Post Verdict - Ross Harris Trial

[DexterMorgan]

On a two-income salary, why not buy a 2nd bigger car seat for the other car? Rather than sticking him in one that was obviously too small? IIRC, they aren't that expensive, around $100.

I agree. Ross was spending too much on fast food and fast females.

But the rear seat should have allowed him to see Coopers head quicker. Especially since his head would be closer to Ross right arm while getting in and out of the car. Also while getting his laptop and coffee mugs. Or while tossing the light bulbs in the driver or passenger seat.

 

[rob]

On a two-income salary, why not buy a 2nd bigger car seat for the other car? Rather than sticking him in one that was obviously too small? IIRC, they aren't that expensive, around $100.

You can pick up a used one at a yard sale, chuch sale or on craigs list for $20. they could have sold their baby seat and picked up a toddler seat, no big deal. everyone does it.

 

[Jewels53]

He actually reminds me a little of Jodi Arias. But, a more naive version. His sole focus is on his own self centered needs. He's so shallow and self serving to the very end. Nothing is more important than his own desires. And his narcissism forbids him to be humbled, or ashamed of his conniving, devious act of murder. Yet he's so arrogant that he's beyond naive... just like Arias. To the point that he actually believed he was smarter than everyone else to the point that he could pull it off. Is he the epitome of an oxymoron? Whatever it is, he's so pathetic, I don't know whether to laugh or cry. Cry, yes, for sweet innocent baby Cooper. :cry:

You describe him perfectly and the comparison to Jodi A is perfect. RH sucked in his Lawyers just like Jodi sucked in others to believing her. imo

 

[DeDee]

Sad indeed.

Now I know that the family had 2 car seats. The forward facing big one. And the rear facing smaller one.

Now it was stated that the wife used the bigger one when she took Cooper out of town prior to this happening.

But it seems like the car she drove always had the bigger carseat.

While Ross was just using the smaller one.

Especially if one would drop Cooper off while the other parent would pick him up.

But i don't know for sure.

The Hs using the rear facing too small infant's car seat was something that bugged me from the beginning.

Weeks prior to Cooper's death, he and his mother visited his maternal grandmother in AL. I think this is why the one carseat was purchased so the grandmother wouldn't pitch a hissy fit, whatever that is!

That newly purchased seat was never inserted into Justin's vehicle. Even though, in testimony, we learned from Leeann that the couple purchased two bases for the new seat so that Cooper's mother and the grandmother would both be capable of transporting Cooper.

Was it their intention not to purchase two new seats for Cooper and instead would install the two bases, one into each vehicle, and move the actual seat from vehicle to vehicle? If so, why wasn't this extra base ever inserted into Justin's vehicle?

After all of the actual child-free reasons of why Justin murdered his son, one needs to consider the fact that Cooper had just recently begun to talk. "School." Cooper KNEW that his father had passed the turn to go to his school and was REMINDING his father that he missed the turn. jmho

 

[DeDee]

This post by a fellow member, Ven, written on 07-03-2014, says so much.
It is one of the few links on this case that I have kept.

The Ten Levels of Slime

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...bb-County-June-2014-8&p=10699343#post10699343

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

^ Thanks. I hadn't seen the post previously. Very astute observations.

 

[NCTeacher]

-I drove from eastern NC to Atlanta for the sentencing
-I drove the route from CFA to the Treehouse (recorded it, and it took 8 takes)
-I found the space in the Treehouse parking lot and did the park job
-For those of you sticklers: A guard came and talked to me, wanted to know why I was there, he nodded and allowed me to stay and finish my personal analysis of the parking spot.

