Father ‘forgot’ son who died in hot SUV
Print Edition
A MAN unhappy in his marriage exchanged nude photos with several women on the day his son died in a hot vehicle, prosecutors said in a criminal case that has captivated America.
Justin Ross Harris, 33, faces murder and child cruelty charges in the death of 22-month-old son Cooper, who police say was left in a vehicle for about seven hours on a hot day in Atlanta, Georgia.
The boy died of hyperthermia — essentially overheating.
During a three-hour hearing on Thursday, prosecutor Chuck Boring questioned a detective at length, outlining evidence he said proves Harris intentionally left his son in the SUV on June 18.
But defense attorney Maddox Kilgore argued that the boy’s death was a tragic accident. Friends and family say Harris was a devoted and loving father who talked about his son often.
Local police immediately arrested Harris and charged him with the murder of his son.
Harris is to remain in jail as law enforcement officers continue to investigate before presenting their findings to the Cobb County district attorney, who will decide how to proceed with the case.
Alex Hall and Winston Milling, both friends with Harris since college and who worked with him at a Home Depot store, 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.
The two men later dropped Harris off so he could put lightbulbs he had purchased in his car.
Kilgore, the defense attorney, said that showed Harris had not meant 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?”
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,” detective Phil Stoddard testified.
Harris told police that on the day of the boy’s death, he had watched cartoons with him, then had breakfast at a restaurant. Surveillance video showed a child “wide awake and happy,” Stoddard said. Harris told police he forgot to drop the boy off at day care, instead driving 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 a parking lot, trying to do CPR on his son.
But Stoddard said witness accounts were not consistent. Harris never called for help but was on his phone when officers arrived. Harris twice refused to get off the phone and was arrested when he swore. He showed no emotion while being interviewed.
Evidence uncovered by investigators showed Harris was unhappy in his marriage and practically leading a double life, Stoddard said, exchanging nude photos with several women, even on the day his son died.
He had also looked at a website advocating against having children and had searched the Internet for “how to survive in prison.”
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