Summary: A jury in Georgia Monday found a father guilty of murder in the death of his 22-month-old son who was left for hours inside a hot SUV which is a conviction expected to send the man to prison for the rest of his life. Harris said he forgot to drop his son off at day care that morning and drove straight to his job as a web developer for Home Depot, not realizing Cooper was still in his car seat. Soon afterward, investigators found evidence that Harris was having sexual relationships both online banter and in-person affairs with numerous women, including a prostitute and a teenager in which he sent pictures/asked for pictures. Prosecutors argued Harris must have known Cooper was in the car. He drove less than two minutes to work after strapping the child into his car seat when they finished breakfast at a Chick-fil-A restaurant just over a half-mile from Harris' office. Parking lot surveillance video showed Harris also went to his car after lunch and tossed in some light bulbs he had purchased, though he never got inside. Harris told police he didn't notice Cooper until he left work for the day to go to a movie. The boy was dead, having sweltered in the car for about seven hours. Prosecutors said Harris left online clues to murderous intentions. Evidence showed that minutes before Harris locked the car door on his boy, he sent an online message: "I love my son and all, but we both need escapes." Five days earlier, Harris watched an online video in which a veterinarian sits inside a hot car to show it reaches 116 degrees in a half-hour.
Prosecutors say 35-year-old Justin Ross Harris intentionally killed his son, Cooper, in June 2014 to escape from family responsibilities while he sought sexual affairs outside his marriage. They also charged Harris with malice murder and felony murder, which required no proof of intent to kill, just that Cooper died as a result of his father committing the felony of cruelty to children. Both convictions carry mandatory life sentences. Prosecutors indicated earlier in the trial that they would not seek the death penalty.
Defense attorneys said Harris was responsible for his son's death, but insisted it was an accident rather than a crime. Friends and family members testified he was a devoted and loving father, and the jury watched video clips of Harris trying to teach Cooper to say "banana" and letting the boy strum his guitar. The joyous moments had some jurors laughing aloud.
Analysis/Synthesis: I've actually synthesized this event in one of my past posts, and this is absolutely horrific. I honestly don't understand how you can forget about your child after you have eaten Chick-Fil-A with them 2 minutes ago. There is a lot of evidence that show this dad is very guilty such as the videos he looked up days/ a day before this terrible incident. Also this dad is having relations with an underage minor which is against the State of Georgia's Romeo & Juliet Law. This situation is absolutely awful and I hope justice is served. This can be synthesized to when a 8-month infant was left in the car due to her father forgetting to drop her off at daycare, and forgetting and leaving her in the car while he went to coach a baseball camp.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/11/14/georgia-dad-convicted-murder-in-death-toddler-in-hot-suv.html
I remember hearing about this case when it first happened. The relationship between a parent and a child is something sacred, and the fact that this man would disregard this and kill his own child is sickening.
ReplyDeleteThis story is so heartbreaking. I hate how there are other stories similar to this.
ReplyDelete