Firstly, about the sentencing:
-Ross Harris has lost at least twenty pounds since the verdict, so the observation about his weight is off. I noticed it right away when he entered. You can see clearly on the replays in his face, neck, and gut the weight loss.
-Ross seems to have been on Xanax or something, his eyes and mannerisms were very slow and almost lethargic.
-Leanna was NOT there. Only a male cousin, members of the public, and lots of media.
-The defense was rude and pompous (which startled me because they seemed so polite during the trial). The attitude I immediately detected was "why are we even here, this is a waste of our time."
-Judge Staley was emotional. Her voice quivered, she had to collect herself, she said that LWOP was the very LEAST form of justice she could give Ross Harris after he shut that door and walked away from Cooper in June, in Georgia. Not sure why Minor thinks she was communicating it was an accident, context is very important tool, and in context she was being poignant and pointing out the IRONY of his goal and the reality he achieved.
In other words Ross--your actions will cause others to think twice before they leave their child to die in a hot car. It has also brought on so much national attention that awareness has increased 10 fold. Recall, the notices in the Wal Marts appeared shortly after this case made national news.

Drive from CFA to Treehouse
-Impossible to forget, that's all I have to say. It took me on average less than 1 one minute to get out of the CFA parking lot and make the U-turn (the point where he needed to forget Cooper in order to drive through the intersection), all while CFA was visible in my periphery. There wasn't even an opportunity for Cooper to leave his working memory, much less be forgotten completely.

Treehouse Parking Lot Space Analysis:
The spot he chose was between TWO CURBS (two islands). One of the curbs extended into the space by approximately 1 foot. He drove between the two curbs to pull into the spot. The maneuver was very awkward and the space narrow. That is NOT a space ANYONE would choose to pull into. It was designed for you to drive around and enter from the other side of the space, not to pull through it (I ran over the curb the first time). When he drove through the lot, the spot he chose isn't even visible until you pass by it because you are driving up a hill. Why would he back up and maneuver into that difficult, narrow, awkward spot when other spots were much more accessible after running late for work? Because he knew no one would park next to him. Because this spot was pre-selected.

If I had been on the fence, I would no longer be after physically pulling into that spot as he did.

 

[monkeypants]

-I drove from eastern NC to Atlanta for the sentencing
-I drove the route from CFA to the Treehouse (recorded it, and it took 8 takes)
-I found the space in the Treehouse parking lot and did the park job
-A guard came and talked to me and I was permitted to stay and finish my personal analysis

Firstly, about the sentencing:
-Ross Harris has lost at least twenty pounds since the verdict, so the observation about his weight is off. I noticed it right away when he entered. You can see clearly on the replays in his face, neck, and gut the weight loss.
-Ross seems to have been on Xanax or something, his eyes and mannerisms were very slow and almost lethargic.
-Leanna was NOT there. Only a male cousin, members of the public, and lots of media.
-The defense was rude and pompous (which startled me because they seemed so polite during the trial). The attitude I immediately detected was "why are we even here, this is a waste of our time."
-Judge Staley was emotional. Her voice quivered, she had to collect herself, she said that LWOP was the very LEAST form of justice she could give Ross Harris after he shut that door and walked away from Cooper in June, in Georgia. Not sure why Minor thinks she was communicating it was an accident, context is very important tool, and in context she was being poignant and pointing out the IRONY of his goal and the reality he achieved.
In other words Ross--your actions will cause others to think twice before they leave their child to die in a hot car. It has also brought on so much national attention that awareness has increased 10 fold. Recall, the notices in the Wal Marts appeared shortly after this case made national news.

Drive from CFA to Treehouse
-Impossible to forget, that's all I have to say. It took me on average less than 1 one minute to get out of the CFA parking lot and make the U-turn (the point where he needed to forget Cooper in order to drive through the intersection), all while CFA was visible in my periphery. There wasn't even an opportunity for Cooper to leave his working memory, much less be forgotten completely.

Treehouse Parking Lot Space Analysis:
The spot he chose was between TWO CURBS (two islands). One of the curbs extended into the space by approximately 1 foot. He drove between the two curbs to pull into the spot. The maneuver was very awkward and the space narrow. That is NOT a space ANYONE would choose to pull into. It was designed for you to drive around and enter from the other side of the space, not to pull through it (I ran over the curb the first time). When he drove through the lot, the spot he chose isn't even visible until you pass by it because you are driving up a hill. Why would he back up and maneuver into that difficult, narrow, awkward spot when other spots were much more accessible after running late for work? Because he knew no one would park next to him. Because this spot was pre-selected.

