Justin Ross Harris : “Dad Whose Son Died in Hot Car Released”

The Georgia man convicted at trial of murder following the death of his son in a hot car is out of prison. Georgia Department of Corrections records show that Justin Ross Harris, 43, was released from the Macon State Prison on Father’s Day and then booked into the Cobb County Jail, according to county records. A judge sentenced Ross to life in prison after a jury convicted him on multiple charges including malice and felony murder as well as cruelty to children following the death of his 22-month-old son, who died of hyperthermia in his father’s car on June 18, 2014.

Background of the Case

Harris had been responsible for dropping his son off at daycare that morning, but instead drove to work and left Cooper in the backseat all day, according to the criminal indictment filed in the case. At trial, prosecutors argued that Harris’ actions were intentional and cited his messages to numerous women with whom he had extramarital affairs as well as the fact that he returned to the car after lunch that day and still failed to notice Cooper in the backseat as evidence that he wished to start a new life. Jurors agreed, but six years after securing a guilty verdict on all counts, the Georgia Supreme Court overturned Harris’ murder conviction in a 6-3 decision.

Supreme Court Ruling

Chief Justice David Nahamias, writing for the majority, said that the “extensive evidence about Appellant’s extramarital sexual relationships … did little if anything to answer the key question of [Harris’] intent when he walked away from Cooper.” The opinion went on to say that by introducing “graphic sexual messages and pictures” that Harris sent to other women as evidence in the case, the prosecution “[likely led] jurors to conclude that [Harris] was the kind of man who would engage in other morally repulsive conduct (like leaving his child to die painfully in a hot car) and who deserved punishment, even if the jurors were not convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that he purposefully killed Cooper.”

Continued Legal Issues

Three of Harris’ convictions – one count of criminal attempt to commit the sexual exploitation of a minor and two counts of dissemination of harmful material to minors – were not overturned in the Supreme Court ruling. Those three charges were related to Harris’ exchanges with a minor female between March 1, 2014, and June 18, 2014, the same day that Cooper died. Harris texted the minor female identified as C.D. in court documents after returning from lunch that day, and Nahamias summarized their exchange in his opinion based on communications obtained from Harris’ cellphone.

Future Legal Proceedings

Nahamias noted in his opinion that Harris did not challenge his conviction on these charges but the court “erred in denying severance” of these charges from the murder charges at trial. The opinion stated that Harris could be tried again on these charges in a new trial, but the Cobb County District Attorney declined to indict him a second time. Harris’ 10-year sentence on those three charges involving crimes against the minor female was not changed by the court and as of last week, he had served eight years of that sentence. He is expected to serve the remainder of that sentence in the Cobb County Jail.

Conclusion

Harris has long maintained his innocence and was defended by his then-wife Leanna at trial, though she later filed for divorce after his conviction. A lawyer for Harris did not respond to a request for comment.