recently as last winter, Leanna told her she wanted more kids.

"She told me that she wanted an even number of kids, so each kid would have someone to play with," says the friend. "She said that she ideally wanted two boys and two girls, but whatever happened would happen."

But somewhere along the line, the plans changed.

"I think it was in May when she told me that 'now is not the time for more kids,' " says the friend. "I didn't press her to find out what had changed."

Still, Leanna was an active volunteer in the church nursery.

"She was great with kids," says the friend. "She had a way with them. That's why this all comes as a surprise."

He Was Socially Awkward
During a probable cause hearing on July 3, prosecutors painted Ross Harris as an unfaithful husband who felt trapped by his family, noting that he used the app Kik to exchange explicit photos with several women. Friends tell PEOPLE that his fascination with online chats went back for years.

"He was socially awkward," says college friend Brett Wagner. "He was deep into chatting online, even back in college. He wasn't great around women in person, but he was pretty witty online."

Adds another college pal: "He always had a ton of computers, hard drives, all that, in his bedroom. He played online games and chatted with people all the time. That was his thing. But he was single when I knew him best. Single guys always use the web to find girls."

The Latest Developments
Police have remained mum about some of the investigation details, although a team of detectives are poring over his online history, Detective Phil Stoddard said in the probable cause hearing.

"We've only just scratched the surface," said Stoddard.

On Wednesday, police returned to the parking lot where Cooper died, parking the family's Hyundai SUV in the same spot that it had been parked on June 18. They put Cooper's rear-facing car seat in the vehicle and started testing everything from temperature to the odor inside the car.

Bizarre Conversations
Those who knew the Harrises are still processing the odd interactions between Ross and Leanna after Cooper's death.

When Leanna arrived at the police station, Ross became emotional, according to Stoddard.

"It was all about him," Stoddard said. " 'I can't believe this is happening to me. Why am I being punished for this?' It was all very one-sided. He talked about losing his job and said, 'What are we going to do? I'll be charged with a felony.' "

According to Stoddard, Leanna later asked her husband, "Did you say too much?" (Leanna has not been charged with any crime.)

The testimony came as a surprise to the church friend.

"I would have imagined that they would have been more about Cooper than themselves," she says. "It's all so twisted. I can't make sense of it."

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/hot-cars-and-kids/friend-hot-car-dad-he-was-ferris-bueller-tuscaloosa-n153156

NBCNEWS
KELLY J. HUFF / MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL VIA AP3 hours

Friend of Hot-Car Dad: 'He Was the Ferris Bueller of Tuscaloosa'

BY HANNAH RAPPLEYE AND GABE GUTIERREZ

GORDO, Alabama — A long-time friend of the Georgia father who left his toddler son in a hot car to die says that the man now charged with murder was a popular guy who liked being the center of attention — but noted "I hope he gets what's coming to him" if he did it on purpose.

Ben McRea, 33, has been close friend of Justin Ross Harris, also 33, since they were in high school together, and he was a groomsman at his wedding. The two men met when McRea was about 15 years old, after his parents moved from Birmingham to Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

They first bonded at the local University Church of Christ, during a church trip to see the Atlanta Braves play. They were very close and were both big Crimson Tide football fans.

"From that point on, we were inseparable," McRea said. "We were best friends." He characterized Harris as popular and outgoing.

Watch the full interview on TODAY Friday morning

"He was just a great and outgoing personality. He always liked being the center of attention. He was the Ferris Bueller of Tuscaloosa."

McRea said he was partly responsible for setting up Harris and his wife Leanna, who just retained a lawyer herself, although she has not been charged in the case and police have not named her as a suspect.

A friend of Ross Harris knew Leanna and wanted to set the two up. McRae said he accompanied the future spouses on a date to a local bar, during an open mic night.

"They really hit it off from the start," he said. Shortly afterward, McRea remembers, in the driveway of Harris' house, "He looked at me and said, ‘Ben, I'm going to marry that girl.'"

He was surprised by that because "(Harris) seemed like the type of guy who was scared of commitment." He dated "a lot of girls," McRea remembers.

McRea said he used to meet with Harris for lunch on almost a daily basis. He was a creature of habit, McRea said, getting the same thing every time: chicken fingers with cheese dip, rice, tortillas and no beans. The wait staff knew him so well they'd bring out his order before he asked for it.

