GA - Suspicion over heat death of Cooper, 22 mo., Cobb County, June 2014, #8

[Judicious1]

I am REALLY curious about that six minute phone call to daycare

And why hasn't the police talked to them yet to confirm? That struck me as odd? I think they did a good job don't get me wrong but IMO they should have checked to see if anyone spoke to him??

 

[G&AMom]

I'm curious about whether what was happening to his child was exciting to him. I didn't want to come out and say that, but there it is.

OMG. That hadn't occurred to me at all, but . . . . I'm not sure anything will surprise me after what we heard today.

 

[momrids6]

16 is the age of consent in Georgia. Interesting he googled that so he must have known.

That is only for relations with someone less than 3 years older. It is still on the books in GA that 2 unmarried people of any age having intercourse is illegal- and adultery is stll illegal here too.

 

[Chewy]

I have no sympathy for any of the parents who do this to their children, not even the ones who really forget without intent! They can't suffer enough in this life to make up for the agony and torture their children endured for so long before they died! They are not worthy of sympathy these parents! They are a danger to my species and so flawed I feel they should all be institutionalized! It's a very rare occasion a parents could ever forget their child in a hot car! It's not something that could happen to just anyone like they like to tell themselves and other people! I still can't believe the Brenda Nesselroad-Slaby who did it THREE times isn't sitting in prison now. Sickening! I hope this case makes every police officers think twice the next time they are called to the scene of one of these horrific "accidents"!

RIP to all these precious babies including Cooper who died in so much pain!

Well said and I'm so incredibly proud of the detective who pushed to prosecute. You could SEE in the court room that he was not budging. He was such a great witness and you know, I think he's suspected someone of this before (remember he worked in child endangerment) I wonder if he thought someone did this before but didn't push for prosecution like he did here.

At several points in the trial I thought, "their only witness is this detective and the pictures, it boils down to whether the judge believes him. And I did, so many people did and most importantly the judge did.

I hope this case goes all the way. And then Cooper's sad death will save the lives of other children who are put at risk by the ridiculous amount of sympathy people have for parents that do this.

To those parents I say "Like the Defense Attorney said, anyone can forget in a matter of minutes, it's just like forgetting your left overs in a restaurant. If that's how you think of your children, you don't deserve them."

 

[jamiect]

Someone help me out...there was testimony today that Cooper had scratches on his face and some sort of head wounds. Were they implying that this was self inflicted or prior wounds? TIA

 

[SStarr33]

I am all over the place. I talked to the family and I saw him up close and to me he did not feel like a baby killer. However there was some pretty damning evidence against him. I definitely feel it is possible that he is a sex addict who was so consumed with sexting that he got so distracted he forgot about his son. But then when he got back to the car that night did not know what to do - did not want people to know what he had done, drove around in a panic and then stopped at a shopping mall.. but even that is a very serious set of crimes..
The thing that bothers me is did he plan it and do it completely intentionally or not? My gut feel says no now - though until today my gut told me yes. Until today I thought the mom was in on it too but now I am not so sure - the couple had a terrible relationship it seems so I do not think the two of them planned this together - he was sexting all these other women online because he and Leanna were not having sex they say
What really bothered me was the bit about the online conversation with one of the sexters - she said "you are married - don't you have a conscience?" (something to that effect) to which he replied "no"

and his emotionless face too could signal psychopathy.. he definitely was not as emotional as he should be, but he may be on drugs - I know he was in the infirmary in the jail - maybe on suicide watch or maybe for his own safety.. he looked to me like he was so depressed he did not really care anymore mostly

I felt so so so sorry for the family though.. the Grandma was beside herself crying - I thought she might collapse.. Leanna just looked stunned.. I think she is in shock - especially after revelations her hubby was sexting with underage girls - which itself is a felony apparently

The family has done nothing and they have lost a grandbaby and the daddy is going to jail for a long time probably.. so I felt sorry for them

Wow, thanks for the insight.

