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

[DeDee]

Bond was :denied:

Agreed that is a possibility, but I think when people do it to simply get rid of a child like nothing happened, like with Casey Anthony, they attempt to minimize the suffering. While I don't actually get the mindset, obviously, I do understand how it can seem easier for someone to just be gone, even someone you love, if you feel trapped or struggle with mental illness. I think people who kill spouses/ex-spouses most frequently have this mindset. But wanting someone to disappear and choosing to do it in a painful way and then doing it to someone you are close enough to that you have to sit their and feign devastation to other relatives are different things. That makes it too real. You see how many people will say "make it quick, don't hurt him/her" when hiring a hitman. Most people wouldn't let someone die in a hot car like that - even someone they wanted dead. That's why I can't accept that the mom just wanted to preserve the status quo - she wanted it done that way because it was the best way at having it look like an accident, most likely. Part of that is self-preservation, but being talked into that is crazy to me. But people are insane, so who knows. Women who do that sort of thing to keep a man who shows total disrespect to them are the definition of mentally ill people to me, but that doesn't mean they are any less dangerous or culpable than their crazy partners. It's scary how many women can be so passive.

RSBM for topic

We may not know the reasons a mom would become an accomplice or complacent with the notion of killing her child in a hot car. As you so eloquently posted:

"You see how many people will say "make it quick, don't hurt him/her" when hiring a hitman. Most people wouldn't let someone die in a hot car like that - even someone they wanted dead."

IMMHO, there is no proper or acceptable way to kill your offspring. Period. But, for goodness sake, why leave their dependent little buddy who loved the color red to suffer in a hot car? It's just too cold hearted and cruel to consider. Must back away for a while. :scale:

For Connor :rose: :heartbeat: :rose:

 

[CrazytownUSA]

Things that made me think maybe he did not do it intentionally:
- we found out he was deaf in one ear so may not have heard baby in car seat..
- apparently he often went to chickfila before work with baby
- Justin always took son to daycare
- Leanna often picked son up from daycare
- its confirmed in multiple ways that he and friends were planning to see a movie that night
- the akers mill shopping place is very close to the movie theater they were going to that night

Things that made me suspicious:
- Leanna's reaction when she found out baby was dead was so weird and unemotional that even her mom thought it was weird
- Ross failed to mention to the cops that he had gone back to his car after lunch
- Ross had warned his friends he would be late to the movie and yet he left work at 4:15 but the movie started at 5pm so he had plenty of time to get there (was he planning on getting rid of the body before going to the movie??)
- the conscience conversation on sexting..
- the fact that he clearly had a bad relationship with his wife, he was failing at work and unable to get another job, and the fact that he seemed depressed to me - I wonder if he planned to kill himself after killing baby or something?? Or just hoped he could start a new life without a baby in his life (and his wife too?)
- the fact that he had $25000 life insurance on the baby

What about his comment of "I dreaded how he would look"? "He looked peaceful"? What about Cooper's head being 6 inches from him, regardless of him being deaf in one ear? (My sister lost her hearing in one ear during childbirth and has ALWAYS been able to hear her child fine with just 1 hearing ear BTW). The fact he had to reach over to the passenger seat before getting out (after waiting 30 seconds to do so)? Driving past the parking space and then backing up (again, with his baby mere inches from his head)? I don't know... just WAY too much for me.

I appreciate you going... I can't imagine how difficult it had to be. It was hard enough just watching it

 

[callyn]

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

Six calls to six different women in one day seems like a lot, but what do I know? :facepalm: It got me thinking that maybe he was "stirred up" that day more than usual and wondering why that would be. Like you, I'm not sure anything would surprise me.

 

[eileenhawkeye]

Why did he choose this method of murder? I know he wanted it to look like an accident, but there are other less tortuous methods that could be staged similarly. He could have drugged Cooper if he thought there would no big investigation. He watched the video of the dog in the car, so he knew how much suffering was involved.

 

[Sonya610]

I find it disturbing that "sexting" is a bigger deal than the 30 seconds he sat in that car before locking his baby in to die.

Did he say anything to Cooper during that 30 seconds? Did Cooper say anything to him? I think he did, seeing as how the daycare said Cooper would come in extra happy when he could spend time with his dad and have breakfast before daycare.

That 30 seconds haunts me far more than "sexting".

