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 — a conviction expected to send the man to prison for the rest of his life.
(FOX)- 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. Defense attorneys say Harris loved his son and that the boy’s death was a tragic accident.
Prosecutors 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.
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.
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.