 

[popsicle]

Wild About Trial ‏@WildAboutTrial 3m
If you missed the #JustinRossHarris hearing you can watch it again here: http://www.wildabouttrial.com/one_of...video-archive/ …

 

[CrazytownUSA]

How about him talking in police lingo when being questioned? wtf?

Yeah, his whole "but there was no malicious intent" thing? Totally suspect! It means he had done his research and figured they wouldn't investigate this totally loving church going doting father, and would rule it an accident. I 100% believe that is why he didn't bother covering many of his tracks. Because so many of these ARE ruled as accidents. He thought he was just going to get away with it. So THAT comment? Yeah... another nail in the coffin as far as I was concerned.

Along with "I dreaded how he was going to look" :banghead:

 

[Msollicito]

Something else that struck me though was he was clearly worried he could be arrested if he had sex with a minor cos he researched on the internet what was the age of consent in Georgia (he was sexting with a 16 yr old) so I wonder - would someone that concerned about the law kill their own child intentionally? I do not think so..

However, apparently just by sexting with the 16 yr old he was commiting a felony - but I would not know that and I do not know if he would.

He definitely fits the profile of a bipolar sex addict. And I think that is what he is. I definitely think his defense will include that he was sex addicted and that his head was so filled with what was going on that he forgot all about his son..

Whether or not that is true - or whether he is just a psychopath - I do not know

 

[popsicle]

Someone help me out...there was testimony today that Cooper had scratches on his face and some sort of head wounds. Were they implying that this was self inflicted or prior wounds? TIA

I believe self-inflicted.

 

[SStarr33]

Someone help me out...there was testimony today that Cooper had scratches on his face and some sort of head wounds. Were they implying that this was self inflicted or prior wounds? TIA

I got the impression the scratches were self inflicted and the back of the head from the cement.

 

[SnoopyDawgDawg]

thanks to those correcting or reminding me of things to add to my list of what we learned to day. keep em coming while I can still edit it

Thanks for doin' the list!

 

[Hamsterdance]

that was emotionally draining. I am still processing what all we learned and LE is said to have much much more.

What we learned today:

Sexting multiple women for the past year and on the day of Cooper's murder (yep, calling it that)

minor and possible future charges for computer crimes re their contact and misdemeanor crime of actual contact in some way.

pics of penis taken and sent while C in room with him

minor asked him if he ever was troubled by his conscious - reply NOPE

Computer searches regarding statutes and age of consent

R viewed a video twice of vet climbing in hot car and demonstrating what it is like for a hot animal in car. Vet filmed himself in the vehicle for approx half an hour describing in detail what it felt like to sit there cooking

the trip to publix with friends/coworkers for lunch punctuated by trip to home depot store across way for lightbulbs at R request

visit to car after returning from lunch was ostensibly to put purchase in car

subreddit - child free life

life insurance policy $25,000 (adtl to one via work)

During interview with LE RH used a lot of cop lingo and told LE he was a former jailer then told them he was former dispatch

While in room alone RH was described as pacing and trying to "work himself up" to teh point of hyperventaliation. LE viewed it as him attempting to feign or produce emotion where there was none genuinely

LH and RH in interview room alone while being recorded and videotaped:

LH asks if he said too much or something similar

RH told LH C looked peaceful in death with eyes and mouth closed. RH tells LH about "dreading" looking at C worried what he might look like but he looked peaceful

RH makes poor me comments "going to lose my job - why do I have to be punished??" etc (paraphrased)

Stoddard described C as mouth open tongue protruding, eyes half closed, horrible and noticeable odor of decomp in vehicle even hours later while performing search warrant.

at least one affair for RH in the past.

This sickens me so much, like he got some sadistic pleasure out of planning his sons suffering.

 

[Lovejac]

I am REALLY curious about that six minute phone call to daycare

Isn't that the one where he claimed he didn't talk to anyone?

LE said he made 3 phone calls after he pulled into the strip mall and 'discovered' Cooper.

