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Post by ~Sherri~ on Jul 3, 2014 22:01:18 GMT
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Post by jojam on Jul 3, 2014 22:05:15 GMT
Your link doesn't work for me.
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Post by lucyg on Jul 3, 2014 22:06:16 GMT
Also, I thought I heard this morning that the mom was in on it, too? I am sick about this incident.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Apr 26, 2024 19:33:07 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 3, 2014 22:06:22 GMT
Weird...I was listening to the hearing this afternoon and while I understand he has quite a history of sexting underaged girls (and sharing pictures back and forth...which would be considered a crime) I don't think the prosecutors could claim that he was actually sexting while he was in the car with Cooper.
Don't get me wrong...I think this guy is pure slime. I know where the prosecutors want people to go with the info that came out today...but I'm not sure there's evidence to go there in a factual way yet.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Apr 26, 2024 19:33:07 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 3, 2014 22:07:20 GMT
And I'm glad the probable cause hearing went the way it did and I'm glad he will not be out on bond.
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Nink
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,947
Location: North Idaho
Jul 1, 2014 23:30:44 GMT
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Post by Nink on Jul 3, 2014 22:13:31 GMT
I think it was on the NBC news page today that the parents had two life insurance policies out on the little boy. It just makes me ill to think of what that little boy went through before he died.
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Post by knit.pea on Jul 3, 2014 22:14:30 GMT
It has sounded fishy from the beginning. A plan for them to start over, collect the insurance policies?
That poor baby ... to have such parents.
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Scrappin_Mommy
Junior Member
*** Under the baby blue sky, near the beautiful Rocky Mountains! ***
Posts: 63
Jun 25, 2014 20:06:22 GMT
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Post by Scrappin_Mommy on Jul 3, 2014 22:16:26 GMT
He is absolutely disgusting, and it sounds like his wife was in on the whole plot, too. They both deserve to pay dearly for their crime(s)! I'm so sick over that poor baby's death. RIP Cooper. ~Ronda
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Post by 1lear on Jul 3, 2014 22:18:30 GMT
Yes, the more I'm reading, the more it looks like both parents should be charged. I can't comprehend this kind of evil, and hope he/they are sent to jail for the rest of their lives, if it's true.
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Post by krazykatlady on Jul 3, 2014 22:24:29 GMT
I was angry at the beginning when they jumped to immediately charging him with murder but as more and more comes out it makes me ill. I just don't understand how someone could do this. I'm not sure where I stand on the death penalty but if they prove him guilty I think he should be placed in a hot car and left to suffer like Cooper did. And, I can't help but wonder what part the wife played in all this.
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Post by eversograceful1 on Jul 3, 2014 22:24:54 GMT
I feel like I'm in denial over this...like a stage of grief or something.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Post by BeckyTech on Jul 3, 2014 22:26:05 GMT
Article from CNNThe article continues on. Sick and so sad. I'm having trouble editing. At any rate, later in the article it has this:
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newlywoods03
Pearl Clutcher
Blessed Beyond Measure
Posts: 2,828
Jun 26, 2014 3:09:09 GMT
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Post by newlywoods03 on Jul 3, 2014 22:27:23 GMT
This story breaks my heart! I can't fathom what would ever make a parent hurt an innocent child. I also think the wife isn't as innocent as she is portraying.
I had read that the reason he did this was to be childless and have a care free type of life again.
Well, I hope he enjoys being alone in his tiny cell because I would be surprised if they place him with the general population.
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Post by ingrid6 on Jul 3, 2014 22:28:15 GMT
I couldn't get the link to work. Off to google. but all I can say is why, in God's name, would you not put the child up for adoption? Why end his life in such a horrific manor? I can only imagine how many people would have loved that little boy...
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Post by ktdoesntscrap on Jul 3, 2014 22:28:18 GMT
This story makes me physically ill
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ModChick
Drama Llama
True North Strong and Free
Posts: 5,060
Jun 26, 2014 23:57:06 GMT
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Post by ModChick on Jul 3, 2014 22:30:16 GMT
I couldn't get the link to work. Off to google. but all I can say is why, in God's name, would you not put the child up for adoption? Why end his life in such a horrific manor? I can only imagine how many people would have loved that little boy... I don't understand this either. I'm so sickened and saddened over this story. May Cooper rest in peace.
