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

[osu]

I totally think he killed his child on purpose, and chose this method because he thought he could get away with it. However, I wasn't in that courtroom, so I won't comment further.

ITA. IIRC, around that same time frame there had been other hot car deaths of children/babies that had been prominent in the news and those cases were ruled accidental. JRH thought his would be too.

JMO

 

[Hope4More]

Quote from the very pro-State, unyielding to the convicted Georgia SC's ruling:

".... the properly admitted evidence that appellant maliciously and intentionally left Cooper to die was far from overwhelming..."

 Bravo.

 

[neesaki]

Ross Harris is a very creepy guy. His behavior at the scene with police and bystanders was bizarre, and his police interview and apparent forced tears where troubling.

But the trial judge made a serious error in allowing the prosecution to conflate his sexting and unfaithfulness with murder. Had Harris been convicted based upon the evidence and his actions that day, we would not be having this conversation. And I think it's fair to say that most of us who support the overturning of the conviction hope he is re-tried. Cleanly, this time.

I thought that evidence was brought in to provide motive. Isn’t that common in criminal trials, to try and prove motive?

 

[lisette]

All I can say, is that it breaks my heart to think of what that poor little boy went through as he died a terrible, brutal death. If that had been my child, I would never have been able to function again, thinking about how he died. If it was an accident, RH’s behavior is hard to understand …when he realized that his precious little boy had suffered to such an extent because of his negligence. Maybe it’s just me, but he didn’t seem all that upset to my.
JMO

 

[RANCH]

I thought that evidence was brought in to provide motive. Isn’t that common in criminal trials, to try and prove motive?

The state Supreme Court's decision to reverse Harris' murder conviction wasn't made because they felt he hadn't committed murder - they said, basically, the case had been improperly tried by the Cobb County District Attorney at the time.

That's because the Cobb DA essentially tried two cases at once - and shouldn't have, at least according to the Georgia Supreme Court.

In addition to being convicted for his son Cooper's death in 2014, Harris was also convicted of sex crimes for sending sexually explicit communications to underage girls.

This is what I said back in 2016. The state should have had a separate trial for the sex crimes but they put them in with the murder trial.

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

 

[neesaki]

This is what I said back in 2016. The state should have had a separate trial for the sex crimes but they put them in with the murder trial.

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

I thought that was unusual as well. I agree they should have been tried separately.

 

[neesaki]

This is what I said back in 2016. The state should have had a separate trial for the sex crimes but they put them in with the murder trial.

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

I guess what I’m confused about is, was it not appropriate to bring in some of the sexting evidence in order to show motive in the murder trial?

 

[RANCH]

I guess what I’m confused about is, was it not appropriate to bring in some of the sexting evidence in order to show motive in the murder trial?

Maybe any that were done on the day of Cooper's death. However,that may have helped his defense of being distracted and forgot that Cooper was in the car. JMO.

 

[HarmonyE.]

I guess what I’m confused about is, was it not appropriate to bring in some of the sexting evidence in order to show motive in the murder trial?

People engage in texting and sexting all the time. How is it a motive for murder?

 

[katydid23]

People engage in texting and sexting all the time. How is it a motive for murder?

It can be motive in that he wanted to leave his marriage and end his family responsibilities.

In some of those texts, he talked about not enjoying the role of a family man anymore. It was boring and a burden on him. So I think those texts were important evidence.

It just so happens that he was texting some of that to an underaged lover.

The motive was that he was sick of being a man responsible for a family.

There had been recent hot car deaths, where the parents were not charged with anything. It was the state's contention that he was looking for a way to get out of his burdensome role and to be free to have hot young girlfriends whenever he wanted to.

 

[katydid23]

So if they retry his case, and they cannot share the texts with the jury, then the case is severely weakened. It kills me to think he did this as a way to weasel out of family life, and would now have that freedom, with no consequences.

 

[RANCH]

It can be motive in that he wanted to leave his marriage and end his family responsibilities.

In some of those texts, he talked about not enjoying the role of a family man anymore. It was boring and a burden on him. So I think those texts were important evidence.

