GA - Suspicion over heat death of Cooper, 22 mo., Cobb County, June 2014, #5

[newone]

I haven't read about a bottle rocket. I doubt a bottle rocket would cause brain damage.

apparently it left him with a hearing deficit in one ear --- but he does play guitar!! so I guess he's ok ..... unless defense can get his band buddies to testify otherwise

 

[RANCH]

I will try to find any links, but I believe the magistrate reduced the charge, based upon the evidence available at that moment.

I would imagine that the reduced charge was based on a lack of evidence to support the first degree charge. I wonder why LE went with first degree in the first place.

Maybe they usually overcharge most cases and see if the magistrate does anything about it.

 

[RANCH]

apparently it left him with a hearing deficit in one ear --- but he does play guitar!! so I guess he's ok ..... unless defense can get his band buddies to testify otherwise

I'm not sure how a hearing problem has anything to do with this case but I could be wrong.

 

[JLSChook]

Has LE mentioned how long toxicology could take? Thanks!

I remember hearing LE saying something like it could take a week, 2 weeks, a month...or something like that. It was pretty vague. Still looking.

 

[MissJ]

JMO, I'm really shocked at the number of people who say they could forget their child in a manner of minutes for several hours until that child is dead. I've made mistakes but not forget my child after breakfast and two or three minutes later I forget him for seven hours. If its that easy some people don't need to be having children.

 

[sorrell skye]

apparently it left him with a hearing deficit in one ear --- but he does play guitar!! so I guess he's ok ..... unless defense can get his band buddies to testify otherwise

And in one of his reddit posts, he told someone how to tune a guitar by ear to the other strings.

IMO, he's full of it - including his claims of being deaf in one ear.

 

[liltexans]

I'm not sure how a hearing problem has anything to do with this case but I could be wrong.

A defense attorney can find a way to use it. Say something like "He couldn't hear Cooper babbling in the car because he's deaf in his right ear (closest to the car seat)."

I'm sure this alleged disability can be used by the defense if they find a need.

 

[gitana1]

Blue, then why go to trial? Sincerely, I really mean that. Why bother with a trial if everything needed to send him for life in prison/death penalty is already fully known and agreed to by all parties?

He's already admitted he left his baby in the car all day in the heat, and now the baby has died.

Those facts are not in question, at all, and if all you need are those facts everyone would agree he's guilty as charged.

But that's why we have juries. So they can look at it and see mitigating factors. He has not pled guilty to the crime - but has in fact, agreed that he's guilty of the very minimal tenets of the crime he's being charged with.

This is where juries come in. And sometimes, they go all the way to a "jury pardon" - meaning yes he's guilty as charged but due to the circumstances shouldn't be punished to that degree.

Whether they admit it or not, jurors if this comes to trial will be considering intent.

Everything that needs to be known is not known. That will all come out at trial. But "intention" is not a part of the jury instructions for felony murder. That would be first degree murder. So, you would be instructed, if on the jury, that intent is irrelevant.

At 9 am? A 2 yr old is going to instantly fall asleep, within minutes, at 9 am? I wish my toddlers had done that. They would never fall asleep at 9 am.

PRECISELY!!! Anyone with kids or familiarity with them knows most 22 year olds are not napping at 9:00 a.m. just after breakfast. They are chattering, singing, pooping - not sleeping.

 

[JLSChook]

I'm not sure how a hearing problem has anything to do with this case but I could be wrong.

According to the defendant, he had a hearing issue with his right ear. (I believe it was his right) and people are speculating that it may be used as an excuse that he didn't hear Cooper babbling away like most 22 month old babies would do after breakfast, during a 3 minute ride.

 

[SStarr33]

At 9 am? A 2 yr old is going to instantly fall asleep, within minutes, at 9 am? I wish my toddlers had done that. They would never fall asleep at 9 am.

My stepkids were sleeping machines as toddlers. And put them in the car and they slept even more.

 

[newone]

JMO, I'm really shocked at the number of people who say they could forget their child in a manner of minutes for several hours until that child is dead. I've made mistakes but not forget my child after breakfast and two or three minutes later I forget him for seven hours. If its that easy some people don't need to be having children.

my kids were truly 'hard-wired' to ensure that I didn't forget them driving was always a ''memorable'' experience

 

[Karmady]

[modsnip]

Agree. I have one child who slept immediately on being in the car. Still kind of does. One that doesn't. I have no trouble believing that a baby who'd had trouble sleeping for two nights, probably had been up for a few hours already and had just eaten breakfast, would fall asleep before they were out of the Chik-Fil-A parking lot. That's because one of mine would have done just that -- nearly every time. I understand people find it hard to believe if their experience has always been different. jmo

 

[gitana1]

The charges are certainly effective in being able to put someone away who had no intent of harming his child! I don't think that's "brilliant" I think that's horrific. That someone could be sent to death for a crime the legal system doesn't think they intended to happen.