He said Harris was the kind of guy who couldn't stand to "have a hair out of place." He said he was late to his own wedding because he had to pull over to get hairspray.

Mom in Hot Car Death Leaves Jail With Head in HandsNBC NEWS

Regarding Ross and Leanna, McRea said, "They seemed to be best friends. They were polar opposites."

He described Leanna as shy and Ross as uptight. She controlled their finances until very recently, and would be upset with Ross if he spent money without telling her first. Ross was more laid back and seemingly always late.

"We joked he was the kind of person to be late to his own funeral," McRea said. "It didn't seem like he ever took anything seriously. But I always assumed he could be serious when he needed to be."

"They seemed to love each other very deeply," McRea said. "I can't tell you how shocked I was to find out the things he was doing behind her back."

"She had very low self esteem, always called herself 'overweight," McRea said.

He said it was his understanding they made a mutual decision to wait to have children until Ross Harris was finished with school and had a better paying job.

McRea said the wedding was simple, very nice. He was at the bachelor party before the wedding, as well which was a simple party — a few drinks with male friends, and cigars.

At the time of the wedding the couple had found a home to rent in the Tuscaloosa area and were very excited about their new life together.

"I would have never known there were any issues — they seemed to be best friends," said McRea.

Prosecutors have alleged that Harris was having marital problems and left his son to die in a hot SUV on purpose because he wanted a child-free life.

"We would never have dreamed he'd be capable of doing these things. He seemed like a loyal husband. He seemed like a good father," said McRea.

He said that the thing he doesn't understand is, in the context of Harris being obsessed with and knowledgeable about computers, how such evidence of online searches and social media accounts even exists.

"That boy knew how to clear his history — that boy knows how to cover his tracks — did he want all that to come out?"

When he heard about the boy's death, McRea said, "At first I thought, he could just have got that distracted. He could have been just real busy and preoccupied. And then I heard it was just like any other day, watching cartoons, going to Chick-Fil-A, and I was like, this don't look good."

"I got mad," when he first heard the new evidence about his cheating, "Because I wasn't just Ross' friend, I cared about Leanna too it just blows my mind. I didn't see him as the cheating type."

Harris has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and child cruelty. His lawyer, Maddox Kilgore, has said that his client accidentally forgot to drop off Cooper at daycare on the morning of June 18 in the Atlanta suburbs.

Ironically, McRea said, he and and the Harrises fell out of friendship because of cheating. A mutual friend had been cheating on her husband, also a friend of theirs, and McRea knew. Leanna wanted him to tell the friend, but he didn't. They stopped being close around the fall of 2010.

He said after the couple moved to Georgia, he'd see Harris' parents around town. "They'd be the proud grandparents, and talk about the grand-baby."

On June 19th, the day after his birthday, McRea was driving to meet up with his parents at a local Olive Garden restaurant. He got a Facebook message from a mutual friend that said "Have you seen this?" It was a link to a story about Ross. "I had to pull over, and I just cried like a baby." At the restaurant, he said he was extremely upset. "I said, 'Momma, Ross killed his baby. Momma, Ross killed his baby. How? How?"

"Please God," he said he begged, "tell me he didn't leave him in the car. Tell me this wasn't on purpose."

He said he's been watching TV all the time to hear of news on the case. "As more stuff comes out I just look over at my roommate and I say, How did he become this monster? What happened?"

“There's so many questions running through my mind that I want answers to, just like everybody else ... If this was on purpose, I hope he gets what's coming to him. And if she (Leanna)" knows anything about it, I hope she's right there with him."

ladibug wrote:This baby's death really bothers me because if it was deliberate then it is so hideously callous and planned by someone who watched videos about dying in a hot car - he knew how cruel.  And I keep thinking of that dear, suffering baby waiting for rescue....I wonder if Cooper was still conscious when Ross tossed the light bulbs in the car, when the door opened so briefly.

I think that's what gets me about this case too. That JRH was one of the people Cooper loved and trusted the most, and it's so horrible to think of him waiting for him to come back, and he never did. I have a child the same age as Cooper, and it's really such an incredible age. They learn to talk, and out comes all of this personality! I don't know how anyone could do this on purpose, but I believe he did, and the wife was in on it. Cooper deserved so much more. :(

I can't embed the video, but it's worth watching.

