Georgia Dad Leaves Son in Sweltering Car to Die; Charged With 8 Counts Including Murder
A Georgia grand jury handed down eight charges against Justin Ross Harris for the death of his son this summer.
Harris is charged with malice murder and two counts of felony murder for the death of 22-month-old Cooper, who was left in a hot car and perished this summer. Harris was also charged with first-degree cruelty to children, second-degree cruelty to children, criminal attempt to commit a felony (sexual exploitation of a minor) and two counts of dissemination of harmful material to minors.
He had pleaded not guilty to the charges, with his defense stating that the father had simply forgotten his son in the vehicle on his way to work. However, officials were suspicious of Harris from the very beginning, and evidence began to pile up that cast down on his story.
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Cobb County Chief Magistrate Frank Cox told the court that Harris would have had to have noticed that "the stench in the car was overwhelming" when he got in it to leave work and "drove it for some distance" before stopping to check on Cooper.
Cooper was in the vehicle for over seven hours before Harris "remembered" that he was in the back seat and pulled over, exiting the vehicle and yelling, "Oh my God, what have I done?"
"He was hollering," eyewitness Leonard Madden testified. "Oh my God! Oh, my God! My son is dead!" he remembered the father saying.
Police Detective Phil Stoddard's testimony was crucial to bringing charges against Harris. He noted that the father had a bizarre reaction to his son's death, as did his wife. Later, officials revealed that Harris had been texting six women, in some cases sending explicit photos, in addition to his wife. One of those women was underage, leading to the charge of criminal attempt to commit a felony and dissemination of harmful material to minors.
It remains to be seen whether Harris' wife, Leanna, will face any charges. She has supported her husband the entire time.
