CONVICTION OVERTURNED GA - Ross Harris Trial Appeal, hot car death of son, Cooper

[Erutan]

Speechless.
Justice for baby Cooper !

 

[Allabouttrial]

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In an opinion issued Wednesday, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that evidence submitted by prosecutors of Harris' extramarital sexual relationships -- which the state portrayed as the motivation behind his decision to kill his son -- had unfair prejudicial impact on the jury.

"Because the properly admitted evidence that Appellant maliciously and intentionally left Cooper to die was far from overwhelming," the court's opinion said, "we cannot say that it is highly probable that the erroneously admitted sexual evidence did not contribute to the jury's guilty verdicts."

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Georgia Supreme Court overturns Justin Ross Harris' murder conviction in his son's hot-car death | CNN

Georgia's highest court has overturned the murder conviction of Justin Ross Harris, the Cobb County father sentenced to life without parole for the 2014 hot-car death of his 22-month-old son, Cooper.

www.cnn.com

 

[Allabouttrial]

I agree with their decision. I think he was given an unfair trial.

Unpopular opinion I know, so I won't be hanging about.

 

[LinasK]

I hope they retry him.

I would think that they would, sans the affair stuff. Still have plenty of motive. He didn't want to be a father. Just like Scott Peterson.

 

[katydid23]

I agree with their decision. I think he was given an unfair trial.

Unpopular opinion I know, so I won't be hanging about.

I think the sexting was highly relevant because he was doing so WHILE he was supposed to be taking his child to daycare and while his son was overheating to death in the car. I think it was criminal negligence at the very least.

[ NOT directed at you personally, AAT----]

 

[RANCH]

Georgia Supreme Court overturns Justin Ross Harris' murder conviction in his son's hot-car death | CNN

Georgia's highest court has overturned the murder conviction of Justin Ross Harris, the Cobb County father sentenced to life without parole for the 2014 hot-car death of his 22-month-old son, Cooper.

www.cnn.com

"Because the properly admitted evidence that Appellant maliciously and intentionally left Cooper to die was far from overwhelming," the court's opinion said, "we cannot say that it is highly probable that the erroneously admitted sexual evidence did not contribute to the jury's guilty verdicts."

 

[RANCH]

Georgia court overturns Justin Ross Harris’ murder conviction in son’s hot-car death

The Georgia Supreme Court ruled 6-3 to reverse Justin Ross Harris’ murder and child cruelty convictions in the 2014 death of his toddler son Cooper while upholding his’ convictions on three s…

nypost.com

Nahmias wrote in the majority opinion that it was clear that Harris did leave his son in the back of his sweltering SUV, but it was up for debate whether he did it “intentionally and maliciously.”

The state “convincingly demonstrated that (Harris) was a philanderer, a pervert, and even a sexual predator,” Nahmias wrote. “This evidence did little if anything to answer the key question of (Harris’) intent when he walked away from Cooper, but it was likely to lead the 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.”

 

[RANCH]

I agree with their decision. I think he was given an unfair trial.

Unpopular opinion I know, so I won't be hanging about.

I agree.

 

[RANCH]

Why Ross Harris will stay in prison | Lawyer explains reversal of murder conviction in boy's hot car death

Attorney Page Pate spoke with 11Alive after the Georgia Supreme Court announced its decision on Wednesday.

www.11alive.com

"They brought those two charges together in one trial, and the Supreme Court said, 'Wait a minute.' All of that evidence relating to his texting these underage girls should not have been considered by the jury when they're deciding the murder case and it was unfairly prejudicial – it made Harris look like a bad guy, and obviously he was, the jury convicted him on the sex crime charges, but they should not have had that evidence bleed over into the murder case.

 

[RANCH]

And you were right. I thought it was going to be a hung jury. Why did you think it was going to be guilty on all charges?

Because the State got the unrelated sex charges in with the murder. I believe they did that so the jury would be angry at RH when they deliberated. It worked. JMO

The above is a post I made in 2016 after the verdict.

The Sidebar - Harris Trial #3 *VERDICT - GUILTY*

Oops sorry here it is: http://interactive.tegna-media.com/video/embed/embed.html?site=85&id=1085001827000&platform=mobile&autoplay=autoplay Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Thank you so much!

www.websleuths.com

 

[Erutan]

If I remember rightly, I thought there was the issue of some of Ross' internet searches re. hot car deaths, and how long it takes ?
I need to to go back and check.
IF true, this was more troubling than even the sexting.
But as far as I remember, it came up during the trial and the jury tried to be fair and just at that time.



As well --didn't Ross have a camera in the car that was accessed by his phone ?
So he should have known Cooper was still in the car.
So many red flags.
My .02 about this case.

 

[mom2chloe]

He deserves to be locked up indefinitely and absolutely but maybe the jurors didn’t need to hear the other evidence which is questionable to some. Despite the info suggested at trial IMO he is completely guilty without a doubt. Leaving the other charges aside would have benefited this tiny victim.

 

[CarolynV]

So, does he go free, or can they keep him on the other conviction?

 

[RANCH]

So, does he go free, or can they keep him on the other conviction?

But Harris will remain in jail. As part of his sentencing, he received 12 years in prison for those communications - that conviction remains in place, and he will continue serving those 12 years.

Why Ross Harris will stay in prison | Lawyer explains reversal of murder conviction in boy's hot car death

Attorney Page Pate spoke with 11Alive after the Georgia Supreme Court announced its decision on Wednesday.

www.11alive.com

 

[Quiet Time]

I think the sexting was highly relevant because he was doing so WHILE he was supposed to be taking his child to daycare and while his son was overheating to death in the car. I think it was criminal negligence at the very least.

[ NOT directed at you personally, AAT----]

I totally agree.
Especially since Miss Meadows (i didnt know about her) was being fussy with him.
He had to hurry and do something...

imo

 

[BeckyF]

I would think that they would, sans the affair stuff. Still have plenty of motive. He didn't want to be a father. Just like Scott Peterson.

2 different cases.

 

[BeckyF]

I agree with their decision. I think he was given an unfair trial.

Unpopular opinion I know, so I won't be hanging about.

Same here. Let them retry it. The sexual stuff wasn’t a motive. IMO

 

[HarmonyE.]

I agree with their decision. I think he was given an unfair trial.

Unpopular opinion I know, so I won't be hanging about.

I think he probably intentionally killed Cooper, but I agree. He did not get a fair trial. The jury was prejudiced against him because his unrelated sexual activities. As if every man who goes to sex workers or sends explicit texts behind his wife's back has a motive to murder his child.

I hope they retry him though.

 

[BeckyF]

I think the sexting was highly relevant because he was doing so WHILE he was supposed to be taking his child to daycare and while his son was overheating to death in the car. I think it was criminal negligence at the very least.

[ NOT directed at you personally, AAT----]

No, he could have been texting about anything at all but that does not not justify a charge of malice murder. The reason he was distracted does not matter. IMO

 

[BeckyF]

Ross May very well have deliberately left his son in a hot car to die. Give the guy a fair trial. Sexting does not = malice murder. IMO