 

[Hamsterdance]

HLN reporter said that she was sitting in the courtroom just in front of Ross Harris' parents. When the sexting was revealed, Harris' mother gasped out loudly.

When the judge denied bond, Harris' mother said, "What? He denied his bond? That son-of-a-b****!"

After court, his parents were outside of the courtroom and were visibly shaken and sobbing. His father had his head up against a wall crying and the mother was sobbing and having trouble walking, needed to be held up.

I sure hope they were crying for Cooper, and not Ross!

 

[Chewy]

Oh and how patheticly stupid for the Defense Attorney to end his pleading with the judge that we all need to just "cool down" and revisit this later and clear out all this media and intrusion and just "cool down" Ya Frickin' moron, the kid died of hyperthermia. This Defense Attorney is lousy. He also screwed up asking the detective a question and then tried to nail him on answering wrong and then the judge told him he needed to word his questions more appropriately.

And finally "leftovers" I mean SERIOUSLY what an idiot. I actually felt bad for RH for a split second for having such a bad lawyer. Wow.

 

[tlcya]

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

what did you think about the reddit business about how to survive in prison. It made me wonder if that topic was looked at around the same time he was researching age of consent and weighing what the possible outcome of continuing that "relationship" Apparently he did continue it teh girl is now allegedly 17 so she was 16 when it started? Did I catch all that info right. I got interupted a few times and am trying to be accurate.

 

[Ven]

Cliffs on the hearing today:

Level 1 Slime:
Surveillance video shows RH backing into parking space when he arrived with son at work
no backup cam on vehicle, would have to use rear view mirror and would undoubtedly see child
Cooper was too big for carseat; mannequin was used to show child easily visible only 6 inches away from suspect

Very inexplicable that he could have "forgot" his son.

Level 2 Slime:
Harris LIED about Cooper probably falling asleep; daycare workers said he always arrived wide awake
Harris LIED about not returning to his vehicle that day; surveillance video shows him dropping light bulb boxes into his vehicle @ lunch
surveillance video shows him leaning into the car and turning his head (as if to investigate whether Cooper had died yet)
when Harris leaves the car to head back to work for the afternoon, surveillance video shows a passerby walking in direction of vehicle
Harris stops dead in his tracks to watch the passerby until they are no longer in the area of the vehicle

Shows intent to deceive and hide his deception.

Level 3 Slime:
When Harris pulled over later that day and exited the vehicle with his son's body he immediately said that Cooper was dead
not only did he immediately say Cooper was dead, but he made no attempt at CPR (another person had to)
spent 6 minutes on the phone while his son's dead body lay on the ground just a few feet away

But oh it gets worse ...

Level 4 Slime:
Harris had internet searches for "child free life" and participated in vile "child free" reddit sub-forum
Harris had internet searches for "how long does it take for a child to die in a hot car"

And much worse than that ...

Level 5 Slime:
Harris had watched (and apparently got off on) videos of people and animals suffering inside hot cars
Harris had watched (and apparently got off on) videos of people dying and being killed, including suicides and executions

And just when you think it can't get any worse ...

Level 6 Slime:
The whole time his kid is suffering baking to death in his car, Harris is sexting with 6 females
getting an erection and exchanging x-rated pictures with 6 different females while he is murdering his child

But that's not all ...

Level 7 Slime:
One of the girls is underage, and police hinted they will get him with child *advertiser censored* and child solicitation charges
Girl asks him if he has a conscience and Harris replies "No"

We're really getting into the deeper levels of hell here ...

Level 8 Slime:
He feels absolutely nothing for his child; callously lies to his wife that Cooper's eyes and mouth were closed (when they were not, Cooper died a horrific death)
Shed no tears at any point except when he ranted about everything HE was going through
ranted at his wife about how HE could get in trouble, how HE could lose his job, never said anything about his son

And then the wife was in on it too ...

Level 9 Slime:
Wife shows up at Daycare and when Cooper isn't there she immediately says "Ross must have left Cooper in the car"
Daycare workers try to convince her that there could be another explanation but she insists "No. Ross must have left him in the car". As if it were a premeditated attempt to establish accident right from the beginning
Wife asks Harris about his interrogation "Why, did you say too much?
Wife only asked to see her husband and never asked about her son, never showed any emotion or concern for what had happened to her son

And then the motive ...