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Post by ingrid6 on Jul 3, 2014 22:30:24 GMT
thanks for posting the story BeckyTech. Holy crap. Unbelievable.
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Post by traceys on Jul 3, 2014 22:31:51 GMT
Sometimes I just have to not follow a story....it just hurts my heart too much. I think this is going to be one of them. I usually try to keep an open mind about criminal cases like this and try not to prejudge, but when I heard about the internet searches, I was convinced. Everything that has come out since then has only served to confirm that in my mind.
I hope and pray that this man (and his wife, if she was involved too) receive the justice they so richly deserve.
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Post by 1lear on Jul 3, 2014 22:34:39 GMT
I couldn't get the link to work. Off to google. but all I can say is why, in God's name, would you not put the child up for adoption? Why end his life in such a horrific manor? I can only imagine how many people would have loved that little boy... According to what I read, the parents had 2 life insurance policies on the child. Looks like they were looking to make money on the death.
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wannapea
Shy Member
Posts: 30
Jun 25, 2014 23:00:05 GMT
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Post by wannapea on Jul 3, 2014 22:36:24 GMT
These are the kinds of people I think of when I hear someone say that they value all life. And I think to myself that some people's lives are definitely worth more than others.
I hope they get what they deserve. I have a feeling that the more time that goes by, the more horrific this case will get.
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johnnysmom
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,682
Jun 25, 2014 21:16:33 GMT
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Post by johnnysmom on Jul 3, 2014 22:43:15 GMT
I couldn't get the link to work. Off to google. but all I can say is why, in God's name, would you not put the child up for adoption? Why end his life in such a horrific manor? I can only imagine how many people would have loved that little boy... According to what I read, the parents had 2 life insurance policies on the child. Looks like they were looking to make money on the death. The article I read said the insurance policies were 2k and 25k, that doesn't seem all that unusual to me especially if they were through their employers or maybe one of those Gerber Life policies. Now the rest of it, well it certainly makes me sick to think about
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Post by papersilly on Jul 3, 2014 22:45:25 GMT
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Post by ingrid6 on Jul 3, 2014 22:47:39 GMT
I couldn't get the link to work. Off to google. but all I can say is why, in God's name, would you not put the child up for adoption? Why end his life in such a horrific manor? I can only imagine how many people would have loved that little boy... According to what I read, the parents had 2 life insurance policies on the child. Looks like they were looking to make money on the death. thanks - I haven't had a chance to read everything yet. Unflippinbelievable. There are seriously some sick, shallow, all-about-me-at-the-cost-of-anything/anyone people out there. It is heartbreaking.
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Madi & Me
Full Member
Posts: 248
Jun 25, 2014 22:20:27 GMT
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Post by Madi & Me on Jul 3, 2014 22:53:46 GMT
I feel like I'm in denial over this...like a stage of grief or something. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk You and me both. I find myself yearning to turn back time and undo all of this.
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Post by doesitmatter on Jul 3, 2014 22:56:36 GMT
Horrific.
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Post by lucyg on Jul 3, 2014 22:58:15 GMT
I think a $25K life insurance policy could look worthwhile to that kind of lowlife. Oh well, if he really is guilty, I guess it doesn't matter if he did it for $25K or his freedom or attention or whatever. Fry him.
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Post by lovetodigi on Jul 3, 2014 23:06:53 GMT
From Channel 11 Atlanta
MARIETTA, Ga. -- A judge denied bond for the father charged in the hot car death of his 22-month-old son. The judge also found probable cause for the charges against Justin Ross Harris.
It was standing-room only in courtroom "P" for the probable cause hearing. Harris pleaded not guilty to child cruelty and murder charges after his son, Cooper, died in the back of his hot car on June 18.
More than a dozen people identifying themselves as family of the defendant filled one side of the courtroom. Overflow observers stood in the back of the room and squeezed into the empty jury box.
Ross Harris breaks down as attorney wraps up case asking for dismissal.
DETECTIVE: Harris was living a double life
Cobb County detective Phil Stoddard was the first person to take the stand.
Stoddard testified that on the morning of the boy's death, Harris brought his son to breakfast at Chick-fil-A, located .6 miles away from his daycare. Stoddard said that surveillance video showed Cooper was alert and happy at the restaurant. Harris told the detective that he gave Cooper a kiss and Cooper kissed him back as he strapped him into his car seat.