I-Team: How close was Cooper’s car seat?
Posted: Jul 11, 2014 6:27 PM EDT
Updated: Jul 11, 2014 7:31 PM EDT
By Randy Travis, FOX 5 I-Team reporter - bio | email

Of all the questions that have surfaced in the death of Cooper Harris in his father's hot car, the biggest is the most simple: how could Ross Harris not notice his son in the back seat? How could he forget him in the 2/10th mile it took to leave the Chic-Fil-A parking lot and miss the left turn to go to day care?

So the Fox 5 I-Team set out to repeat the day Cooper died, using the same model car and the same model car seat.

For the first time, you get a visual idea of how close Cooper was to what the defense claims is tragically a forgetful father.


http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/story/26000089/i-team-hot-car-seat

You're right Avocado, the video was worthwhile and very informative. Last week I backed into a parking space and as I turned to the right, putting my arm over the seat to see behind the car my immediate thoughts were of Ross and of how could he not have seen his baby.

It is news that does not sit well with Team Mothers of America and everywhere, and only casts more suspicion on a woman who just lost her son in the most talked about hot car death in North America. News broke this week that Leanna Harris, the mother of the 22-month-old hot car death victim in Cobb County, Georgia, has not only 'lawyered up', but left town. Many experts are concurring with the infuriated courts of public opinion, it doesn't look good. As every day passes with more intriguing twists and turns in this case occurring every day, more and more experts are agreeing with the rising shadows of suspicion against Leanna Harris, the mother of the 22-month-old hot car death victim Cooper Harris. USA Today reported on July 11 some additional twists and turns on Friday as some intriguing details about the lawyer Leanna Harris has obtained have come to light.

It was previously reported that Leanna Harris had secured a local criminal defense attorney who was death penalty certified. According to USA Today yesterday, not only is Leanna's lawyer, Lawrence Zimmerman based out of Atlanta, Georgia, death penalty certified, but he has also previously commented publicly about this very case. Shortly after the arrest of Justin Ross Harris for the hot car death of his 22-month-old son, Zimmerman provided expert opinions as a legal analyst for WXIA-TV.

USA Today is also reporting that Zimmerman has stated that now that he is Leanna's counsel, "commenting on the case outside of new duties would be a conflict of interest." At this time, Lawrence Zimmerman's client Leanna Harris has not been charged with any crime.

But the speculation hanging in the air is…this could change any time.

Ken Hodges, a former prosecutor that has worked felony murder cases in the areas off Dekalb County, Cobb County, and Dougherty County, Georgia, told a CBS affiliate yesterday that, "Clearly she's the subject of the investigation."

This is not just another expert, pundit, or talking head commenting on this. Hodges has experience on both sides of the table in this county, the criminal defense side and the prosecution side. He knows Georgia justice and its players well, not just as a former Democratic candidate for Georgia Attorney General, but also as both a former criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor in the Georgia justice system, specifically in Cobb County and its surrounding areas.

Hodges commented to CBS 46 WGCL yesterday about the computer searches specifically,

"With her going on these websites regarding leaving children in cars and if she went on the other websites regarding being a childless parent, those would all be strong indicators she was involved."
At the time of press, Justin Ross Harris is the only person charged in the Cobb County, Georgia, hot car death of his 22-month-old son Cooper Harris. He has been denied bond, and is awaiting a Grand Jury hearing as the next step in this case. Ross Harris alleges that he forgot to drop Cooper Harris at daycare that day, and that he also forgot that he was in the car when he arrived at work that day and left Cooper in the car to die.

It has also been reported that during the 7 hours that Cooper was in that car, his father was allegedly sending nude pictures to as many as 6 other women. Behavior expert Simone Bienne told HLN viewers of Jane Velez Mitchell last night that, "all that says to me, and I've thought about this…he is a psychopath."

Justin Ross Harris is not a great guy, so says the court of public opinion. But in his case, justice for the hot car death of Cooper Harris is being served. He will not see the light of day for a very long time, many are saying for forever, and life will not be good for him in the interim. His fixations and obsessions have been stopped, literally dead in their tracks.

And, if he ever does return to the light of day of society, life will also not be very good for him.

So in this sense, one would think that the buzz on this story would quiet down until that justice could be served. But it has not.

Why?