In my opinion, honestly, to be convicted of a crime it should have to be proven there's intent.

Isn't that what all this hubub is about on this board with this sad case? Those who firmly believe it was his INTENT to harm that child?

So why not make that a part of this criminal prosecution process? PROVE intent - or at least make it a requirement of the charge.

I also don't celebrate when people are used as "examples", of when prosecutors purposely charge someone with the MOST they think they can "make stick" and so there's bargaining room. I think people should be charged fairly, for what they did, and not more than that.

Oops! I'm sorry. I thought you meant intent to kill. Nevertheless, intent is not always necessary to all crimes. For example, some states hold a parent criminally negligent if they get super high or drunk and forget their kid in a hot car. What do you think? No intent to harm so should they walk free?

 

[tlcya]

what if mom brought a ''sleeping'' baby to the vehicle/restaurant ((looked like he was sleeping ''at last'' after a tough night )KWIM tox screen will sure be interesting possibly MOOO

I think the COD would not then be determined to be hyperthermia. A live child in a car all day is going to be different on autopsy than a dead body in a closed vehicle.

MOO

 

[Baznme]

There are 3 areas I question that haven't been discussed yet that I have run across.

I thought I heard in the first reports that RH left his residence at 8:30am. Correct me if I am wrong on that.

If he left at 8:30am and his first stop was CFA, how long did it take him to arrive? Also, if there is videotape, was Cooper on his shoulder appearing to be sleeping at the time? How long was he there? Did he walk out with him the same way?

I also read somewhere that RH arrived at work at 9:20am. Did it really take 50 min. to do all that from home to work? If not, there is a lapse of time there unaccounted for.

Wish we could have a timeline setup for this case like we had for the Casey Anthony case. I realize there is more info to come out if we go by what LE has said so far.

 

[IHAVENOCLUE]

Since he had already searched the internet and knew that a child dies VERY quickly in a car in those temps...I'm going to accept it as a fact, that he knew his son couldn't be choking. For HOURS he couldn't have been. But he knew this already

Just jumping off your post...

I hope dad's claim that he thought he heard Cooper choking will diffuse the "deaf in one ear" defense tactic that may be used...

If he was too hearing impaired to notice his son was in the car... Then how could he claim he heard choking?

(He could not have "seen" choking... As Cooper was in car seat facing backwards... and dad is probably saying he didn't see Cooper in the car seat at all, anyway...otherwise... He would not have left Cooper in the car at the beginning... Per dad)

Just a thought...

 

[Irisha]

No one needs to innocently google or "research" about infants/toddlers dying in a hot car. It is common sense that they would & quickly. Just like you don't have to google anything about sticking your hand into a pot of boiling water--the consequences are apparent & common knowledge.

Additionally, this toddler was 22 mos old and this was probably not the first summer he's been in a car. So therefore, since it is not the first time this child has been in a car there would be no new or relevant reason for the Dad to do this "research".

One can surmise that there was a recent inquiry or "research" done by the Dad because it was a prelude to a plan of action.

Or as they say in Poker.....it was a "tell".

There have been quite a few killers who have given themselves away by what they've googled right before they've committed a crime. Casey Anthony comes to mind and heck, I remember one guy (Justin something or other) that googled a song "I used to love her but I had to kill her" before he killed his wife by trying to make it look like a robbery gone wrong!

Justin Barber murdered his wife April.

 

[RANCH]

According to the defendant, he had a hearing issue with his right ear. (I believe it was his right) and people are speculating that it may be used as an excuse that he didn't hear Cooper babbling away like most 22 month old babies would do after breakfast, during a 3 minute ride.

I can see now how a hearing problem could be used as an explanation for not hearing Cooper.

How long ago did this bottle rocket incident happen? Is there a link to MSM for this?

 

[Suthrnqt]

Double posting.......

 

[blue22]

I can see now how a hearing problem could be used as an explanation for not hearing Cooper.

How long ago did this bottle rocket incident happen? Is there a link to MSM for this?

I just wonder what accident accounts or his inability to smell.

Bottle rocket incident is on his reddit account, I don't think we can link to it or I would. Sorry!