If I had been on the fence, I would no longer be after physically pulling into that spot as he did.

Speechless after reading this.

THANK YOU.

 

[monkeypants]

-I drove from eastern NC to Atlanta for the sentencing
-I drove the route from CFA to the Treehouse (recorded it, and it took 8 takes)
-I found the space in the Treehouse parking lot and did the park job
-For those of you sticklers: A guard came and talked to me, wanted to know why I was there, he nodded and allowed me to stay and finish my personal analysis of the parking spot.

Firstly, about the sentencing:
-Ross Harris has lost at least twenty pounds since the verdict, so the observation about his weight is off. I noticed it right away when he entered. You can see clearly on the replays in his face, neck, and gut the weight loss.
-Ross seems to have been on Xanax or something, his eyes and mannerisms were very slow and almost lethargic.
-Leanna was NOT there. Only a male cousin, members of the public, and lots of media.
-The defense was rude and pompous (which startled me because they seemed so polite during the trial). The attitude I immediately detected was "why are we even here, this is a waste of our time."
-Judge Staley was emotional. Her voice quivered, she had to collect herself, she said that LWOP was the very LEAST form of justice she could give Ross Harris after he shut that door and walked away from Cooper in June, in Georgia. Not sure why Minor thinks she was communicating it was an accident, context is very important tool, and in context she was being poignant and pointing out the IRONY of his goal and the reality he achieved.
In other words Ross--your actions will cause others to think twice before they leave their child to die in a hot car. It has also brought on so much national attention that awareness has increased 10 fold. Recall, the notices in the Wal Marts appeared shortly after this case made national news.

Drive from CFA to Treehouse
-Impossible to forget, that's all I have to say. It took me on average less than 1 one minute to get out of the CFA parking lot and make the U-turn (the point where he needed to forget Cooper in order to drive through the intersection), all while CFA was visible in my periphery. There wasn't even an opportunity for Cooper to leave his working memory, much less be forgotten completely.

Treehouse Parking Lot Space Analysis:
The spot he chose was between TWO CURBS (two islands). One of the curbs extended into the space by approximately 1 foot. He drove between the two curbs to pull into the spot. The maneuver was very awkward and the space narrow. That is NOT a space ANYONE would choose to pull into. It was designed for you to drive around and enter from the other side of the space, not to pull through it (I ran over the curb the first time). When he drove through the lot, the spot he chose isn't even visible until you pass by it because you are driving up a hill. Why would he back up and maneuver into that difficult, narrow, awkward spot when other spots were much more accessible after running late for work? Because he knew no one would park next to him. Because this spot was pre-selected.

If I had been on the fence, I would no longer be after physically pulling into that spot as he did.

Btw, to back into the space did you have to turn and look over your shoulder at all?

 

[NCTeacher]

It doesn't help to refuse to admit you're guilty if you are looking for leniency. The trial is over, the sentence was pretty obvious given the circumstances of the death, the only thing that's going to possibly keep Ross out of prison for the rest of his life is a successful appeal so there is no point in saying anything now.

No. No. No. Family being present, showing their solidarity in faith in his innocence does NOT harm his appeal, and it also would help substantiate his claims of innocence. After all, your entire family standing behind you while the world is against you speaks volumes--family knows you, the public does not.

 

[NCTeacher]

Btw, to back into the space did you have to turn and look over your shoulder at all?

Yes, that could be done. I reversed without looking because I knew there were no cars there. The logistics of the spot is what floored me. BUT, I certainly could not do that and reverse perfectly back into a spot, especially without cars there to guide me.

 

[HarmonyE.]

I think what's disturbing about this case is that, had RH being able to give a semi-believable performance of a shell-shocked, grieving father at the lunch like he was probably planning to, it's very likely he would've gotten away with it. In this case, I believe that RH fully understands that the longer he waits until his "discovery", the less believable his story becomes. This is why the trip to the car at lunchtime is necessary to him because the timing of discovery would then be more consistent with your average hot-car deaths. After all, a three-hour memory lapse is much easier to accept than going a full eight-hour working day without something to trigger his memory.