Harris was supposed to take his son to daycare, but instead he went straight to work.
Harris arrived at his work, The Home Depot, around 9:25 a.m., according to the time stamp on surveillance footage. Harris was picked up by two friends for lunch. They ate at a nearby Publix, and stopped at a Home Depot, where Harris bought some light bulbs. Surveillance footage showed Harris return to his car and toss some items into his vehicle.
Stoddard testified that Harris never told them during questioning that he'd returned to his vehicle during lunch.
Harris had planned on going to a movie at 5 p.m. with his friends. On the way to the movies, Harris quickly pulled over into the Akers Mills shopping center on Cumberland Drive and pulled Cooper from the back seat of his SUV and placed him on the ground. A witness said that he performed CPR on the boy as Harris made phone calls.
Stoddard said that witnesses reported that Harris told someone by phone by Cooper had died. Harris told detectives that he never reached anyone by phone, Stoddard testified.
Stoddard testified that Harris never cried during questioning. He testified that Cooper's mother and Harris' wife, Leanna, responded calmly to the news of boy's death. Detectives heard Leanna's mother get very emotional on the phone with her daughter, asking, "Why aren't you crying?" to which Leanna replied, "I must be in shock."
The detective testified that when Harris and his wife were reunited, "it was all about [Ross Harris]." Stoddard said that Harris asked "What are we going to do?" mentioning that he might lose his job and be charged with a felony.
The detective also stated that Leanna arrived at Cooper's daycare to pick him up. When she found out that Ross hadn't dropped him off, Leanna stated, "Ross must have left him in the car," according to a daycare worker.
Stoddard testified that Ross Harris told his wife that Cooper "looked at peace" with his eyes and mouth closed. Leanna said, "I dreaded how he would look," the detective testified. Stoddard stated that according to the pictures he saw of Cooper after his death, the boy's eyes and mouth were not closed.
Stoddard stated that on the day of his son's death, Ross Harris was texting six different women, including a 17-year-old. One woman said that Ross "wanted to hook up." Several explicit pictures were sent, beginning in the morning and lasting throughout the day, according to Stoddard.
Harris' attorney objected to the district attorney's questioning about the texting, but the district attorney said that would argue that Harris was in an unhappy marriage and wanted a "childless life."
Stoddard testified that on June 5, one of the women texting Ross asked, "Do you have a conscience?" to which Harris replied, "Nope."
Harris had two life insurance policies on Cooper, one for $2,000 and another for $25,000, Stoddard testified.
Stoddard stated that Harris had viewed topics on the Reddit website including one that showed people's deaths, and had visited a website advocating a child-free life. He had also searched "How to survive prison," according to the detective's testimony.
Under cross-examination, Stoddard admitted that it's not known if Harris had specifically searched for those topics, noting that Reddit is a website with many topics. The exact date of those views is not known.
The detective said that when he told Harris he'd be charged with murder, Ross responded, "But there's no malicious intent."
The district attorney finished his probable cause questions saying that Ross Harris is a flight risk because he's living a double life.
When asked by the judge, the detective stated that it is believed Cooper had died by noon.
Under cross-examination, Harris' attorney, Maddox Kilgore, questioned the detective as to why the charge against his client had been "stepped back" from "willful" to "negligence."
Kilgore said that witnesses had stated that Harris was "hysterical" at the scene where he discovered his son's body. Kilgore stated that a parent who had lost his or her child could be in shock and dazed, which could account for Harris' behavior.
Kilgore noted that a search showed there were three light bulbs out at the Harris home, which he said showed the Home Depot lunchtime trip was legitimate.
The defense attorney noted that Harris is deaf in right ear. The child's car seat was located on that side of the vehicle.
The attorney also noted that Georgia's governor had recently launched a "Look Again" campaign designed to prevent hot car injuries, and that it had been featured on local news reports.
The detective stated that it looked like Harris had not mentioned any of the sexting during questioning, but the detective admitted he hadn't asked him about. Stoddard said that it appeared as if Harris had deleted some of the phone's texts, but they found records of the texts on other computers.
Kilgore disputed the detective's assertion that the Harris couple was having financial problems. Leanna Harris is a licensed dietitian, and worked out of their home.