The mother in the story of the hot car death of Cooper Harris has a lot of people talking. Some are even more upset with her than they are with the sordid secret lives of Justin Ross Harris. Leanna Harris has not been charged with any crime, but the circumstantial evidence building against her in the court of public opinion is not good.

There are some that have even been comparing Cooper Harris to Caylee Anthony.

It's the words like "child free living" that Team Mothers of America and Everywhere can't shake. That, and a lot of other things that people just can't wrap their minds around. The reason people are upset is the same reason people were during the Casey Anthony trial, and after the search of Caylee Anthony, during which Mom skipped town and showed evidence of enjoying a "child free" lifestyle.

Statements like, "Did you say too much" and "Ross must have left him in the car" and "If given the chance, I wouldn't ask to have Cooper back" just aren't sitting well with people. In her defense, the most common argument to those complaints about Leanna Harris are that, "everybody grieves differently."

Fair enough.

But when it comes to reacting to tragedies and traumas that occur in our lives, grief counsellors will agree that everybody has their own process. But law enforcement and behavior experts on crime say that humans are not all that unpredictable when it comes to grief and trauma, with the general consensus being, "everybody actually does usually kind of act the same."

We may show it differently and experience it at different rates of progression as the grief counsellors will assert, but many experts in the field of criminology and behavioral science agree that responses to life stressors are very typical across the human spectrum. Law enforcement expects crying, tormented, hysterical, and/or suicidal behaviour when a life trauma is serious enough that it requires emergency or authoritative intervention.

Entire schools of criminal profiling and industries based on non-verbal methods of human behavior have been based on this tenet, that human behaviour across the board is much more predictable than one might think, especially when it comes to grief. The human reaction is so typical in fact that computer technology is being created as you read this to map it, in order to determine if someone is faking their reactions to life stressors.

Just this spring the New York Times reported on ground breaking work happening in the way of computer technology being able to map the human "feeling" experience. Researchers with the University of San Diego, the State University of New York at Buffalo, and the University of Toronto have been working on a biological mapping program that translates into a digital experience of actual human feelings.

With this work what researchers have been trying to do is to teach a computer to pick up the differences between real pain in humans, and deceptive pain in humans. The main tenet in this research is that humans, every human on this planet, has the same biological response to pain. These responses to pain are minute and un-observable to the human eye, but, incredibly enough, can be recorded with significant accuracy with this sensitive computer technology.

In other words, humans think that they are able to observe deception or faked pain easily and quickly, but are often incorrect. The true cues to deception or faked pain are much more microscopic than what we can detect, but can be detected with significant accuracy with this new research in biological computer technology. It is very much like a polygraph, except instead of capturing what your heart does when you deceive someone, it measures those feelings that you have absolutely no control over.

Consider it the twenty-first century polygraph, because this is what this technology is specifically been developed as, for industries where human intelligence gathering is required. The computer has a name, it is CERT, for Computer Expression Recognition Toolbox reported to have an accuracy in the 85% range in detecting those minute un-observable behaviorisms humans show. These are cues that humans miss 100% of the time, and are picked up by CERT 85% of the time.

Lead on the study Marian Bartlett a professor with the Institute for Neural Computation based in San Diego, California, says that, about the human perception of pain "we have a fair amount of evidence to show that humans are paying attention to the wrong cues."

We know Justin Ross Harris will be held accountable whether he is showing us fake pain or real pain at this moment in time. But the pain that Leanna is showing the world, or lack thereof, is not sitting well with people. Is it possible that our human eyes are just perceiving things incorrectly?

What would this computer software pick up about Leanna Harris? What do you think the chances are that she would agree to be a participant in the next study on it?

People want to see Leanna Harris experiencing real pain over the death of her son. We aren't seeing that. We are hearing statements like, "if I had the chance I would not being Cooper back".

