Cooper Harris - Sidebar Thread

[eileenhawkeye]

Cathy ‏@courtchatter 2m2 minutes ago
#RossHarris - According to court admin earlier, if judge granted this...which she just did....trial likely not until fall.

 

[GA_Peach]

She granted the change of venue. Starting all over....

Thank you. I will be very interested to see where they end up.

 

[GA_Peach]

Jury selection should not take as long in the new location IMO.

It will be interesting to see.

 

[Hope4More]

One problem is that rural Georgia is nothing like Atlanta. I think finding a comparable venue will be a real challenge, and I wonder if the lawyers are currently discussing potential options.

Doesn't have to be a similar county, per Georgia code. The law states the transfer can be to "any" county agreed upon by first the DT & State, then by the trial judge.

 

[eileenhawkeye]

It looks like the media might not get their Summer-Hot-Weather "hot car death" trial after all. If the trial starts in the fall, and lasts two months, the verdict could come in during the winter, rather than in June or July. While I'm sure the Atlanta media will still give the trial saturated coverage, I wonder about HLN. Does it matter that "hot car death" trial could take place when it's not warm or hot outside? JRH's trial could also be happening very close to the election...not sure what effect that could have, but I would think the networks will be 24/7 about that.

 

[Lily17]

First time posting via TapaTalk so I am sure I am not doing this correctly! No Eileenhawkeye, I don't think trial in any month other than June, July or August will make any difference. Most Georgians know exactly how hot and humid the summers are here. Not easily forgotten at all!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[daisymae]

Lily17

:welcome4:

 

[eileenhawkeye]

First time posting via TapaTalk so I am sure I am not doing this correctly! No Eileenhawkeye, I don't think trial in any month other than June, July or August will make any difference. Most Georgians know exactly how hot and humid the summers are here. Not easily forgotten at all!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I agree that the timing of the trial likely won't make a difference in the jury's decision but the national media coverage could. With the trial expected to start in the Fall, there's the very likely possibility that it will take place very close to the election. The verdict could be completely overshadowed by it, instead of it had been announced in June or July and would have gotten huge attention.

 

[LinasK]

What are some other high-profile national trials where the defendant was not a celebrity, wealthy, or attractive? I feel like JRH is setting a new precedent here. I honestly hate that the media insists on using pictures of JRH over Cooper. And not just in a "Show the victim, not the killer" way but because I find JRH extremely hard to look at.

Well, I didn't consider Casey Anthony or Jodi Arias attractive...

 

[LinasK]

I actually think that the prosecution's biggest liability is themselves. I have long wondered if their looseness with words will come back to the bite them. If the jurors don't find law enforcement to be trustworthy, I think that JRH will be acquitted on all of the child-cruelty and murder charges.

I believe that O.J. Simpson was acquitted in large part because of Mark Fuhrman. I hope that the same thing does not happen in this case.

ETA - I should have read the linked article before posting. I see that the article also mentions Mark Fuhrman. :-/

Actually Christopher Darden having OJ try on the shrunken glove in open court was the biggest think that sunk the case, and a star-struck racist jury who wanted to acquit him. Fuhrman's lies and bigotry didn't help though.

 

[tlcya]

Hey guys, if you notice a post is missing, no worries. Tricia started a thread where the change in venue can be discussed more in depth, leaving this sidebar for more general case conversation.

the Change in Venue thread is located HERE

 

[JudyBolton]

Perry, Ga. (Houston County) would probably suit most of the requirements. It is out of the Atlanta media market. The large state fairgrounds is there so there are lots of hotels and restaurants. It is right off of the interstate. The only issue is timing - if this goes into fall - the fair is in Oct. and it will be impossible to find accommodations for the media, court related personnel, etc.

I wonder how these potential jurors feel tonight? Relieved? Ticked-off at the waste? I seriously doubt any of them would be required to travel the great distance that will be required - plus they are from this "tainted" area so they will have to start all over - right?

 

[Niner]

Morning!

No motions (uncontested):61 , 64, 67, 70, 71, 78, 79, 81.

Thanks! I was wondering "who" got dismissed... but the thing is, they said there were 41 potential jurors at the end of Friday. I have 37! ?? so what happened with
#s 83 and 86 - In?? but that only brings it to 39... LOL!

and :tyou: tlcya for the list that you sent me!