This leads to speculations as to why he aborted the lunchtime discovery plan. IMO there's two likely reasons, both equally probable:

1) His friends drove away instead of hanging around to witness his immediate reactions.

I think RH knows that he's not a trained actor and the only acting he can confidently do is to act shocked and broken down. He had to have known that he has no clue how to behave convincingly like a grieving father who just accidentally killed his own child, so he has to limit his actions as much as possible. This is why it's important for him to have people around him at the time of discovery to act as "supporting actors". He needs other people to do things like calling 911 or help get Cooper out of the car, so he can cower at the side and do as little as possible to avoid giving himself away. This is evident from his actions later that day when he drove around with his dead kid in a backseat until he found a place where he was sure help would come right away.

2) Cooper was still alive and he saw him moving through the windows.

Obviously if he caught a glimpse of Cooper moving in the car he had to quickly abort his plans for discovery.


Regardless of the reason, he aborted his plans and quickly improvised to act like he never saw the baby when he went to his car. This IMO is what did him in. He had a plan thought out, but when things didn't go his way, he improvised and gave himself away on camera. NOBODY, at least among those who mattered such as LE or all twelve jurors, believed that he didn't see or realize his baby was still in the car. Keep in mind he didn't just walk past his car but INTERACTED with it by opening a door and throwing something inside. It is clear from what happened during jury deliberations that his inexplicable behavior at lunch solidified their belief that this was an intentional act.

This is such a good post I'm pulling it forward. And just want to make a few comments because some "light bulbs" are going on for me.

I had never considered the thought that he didn't "find" Cooper at lunch because there was no one there to witness his crying act at that point, but this might be exactly what happened. Pulling off an act of hysteria would probably have been much more difficult without an audience to play off of, although he surely knew there were security cameras that would capture his general reaction. As he was a reluctant lunch-goer that day (and I'll bet that didn't happen too often), this may also explain the seemingly random light bulb shopping trip. Such a lightweight, almost-nothing package, why not just get dropped off at the door and bring them into the office and bring them back out a the end of the day? Ross definitely looks like the "drop me at the door" type.

The light bulbs and their drop off were a deviation from the plan, possibly because Ross figured it might be easier to play-act in front of his friends instead of having strangers coming to Cooper's aid. But when the friends zoomed off and he was left alone and knowing he was on camera, he very quickly dropped off the package making sure he did his best to keep his head above the roof line and to not look inside. My own guess is that, unless there was an odor at that time, he couldn't have known for sure whether Cooper was dead or alive. Poor baby probably wasn't in good shape if he was still alive and Ross acted so quickly he didn't give himself much of a chance to confirm either way. Far safer in his mind to return to the original plan, especially if there was any chance his baby still lived.

Clearly the lunch time light bulbs were of great interest to the jury. Unless they talk (have any talked? Can they in Georgia?) we won't know for sure, but maybe they were debating these very things among themselves?

 

[NCTeacher]

^^^Yes, cameras were VERY visible in lot. They are large and there are cameras pointing in each direction per light pole.

 

[MrX]

The jurors noticing that Ross opened the door, and held light bulbs with his left hand seems to confirm that "after lunch" was when he planned to find the body. I assume he had Alex or Winston's number queued up on his phone (in his right hand) ready to call them back if they drove off too soon. His friends and co-workers would have testified to his authentic grief (they already believed he loved Cooper) and provided a buffer. The light bulbs were such a perfect touch - something that were needed at home. Cooper was probably kicking up a storm, and that would account for the delay in parking lot see if anyone else heard him.

No telling how things would have gone differently from there. Ross would have time to purge his phone, he never would have encountered Piper and Foglia and strangers wouldn't have been there to comment on his demeanor. How differently would Stoddard have approached this if the death had occurred in three hours instead of seven, he didn't have witnesses saying that Ross was not acting as expected, Ross was not already in custody for cursing at a police officer, etc. Granted, Ross would still have acted aloof in interviews, but I have to wonder how far LE would have pursued this without Ross making their case for them from the first minute.