People want to see Leanna Harris fighting for justice for her son, justice for Cooper Harris. We are not seeing this. One reader tweeted a direct message to the Toronto Relationships Examiner,

"What I do not understand seriously is why that lady is not staked out on the steps of the court or driving those investigators crazy with phone calls to fight for that kid. What I do not understand is why she isn't the next mother screaming at the Supreme Court for new legislation called Coopers Law to make sure reckless and endangering people are upheld to the fullest extent of the law for their outrageous stupidity. I'm sorry I know she's not charged, but that don't mean anything. I see nothing innocent about how she is behaving. That poor blessed baby had nobody fighting for him, and still don't."
A former law enforcement officer and now private investigator for the Niagara Region also told the Toronto Relationships Examiner,

"There's a day we all dread at work, and that's when we have to call a Mama and give her bad news. I don't care what anybody says, when that happens, every Mama acts the same way. Nobody wants to be there. We know that moment will be remembered forever, we all hate it. Truth is, we never forget it either…...I wasn't there on the day that Mrs. Harris was notified but from what I have seen so far….her behaviour is not…well typical is not the word I would use, let's just say that."
It may be that speculations like this are the very reasons that Leanna Harris hired death penalty certified criminal defense attorney Lawrence Zimmerman. She may also have hired him based on public comments that he has already made in the case, about her husband specifically, and also about the alleged cheating that may or may not have occurred on the day that Cooper died.

Detective Stoddard did testify at the probable cause hearing that Justin Ross Harris had a "double life" and that nude pictures were exchanged with Justin Ross Harris on the day that Cooper Harris died. About the alleged secret double life of Justin Ross Harris, USA Today reported yesterday that defense lawyer Lawrence Zimmerman has downplayed the entire thing. According to USA Today Zimmerman said,

"We don't know if he had any conversations with anybody. If he was in a chat room saying I want to get rid of my wife, I want to get rid of my child."
It's natural, from the perspective of a criminal defense attorney, to downplay that cheating. And it is important in this case.
It is important for Zimmerman, especially now that he is defending Leanna Harris, to downplay the cheating. The cheating has been a central point in this case, and the discovery of that cheating is when this case turned for the courts of public opinion. A key question around the cheating is, when did Leanna discover it?

Did she discover it at the same time we all did? She seems pretty stoic for someone that did, but, everybody reacts differently.
Or, did she discover it around…May? According to one of Leanna's church friends, Leanna always wanted to have a gaggle of children, but this tone changed when she was questioned about it in May of this year.

When she told one of her church friends that her dream of having an even number of kids "wouldn't be happening any time soon". When she reported the "intimacy issues" early on in the investigation of this case, what was she really referring to?

Did Leanna's discovery of the cheating occur around the same time that the "hot car death" searches began occurring on her computer?

Or, did she discover it at the exact same time that we did, and is simply reacting in her own unique way?

One thing is certain. Nobody wants to believe that two people colluded and conspired to kill that beautiful baby boy. What people are talking and angry about are the manifestations of their greatest fears, based on what they have seen in this case thus far.

But nobody wants that to be the result. The world is hoping that in the end, all that will be discovered is that this will all be the result of some "outrageous stupidity" and that all accountable will be held accountable. So far, that is happening for Justin Ross Harris.

In the case of Leanna Harris, she is currently not facing any charges, and despite what everybody is arguing about most people are desperately hoping for the sake of that beautiful child, that it remains that way. And hopefully she is telling the truth, for the sake of that beautiful child.

Hopefully she is for her sake as well, because if she isn't, another step in her story may include having to prove to a judge that she is not a flight risk.

What do you think?

http://www.examiner.com/article/suspicion-mounts-against-hot-car-death-mom-leanna-harris-lawyer-talks

Why did this man take away the car seat that his son fit into and replace it with a backward facing one which was too small?   Rhetorical question, I know the answer.

This precious baby was so beautiful, like an angel.  Yet the mother wouldn't want him back if she could have the choice!!!!

This inhumane torturous death of a helpless angle has upset me greatly.  May they both rot in hell with others of their kind.

I salute the cop who was the first to recognize that this was a murder.  An incompetent cop might well have let him get by with it.

When the mother visited the father while he was in custody, she didn't ask to see her dead baby.  Only her husband.  She asked him:  "Did you say too much?"

There are hundreds of thousands of people out ther who would have loved to adopt this precious baby, including me.  Why did they have to murder him?  Why in such a cruel manner?  Guess they thought they could get by with murder this way.

Public may have turned, but jurists see holes in case against Georgia dad


 AP Photo: Kelly J. Huff, Marietta Daily Journal
Justin Ross Harris, the father of a toddler who died after police say he was left in a hot car for about seven hours, sits for his bond hearing in Cobb County Magistrate Court, on July 3, 2014, in Marietta, Ga.