It just so happens that he was texting some of that to an underaged lover.

The motive was that he was sick of being a man responsible for a family.

There had been recent hot car deaths, where the parents were not charged with anything. It was the state's contention that he was looking for a way to get out of his burdensome role and to be free to have hot young girlfriends whenever he wanted to.

Do you remember if any of RH's texts talked about him wanting to harm Cooper or talk about Cooper in a negative way?

 

[katydid23]

Do you remember if any of RH's texts talked about him wanting to harm Cooper or talk about Cooper in a negative way?

I'd have to go back to see exact wording---but he did speAk negatively about the financial burdens of fatherhood and how it would impact him if he tried to divorce his wife.

 

[katydid23]

Do you remember if any of RH's texts talked about him wanting to harm Cooper or talk about Cooper in a negative way?

Also, there were some odd videos from right after he 'discovered' his dead child.

The people who witnessed it as he pulled over, and tried doing resuscitation etc, were physically sick and distressed.

He looked sad, and seemed like maybe he was in shock, because he was hardly reacting. but it seemed strange...

The officer put him in the back of her car while she talked to people etc....

Later as they were driving to the station, he was making small talk with her....it was very odd....and when an officer came in to speak to him in interview room, Ross started another 'small talk' convo, asking about the police force and saying how he had once planned to become an officer, etc...HE JUST FOUND HIS CHILD JUST BURNED TO DEATH IN A CAR AN HOUR AGO.

It was very strange.

 

[RANCH]

I'd have to go back to see exact wording---but he did speAk negatively about the financial burdens of fatherhood and how it would impact him if he tried to divorce his wife.

That's the type of evidence that would be allowed to show motive. If they had that they didn't need all of the affairs, prostitute and sexting to convict. JMO.

 

[katydid23]

duplicate

 

[katydid23]

That's the type of evidence that would be allowed to show motive. If they had that they didn't need all of the affairs, prostitute and sexting to convict. JMO.

I disagree. He was OBSESSED with sexting. HE LOST HIS JOB OVER IT. He was doing it all day instead of working as an IT tech. His bosses let him go because he wasn't do any work---just sexting compulsively.

So it wasn't a matter of him sending a D-pick or two on his lunch break. It was about him sending and receiving sexts all day and night.

There was also testimony from a woman who was upset because she had been actively sexting and having a sexual back and forth with him on the phone one morning---and then he sent a pic of his toddler lying next to him on the bed while he had been interacting with her sexually.

So I think that obsession and compulsion was part of the case against him. JMO

The sexting was a compulsion that took over and it got in the way of him supervising his baby.

 

[RANCH]

I disagree. He was OBSESSED with sexting. HE LOST HIS JOB OVER IT. He was doing it all day instead of working as an IT tech. His bosses let him go because he wasn't do any work---just sexting compulsively.

So it wasn't a matter of him sending a D-pick or two on his lunch break. It was about him sending and receiving sexts all day and night.

There was also testimony from a woman who was upset because she had been actively sexting and having a sexual back and forth with him on the phone one morning---and then he sent a pic of his toddler lying next to him on the bed while he had been interacting with her sexually.

So I think that obsession and compulsion was part of the case against him. JMO

The sexting was a compulsion that took over and it got in the way of him supervising his baby.

I thought I was agreeing with you. LOL. Do you think that combining the sex crimes with the murder of Cooper in one trial was fair?

 

[katydid23]

TRIAL - Ross Harris #1

Having filled out the final jury pool late Wednesday, the court will entertain motions in the case today and then is expected to recess until Oct. 3. On that Monday, it will be time to begin the trial-in-chief and answer the question: Did Harris deliberately leave his 22-month-old son, Cooper...

www.websleuths.com

Here are the threads for the trial ....

 

[katydid23]

I thought I was agreeing with you. LOL. Do you think that combining the sex crimes with the murder of Cooper in one trial was fair?

lol...let me rephrase.

I disagree with you that the sex crime evidence should have been separate. I say that because if you take all mention of his obsessive sexting out of his daily life, you wouldn't get the true picture of his actions, when he was supposed to be watching his child.