#1 was to Leanna but she didn't answer
#2 was to Home Depot office, no answer there either
#3 was to Home Depot Daycare toddler room and that one lasted for 6 minutes

I'm sure they'll find out as soon as they get all of the records they've requested

 

[G&AMom]

From my experience with my own sociopath, they don't see a tragic day as any different day... they have to maintain the other persona, not show any emotion, and they just go through the same motions to get their rocks off. My ex was sexting from the hospital after my father had a heart attack, and while his own father was on the brink of death... he was sexting at a funeral, he tried to sext my mother, he had sexual fantasies about his sister, You name it. Tragedy, even one as horrific as knowing you just killed your child, doesn't stop these people. They have one thing on their mind... themselves. They don't think of others. He wasn't thinking of poor baby Cooper, he was thinking of him, and his needs ONLY. Sick sick sick :banghead:

After Jodi Arias was arrested for killing Travis Alexander, she told police she figured everybody would feel bad for a couple of months but they'd get over it.

 

[SStarr33]

Something else that struck me though was he was clearly worried he could be arrested if he had sex with a minor cos he researched on the internet what was the age of consent in Georgia (he was sexting with a 16 yr old) so I wonder - would someone that concerned about the law kill their own child intentionally? I do not think so..

However, apparently just by sexting with the 16 yr old he was commiting a felony - but I would not know that and I do not know if he would.

He definitely fits the profile of a bipolar sex addict. And I think that is what he is. I definitely think his defense will include that he was sex addicted and that his head was so filled with what was going on that he forgot all about his son..

Whether or not that is true - or whether he is just a psychopath - I do not know

I think they will use the Androgel he was using as a reason for all of the sexting.

 

[DesertDreamer]

Someone help me out...there was testimony today that Cooper had scratches on his face and some sort of head wounds. Were they implying that this was self inflicted or prior wounds? TIA

I think they were implying it was self-inflicted by Cooper as he was trapped in the car.

They had video of him at CFA shortly before, so if his head and face were injured, I'm sure it would have been seen. Especially the face scratches.

Cooper, in his pain and suffering self-inflicted injuries. Just like that little girl who was left in a car and ripped all her hair out. So sad.

 

[osu]

I believe he's hearing impaired and I bet this may have been what gave him the idea. As I've mentioned before I am hearing impaired and so I don't drive. I can't hear enough to trust myself to be safe. But I will point something else out. As a hearing impaired person I am (or was when they were little) an absolute FANATIC about my children being in my line of site at all times. I absolutely could not let them ever walk behind me. I had to see them because I couldn't rely on my hearing.

I believe, based on what his friend said about always talking to him on one side, that he was definitely deaf in one ear. People do that with me now and still always forget I can't hear. So for his friend to do that and mention it that way seems sincere to me.

MOO

In one of his Reddit posts that I read, he said that was hit in his right ear by a bottle rocket when he was a kid. He said he had two surgeries to correct the damage, but was left deaf in that ear.

 

[SStarr33]

Isn't that the one where he claimed he didn't talk to anyone?

LE said he made 3 phone calls after he pulled into the strip mall and 'discovered' Cooper.

#1 was to Leanna but she didn't answer
#2 was to Home Depot office, no answer there either
#3 was to Home Depot Daycare toddler room and that one lasted for 6 minutes

I'm sure they'll find out as soon as they get all of the records they've requested

Yes, and the timing will be interesting because I assume that 6 minute call happened BEFORE Leanna got there to pick him up. So why didn't the DC tell that to Leanna when she got there? Was someone at the DC involved?

 

[Msollicito]

CrazytownUSA - I can definitely see he might have just thought he would get away with it and so did not cover his tracks.. my gut feel is that he was just a really sad depressed guy who could not get sex from his wife, wasnt succeeding at work, had money troubles cos he was overspending.. he got some excitement from sexting and it became an obsession cos he is a sex addict.. and that distracted him so much he forgot his son was in the car.. but I think he knew his son was dead as soon before he left at 4:15 from Home Depot - I think he was thinking about totally covering up the death in some way - discarding the body maybe - but thought better of it and went to the shopping mall to make a fuss.. Although this is not as bad as totally planning everything in advance, this is still a serious set of crimes