Under questioning from the judge, Stoddard stated that Ross Harris routinely brought Cooper to daycare, while the mother and father had traded duties picking him up in days leading up to the death.
The detective testified that Harris had been using a rear-facing car seat in the weeks prior to the death. Previously, he had used a front-facing seat.
DEFENSE: Harris was a 'loving father'
The defense called Leonard Madden, who witnessed Harris at the scene where he found his son's body. Madden testified that Harris was screaming, "Oh my God, my son is dead, my son is dead."
Next, the defense called Alex Hall, who worked with Harris at Home Depot. The two also ran a web development company together.
On the day of Cooper's death, Hall, who worked in a different building than Harris, picked up Harris and they went to lunch at Publix with a third friend. Hall said that Harris wasn't acting unusual at lunch.
After lunch, Hall dropped Harris off at this vehicle. Hall said that they had planned to go a movie after work. Hall said that Harris didn't show up for the movie.
Hall said Harris seemed like a good, caring father.
After a short recess, the defense called a third co-worker, Winston Milling, to the stand. He testified that Cooper was always happy and smiling.
Kilgore argued that there is no evidence that Harris was acting in a "willful, wanton" manner to warrant "criminal negligence" necessary in the child cruelty charge. He argued that there was no evidence that Harris knew his son was in the SUV, and surveillance video proves that.
The defense attorney said that the only purpose of bringing up Harris' sexting was to shame him, and said it had no relevance to the case.
Kilgore said that Harris forgot his child was in the SUV, noting that the governor wouldn't have begun a campaign against it if it never happened.
Kilgore likened forgetting a kid in a hot car with forgetting leftovers in a car. The district attorney responded, "This wasn't leftovers, this was a child."
The prosecutor argued that sexting was relevant because it showed that Ross Harris was doing everything but worrying about his child.
The judge said there was probable cause to sustain the charges.
The defense is now arguing for bail. First, Kilgore called Harris' brother to the stand. He testified Ross was a loving father and a good dad.
Next, the defense called a children's pastor from Stonebridge Church to the stand. She said that Harris was a "typical loving father of a toddler."
JUDGE DENIES BOND
The judge denied bond for Harris. He will remain jailed as he awaits trial. The defense had asked for a $50,000 bond.
Cobb County's district attorney said he was bound by law not to discuss the evidence in an active cases, but did read a written statement from the courthouse steps:
"Today, Cobb Chief Magistrate Judge Frank Cox conducted a Probable Cause and Bond Hearing in the case of The State v. Justin Ross Harris. After hearing evidence, Judge Cox bound the case over to Superior Court on the charges of cruelty to children in the second degree and felony murder.
Procedurally, the warrant is now sent to the Cobb District Attorney's Office for disposition. The investigation by Cobb Police is still in progress, and much work remains. Once law enforcement has completed the investigation, their file will be forwarded to the District Attorney's Office for review. Only then will prosecution decisions be made. As in all cases, only two elements dictate those decisions: the facts, and the law.
Media attention and public emotion have no effect on the decisions in this case.
Ethical standards prohibit the DA's office from commenting on the evidence, and we will not violate or compromise those standards in any way. This case will run its course and we will follow wherever the evidence leads us."
Defense attorney Maddox Kilgore briefly spoke to the media, saying he said everything he planned on saying inside the courtroom.
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Scrappin_Mommy
Junior Member
*** Under the baby blue sky, near the beautiful Rocky Mountains! ***
Posts: 63
Jun 25, 2014 20:06:22 GMT
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Post by Scrappin_Mommy on Jul 3, 2014 23:08:59 GMT
I feel like I'm in denial over this...like a stage of grief or something. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk You and me both. I find myself yearning to turn back time and undo all of this. Me too! I know, realistically, that there is nothing that I could have done to change this, but I find myself wishing that the evil could have been thwarted somehow. So incredibly sad! vhxc09 ~Ronda
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scrappinmama
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,856
Jun 26, 2014 12:54:09 GMT
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Post by scrappinmama on Jul 3, 2014 23:11:25 GMT
That poor baby. I don't even want to think about his suffering. It makes me so angry. If the father purposefully did this, then I hope there is justice.
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Post by Scarlet Ohana on Jul 3, 2014 23:23:06 GMT
It's so hard to comprehend that there is such evil in this world. My heart breaks for that baby and the family who lost a grandbaby, nephew, friend.
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