Level 10 Slime:
Couple took out $27,000 in life insurance policies on Cooper
they were in bad debt

So they locked their 1 year and 10 month old child in a hot car and fried him to death while he banged his head violently against the car seat and scratched part of his face off -- all so they could collect $27,000 or $13,500 / each (if they were going to divorce) rather than give the kid away and get nothing

-----------

Every time one level of slime was uncovered, infinite layers of more slime were uncovered beneath that one.

These two people are the worst kind of monsters. Who wants to stand up for them now?

 

[ScarlettScarpetta]

I'm with you.... I had been giving him the benefit of the doubt right up until today. I just can't believe someone could purposely do this to ANY human being let alone their own child!!!!

IT is how I have to work. To me everyone deserves justice. That means a fair shake and the assumption of innocent until they are proven guilty.

I have never seen a probable cause hearing that I felt so nauseated over. It is just so bad.

Step by step I could feel my not guilty turn to guilty. But what got me was when he said he opened the door to put the bulbs in and paused a min. Then walked out and when someone was walking to his car he waited as if to see if they were going to pass by it and notice.

And her saying that He must have left the baby in the car? WHO SAYS THAT?!

It seems really really bad all around.

 

[stmarysmead]

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

With all due respect, there is no way to "feel" a child torturer. They look human. They can have sweet turned up noses, and fluffy haircuts, and fat, pudgy child-cheeks. They talk about religion, and sitting on Jesus' lap, and loving their family...

If we could all just "feel" the monsters, we could rid this world of evil, but we cannot.

I am amazed that after all you heard about that Baby's scratches and bruises as he died the most heinous death..and how his head stuck up above the car seat...and he was walking and chipper in the restaurant, and MINUTES later.. this Pervert turns in the opposite direction of where he goes EVERY day...and you are in doubt about his guilt.

But if the Pervert were already Sexting in the car after the Chik-Fil-a visit...he would have absent-mindedly followed routine...and turned the way he ALWAYS does. To the Daycare.

Not headed in the opposite direction to work.

 

[Lovejac]

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

That got me to thinking about the question Leanna posted on the site asking about Androgel and Testorsterone causing low sperm count. She said she had asked her OBGYN whether that would interfere with trying to get pregnant and they told her it shouldn't be a problem.

I wonder if Ross knew the side effects were low sperm count (because his doctor would have advised him of the side effects when he prescribed it) but didn't let Leanna know that and was a little suprised when she got pregnant.

Its been said they had problems with getting pregnant, I just wonder how long they tried, did she have miscarriages, etc.

 

[osu]

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

Leanne saying to Ross in the police holding room "Did you tell them too much?"

 

[RainCheck]

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

How do you explain the searches of how long it takes a child to die in a hot car FIVE days before his child dies in a hot car? How do you explain his visits to "child-free" sites? How do you explain his self admitted complete lack of a conscious?

This is not come sad, sexually frustrated man. He's a monster! A killer and a fraud! Seriously, I can't believe you're blaming his inability to get sex from his wife for all of this! That's so archaic! Men don't get to use that as a excuse for being truly terrible human beings!

 

[ScarlettScarpetta]

what did you think about the reddit business about how to survive in prison. It made me wonder if that topic was looked at around the same time he was researching age of consent and weighing what the possible outcome of continuing that "relationship" Apparently he did continue it teh girl is now allegedly 17 so she was 16 when it started? Did I catch all that info right. I got interupted a few times and am trying to be accurate.

Here is what I think. I think that him being a dirtbag does not mean he killed his son..but I think that the timing of everything, The searches the site with no kids and freedom.. The attitude towards police, It all seems so big and strong.

They have a great case here.

 

[Sonya610]

what did you think about the reddit business about how to survive in prison.

When I heard that I thought of the WS poster that said "Well I hope he also searched 'How to Survive in Prison'".

Having said that....I think it was probably a link he followed. I don't think R.H. actually thought he would EVER go to prison for this.

 

[CrazytownUSA]

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??

We don't know they haven't. They only played a few of their cards today... I imagine they have MUCH more.

 

[Judicious1]

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

Hmmmmm that's interesting yet scary!

Anything stand out about Leanne and Ross's interaction if any?