 2 hr ago  By By Christian Boone   of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 


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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"I don't see any middle ground — he intentionally murdered a child or it's a horrible tragedy," said Morgan, now a defense lawyer. "If they show premeditation, that he intentionally killed that child, then (Cobb District Attorney) Vic Reynolds can do nothing less than seek the death penalty."

And that would present another challenge for the state. Could they prove that Harris — who, according to friends and family, was a doting dad — is a cold-hearted killer willing to let his son suffer one of the worst deaths imaginable?
"You'd almost have to show he was mentally ill, completely devoid of empathy," said Decatur defense lawyer Bob Rubin. "Proving this was a purposeful act is full of hurdles, unless there's a smoking gun out there."

So far, the prosecution's case is almost completely circumstantial, although that's not unusual, said Gwinnett defense attorney Christine Koehler.

"If you push, push and push and then some of this stuff isn't proven, that can really end up making the prosecution look bad," she said, adding that, if Harris goes to trial, a change of venue is almost inevitable.


Ironically, the prosecution's testimony about Harris' sexting habits — alleging he was engaged in up to six different illicit chats with women he met online on the day of his son's death — may end up helping the defense.

"They could argue that the sexting, something he was apparently very heavily involved in, was a distraction," Rubin said. "Clearly, he wasn't thinking about his son that day because he was so obsessed with women."

Ultimately, the most important part of the trial may well be picking a jury. Finding open-minded jurors won't be easy, said Cagle, who's been advising lawyers through the process for 20 years.

In this case, the defense will be looking for a mix of skeptics who tend to distrust the herd mentality and optimists who simply can't fathom someone subjecting their child to such a horrific death, Cagle said.

Of course, the prosecution is still building its case; Cobb Police Detective Phil Stoddard said investigators have just "scratched the surface."

Sadow said he believes the defense faces an uphill battle.

Forgetting your child is in his car seat less than five minutes after putting him there will be a tough sell, he said. And Harris' admission that, five days before his son's death, he watched an online video about what happens to a child when left inside a hot car may prove too coincidental for jurors to accept.

"All the circumstances in this case, considered in their totality, don't leave much room for maneuvering," Sadow said.



http://news.msn.com/crime-justice/public-may-have-turned-but-jurists-see-holes-in-case-against-georgia-dad

It's a bit unnerving though when I think of Caylee where "All the circumstances in this case, considered in there totality, don't leave much room for maneuvering" - and look what happened. The stench in the car, the on-line searches, the lifestyle....could there really be another group of 12 like the Pinella's Pinheads?

Still waiting to see what they do with Leanna. The fact that she hired a death penalty qualified lawyer says a lot IMO. Wondering how Leanna's mom is doing - and also wondering if she is the Nana who posted on FB defending Ross or if Nana is the paternal grandmother.

http://radaronline.com/exclusives/2014/07/no-emotion-no-regret-the-chilling-words-bizarre-antics-of-the-most-hated-father-in-america/

No Emotion, No Regret! The Chilling Words & Bizarre Antics Of The Most Hated Father In America
Posted on Jul 16, 2014 @ 4:10AM

Toddler Car Death Dad ‘Morally Bankrupt,’ Says Pal
Mystery Of Georgia Toddler’s Death Grows
GA Dad Was Sexting Women When Tot Died In Hot Car foxnewsinsider.com
America’s most hated father — Justin Ross Harris — left his 22-month-old son in a hot car to die and now RadarOnline.com has the exclusive jailhouse interview with a fellow inmate who describes the dad’s bizarre behavior and recounts his chilling words.

After deliberately leaving his son Cooper in the sweltering car for more than seven hours on a hot Georgia day in June, Harris, 33, was arrested and charged with murder and child cruelty.

Harris claimed he forgot to drop his son off at daycare and only realized after he found him in the family SUV, unresponsive.


PHOTOS: The Face Of Evil: The Top 32 Most Terrifying Serial Killers

And now in an exclusive jailhouse video interview with Mark Wilson, who sat next to Harris for two hours in the Cobb County Jail booking room the day he was arrested, his cold and unremorseful behavior is revealed.

“He came in there about an hour after I got there I guess and sat right next to me. And first words out of his mouth were, ‘What’s up guys?’ like nothing happened, like normal,” Wilson, 21, told Radar.