 

[LinasK]

You can pick up a used one at a yard sale, chuch sale or on craigs list for $20. they could have sold their baby seat and picked up a toddler seat, no big deal. everyone does it.

Thank you for helping make my point- it shouldn't have been inaffordably expensive for them to have purchased a 2nd appropriately sized car seat. So between using that one and the parking space he chose- it's clear he had murder on his mind, not just sexting.

 

[HarmonyE.]

The jurors noticing that Ross opened the door, and held light bulbs with his left hand seems to confirm that "after lunch" was when he planned to find the body. I assume he had Alex or Winston's number queued up on his phone (in his right hand) ready to call them back if they drove off too soon. His friends and co-workers would have testified to his authentic grief (they already believed he loved Cooper) and provided a buffer. The light bulbs were such a perfect touch - something that were needed at home. Cooper was probably kicking up a storm, and that would account for the delay in parking lot see if anyone else heard him.

No telling how things would have gone differently from there. Ross would have time to purge his phone, he never would have encountered Piper and Foglia and strangers wouldn't have been there to comment on his demeanor. How differently would Stoddard have approached this if the death had occurred in three hours instead of seven, he didn't have witnesses saying that Ross was not acting as expected, Ross was not already in custody for cursing at a police officer, etc. Granted, Ross would still have acted aloof in interviews, but I have to wonder how far LE would have pursued this without Ross making their case for them from the first minute.

Probably not as far as malice murder. About a week or two after Cooper's death a father in CT failed to drop off his son at daycare and never remembered him again until he showed up at daycare and was told the baby wasn't there. But he acted like a normal human being at the scene and during questioning and ended up taking a plea for a far lesser charge. Had Ross pulled it off while his friends were around, they may have protected him, helped with the general portrayal to the cops, maybe even insisted he get medical attention himself before speaking with the cops. Doing it in a parking lot full of strangers and cops practically already at the scene was the worst place for Ross to play this out. But still, this is Ross we're talking about. He probably would have found a way to screw up his best case scenario. Justin Ross Harris is proof that not all narcissistic sociopaths are charming, devious and clever. Some are just flat-out idiots.

 

[agentorange90]

Just some thoughts after the trial. I am glad it is over; just a very depressing case. I live in the area and know people who knew RH. It's hard not to think about the trial when I go to that Chic-Fila; probably once a week. I posted before but there was some disbelief that RH did this on purpose by many who knew him. The only person I remember on the stand was LHT testifying to this. After some personal doubts about his guilt on the malice charges, I just have to look at the evidence. The DA brought a good case with solid evidence. Ultimately the lunch time car stop is what did him in. Does anyone think this has any chance at an appeal? I think the judge made it very clear that the prosecution did a solid job and the jurors followed up with a solid deliberation. I'm not a legal expert but don't see any way this is over-turned. I'm also wondering how the defense team was compensated. I'm sure his family had to put up some serious money.

 

[Maisiebelle]

It's just dawned on me. If Cooper was still alive at lunch time he would be been so glad to see his daddy. When JRH closed the door and walked away that poor baby must have been so distressed.

I'm so glad this trial is over. I hope we never hear JRH's name ever again.


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[U2forever]

It's just dawned on me. If Cooper was still alive at lunch time he would be been so glad to see his daddy. When JRH closed the door and walked away that poor baby must have been so distressed.

I'm so glad this trial is over. I hope we never hear JRH's name ever again.


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Maisiebelle, I pray we never hear about this evil lose ever again either, except when he is lying in a pine box, cold and dead, just like his rotten missing heart.


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[LinasK]

It's just dawned on me. If Cooper was still alive at lunch time he would be been so glad to see his daddy. When JRH closed the door and walked away that poor baby must have been so distressed.

I'm so glad this trial is over. I hope we never hear JRH's name ever again.


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I had that same thought...