 

[Lovejac]

Cliffs on the hearing today:

Level 1 Slime:
Surveillance video shows RH backing into parking space when he arrived with son at work
no backup cam on vehicle, would have to use rear view mirror and would undoubtedly see child
Cooper was too big for carseat; mannequin was used to show child easily visible only 6 inches away from suspect

Very inexplicable that he could have "forgot" his son.

Level 2 Slime:
Harris LIED about Cooper probably falling asleep; daycare workers said he always arrived wide awake
Harris LIED about not returning to his vehicle that day; surveillance video shows him dropping light bulb boxes into his vehicle @ lunch
surveillance video shows him leaning into the car and turning his head (as if to investigate whether Cooper had died yet)
when Harris leaves the car to head back to work for the afternoon, surveillance video shows a passerby walking in direction of vehicle
Harris stops dead in his tracks to watch the passerby until they are no longer in the area of the vehicle

Shows intent to deceive and hide his deception.

Level 3 Slime:
When Harris pulled over later that day and exited the vehicle with his son's body he immediately said that Cooper was dead
not only did he immediately say Cooper was dead, but he made no attempt at CPR (another person had to)
spent 6 minutes on the phone while his son's dead body lay on the ground just a few feet away

But oh it gets worse ...

Level 4 Slime:
Harris had internet searches for "child free life" and participated in vile "child free" reddit sub-forum
Harris had internet searches for "how long does it take for a child to die in a hot car"

And much worse than that ...

Level 5 Slime:
Harris had watched (and apparently got off on) videos of people and animals suffering inside hot cars
Harris had watched (and apparently got off on) videos of people dying and being killed, including suicides and executions

And just when you think it can't get any worse ...

Level 6 Slime:
The whole time his kid is suffering baking to death in his car, Harris is sexting with 6 females
getting an erection and exchanging x-rated pictures with 6 different females while he is murdering his child

But that's not all ...

Level 7 Slime:
One of the girls is underage, and police hinted they will get him with child *advertiser censored* and child solicitation charges
Girl asks him if he has a conscience and Harris replies "No"

We're really getting into the deeper levels of hell here ...

Level 8 Slime:
He feels absolutely nothing for his child; callously lies to his wife that Cooper's eyes and mouth were closed (when they were not, Cooper died a horrific death)
Shed no tears at any point except when he ranted about everything HE was going through
ranted at his wife about how HE could get in trouble, how HE could lose his job, never said anything about his son

And then the wife was in on it too ...

Level 9 Slime:
Wife shows up at Daycare and when Cooper isn't there she immediately says "Ross must have left Cooper in the car"
Daycare workers try to convince her that there could be another explanation but she insists "No. Ross must have left him in the car". As if it were a premeditated attempt to establish accident right from the beginning
Wife asks Harris about his interrogation "Why, did you say too much?
Wife only asked to see her husband and never asked about her son, never showed any emotion or concern for what had happened to her son

And then the motive ...

Level 10 Slime:
Couple took out $27,000 in life insurance policies on Cooper
they were in bad debt

So they locked their 1 year and 10 month old child in a hot car and fried him to death while he banged his head violently against the car seat and scratched part of his face off -- all so they could collect $27,000 or $13,500 / each (if they were going to divorce) rather than give the kid away and get nothing

-----------

Every time one level of slime was uncovered, infinite layers of more slime were uncovered beneath that one.

These two people are the worst kind of monsters. Who wants to stand up for them now?

You are LEVEL 100 Awesome :applause: :clap:

 

[Chewy]

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

No way. I can see how you'd think this. But remember what the judge said. That car would have smelled by lunch time. If he really and truly got distracted and then showed up at the car and opened that door, that blast of heat and the overwhelming smell (now I'm prepared to take it as evidence) would have made him stop and pause.

That's basically what the judge said to him. You didn't even think about your child. If this WAS a hapless fool who got in over his head, surely he would have simply at that moment checked the back seat of the car in a panic. ESPECIALLY after having seen the videos about it. His friends were RIGHT THERE and he had a total alibi for lunch. If he was really innocent he wouldn't have shut that door without checking the back seat.

Also just something I noted. He buys lightbulbs because THREE of the lightbulbs are out at home. Then he "tosses' the lightbulbs into the passenger seat from the drivers side door. He does this because he can't lean into the car without being caught on camera.

So he tosses them in. The fact that he needed three of them is important because packs come in 4 so you aren't going to risk breaking two by tossing it.