“I don’t know, he just seemed like there was no emotion whatsoever in his voice, in his attitude, anything. He asked me why I was in there and I told him my story. I never asked him why he was in there but just from talking to him and seeing him I would’ve thought it was nothing, just something minor.

PHOTOS: The 10 Most Sensational Celebrity Murder Cases

“We talked and just had a normal conversation there was no remorse in his voice, attitude, anything. It was just flat.”

Justin Harris Showed 'No Sadness' Says Fellow Inmate

Wilson says it wasn’t until he was released the next day — serving one day for a DUI — that he read about the news of Cooper’s death and Harris’ involvement online.

“I couldn’t believe that’s why he was in there. It was really shocking to be honest. If I had to guess, from what I saw of him, I would assume that he did it on purpose,” Wilson said.

PHOTOS: The Most Infamous Cold Case Murders

“Just because there was no tears, nothing, just having normal conversation with people just after his son died. There were no tears. No sadness at all.”

Wilson continued, “I don’t know, there was no sadness in the way he was acting. It was all just like he was really far removed from the whole situation. If I had to judge it, I would’ve thought that he did it on purpose just by the way he acted and talked and his whole attitude towards everything. I couldn’t tell any amount of emotion. I was shocked … I was in disbelief.”

Harris lost his job at Home Depot on July 10 after being accused of felony murder and second-degree child cruelty.

PHOTOS: Celebs Involved in Murder

Upon checking Harris’ tech gadgets it was discovered he’d read four articles on a Reddit page called “child free,” leading authorities to believe little Cooper’s death may have been premeditated.

The Georgia father also allegedly searched the Internet for information on how to survive in prison and how hot a car needed to be in order to kill a child.

Equally as disturbing, while his son was sweltering to death in his car, Harris was reportedly sexting up to six women.

PHOTOS: Most Notorious American Murder Trials

“I just don’t see how someone, a father, could act completely normal and calm in a situation like that, especially like two, three hours after the whole thing happened,” Wilson concluded.

“It was a little weird. And then on top of that, it was the fact you know of how calm he was during the whole situation. It did creep me out a little bit.

“He acted like it was an inconvenience for him to be there, to be honest.”

Legal expert questions Ross Harris' sense of smell

Posted: 4:09 p.m. Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Updated: 5:04 p.m. Wednesday, July 16, 2014

COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Legal experts are questioning whether the father of a toddler who died in a hot SUV can smell.

Police said Ross Harris intentionally left his son in his car for seven hours. They said the afternoon the boy's body was discovered, Harris drove quite a ways with his windows up.

Some legal experts think Harris needs to visit a doctor.

“That sense of smell is something that people just can’t get past. How he missed it for five minutes driving in a hot car,” said criminal defense attorney Esther Panitch.

It may be hard to believe but that is what police say happened. Harris drove with his deceased child on a sweltering day for a while.

During the early July probable cause hearing, a detective testified that more than an hour after a distraught Harris pulled into a shopping center there was a very obvious smell of death in the car.

Panitch is not involved in the case. She specializes in criminal defense.

“It’s something, if you've ever smelled it, you always remember what it smelled like,” Panitch said.

Channel 2’s Erica Byfield traced the route from Harris' job to the shopping center where he stopped.

Along the way, she spotted several cameras. They may be the same cameras a detective testified showed Harris driving with his windows up the day his 22-month-old son died.

It took Byfield 7 minutes to make the trip.

Looking back on the hearing, Panitch questions why Harris' attorney didn't reference his client's sense of smell, but did tell a judge Harris is deaf in one ear.

She thinks a doctor's visit is necessary along with anything that would explain how he missed the odor.

“If he has a documented medical history of it, I think that would really play in his favor,” Panitch said.

Panitch added if Harris' attorney could prove he can't smell because of an accident injury or birth defect, that would be huge in the case.

The 33-year-old is being held without bond.

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/local/legal-expert-questions-ross-harris-sense-smell/nggwn/

Been wondering about the windows for a while now - is there older footage from Home Depot that shows whether Ross usually opened his windows when he got in his car after work? First thing I do when getting in the car is open the front windows to let the heat out. Of course my A/C is broken so I'd be opening them anyway, but always they'd come down for a few minutes because of the heat, regardless of air.