I guess I'll just have to wait and see who's in and who's out! (or is that whose in and whose out?!)

so... reading further down...

Cathy ‏@courtchatter 2m2 minutes ago
#RossHarris - No one saw this coming. #hotcardeath TRIAL DELAYED. Defense motion for change of venue granted.

I'm shocked!

Oh No! Well... I guess I don't have to worry about my list! :laughcry: :gaah:

What a waste of everyone's time.

Tell me about it! LOL!

:seeya:

 

[BrownRice]

I thought this is interesting (and extremely sad). A mom left her 2 yo in the car, went to work, and then went to daycare to pick her up and was told she wasn't dropped off. The deceased child was in the car. No charges are expected.

I would assume JRH's defense team will jump on this and use during his trial.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2016/05/11/girl-left-miss-vehicle-dies/84266374/

 

[Magdalyn]

I thought this is interesting (and extremely sad). A mom left her 2 yo in the car, went to work, and then went to daycare to pick her up and was told she wasn't dropped off. The deceased child was in the car. No charges are expected.

I would assume JRH's defense team will jump on this and use during his trial.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2016/05/11/girl-left-miss-vehicle-dies/84266374/

If the details of the two cases contrast sharply, they may not want to draw attention to it. I'm betting, for example, the mom had a commute longer than the 2 minutes it took JHR to 'forget' Cooper.

 

[borndem]

Agree, B.Sugar... I'm thinking the defense will want to show this situation and say, "What's the difference here? The very same thing happened."

But, but, but, they better be sure they know the details or the prosecution will try their best to pick it apart. For example:
Did she go out to her car at lunchtime?
Is there a record on her computer that searches for "Life without kids"?
Was her two-year-old child in an infant car-seat with the straps set at the tightest position?
How many miles was her car driven since she had last put the child in the car-seat?
Let's compare, ladies and gentlemen of the jury...

 

[rob]

I thought this is interesting (and extremely sad). A mom left her 2 yo in the car, went to work, and then went to daycare to pick her up and was told she wasn't dropped off. The deceased child was in the car. No charges are expected.

I would assume JRH's defense team will jump on this and use during his trial.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2016/05/11/girl-left-miss-vehicle-dies/84266374/

You know, if you are a parent or anyone that drives with a small child in the car, it's time to make some changes. If I ever did or do drive with a child again, I promise you, I will have a foolproof method in place.
Put your purse, phone, whatever, back there with the child. Put a stick note on the steering wheel and the drivers side window. Tell the daycare to call you if you don't drop off. Tell your co-workers to ask everyday. Tell your spouse, mama, best friend to call you within the first hour of work. Put a note on your desk, computer, tractor, whatever you work with. Do something! How does this keep happening?

 

[borndem]

Excellent advice, Rob. I am a big fan of makings lists -- both online and on paper. In fact, I've got a little sticky-note on my computer screen reminding me of a meeting tomorrow at 2:00pm -- I put it there because it's the best place -- I knew when I wrote the note that I would see it there for sure. Just like your suggestion of putting one on the driver's side car window. You will notice that. It took me only 60 seconds to get the sticky, write the note saying "2:00" and stick it on the screen. Sixty seconds. Ross Harris was writing notes to all types of people, allegedly, so why not write a couple to himself??? Grrrr.

 

[slashkiss]

I would call my husband within about 30 minutes of the time I expected him to drop off our baby. It wasn't the norm for him to do it so I would get panicked. He used to think I was crazy and didn't trust him. He thought that until we went out to eat with in a large group so we took both cars and he had our daughter with him. He had parked, locked the doors and started walking into the restaurant when my mother yelled after him that he forgot about her because she had fallen asleep on the drive. After that day anytime he dropped her off at daycare he immediately sent me a text to tell me she was dropped off. Accidents do happen and parents are only human so yes every parent should have some small fail proof method of reminding them!

 

[MsArk]

It seems as if the baby left in the hot car seat 'accident' (I feel certain some are accidental) is a relatively new phenomenon. My boys were babies in the early 90's and I don't recall this being a problem then. Was I just too busy to watch the news or am I correct in thinking these instances have increased over the past 5-7 years?
ETA--- I had a college friend whose husband accidentally hit and killed his toddler while backing out of the driveway. It was obviously devastating for the entire family even though accidental.