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

[SStarr33]

It became clear that Leanna picked up Cooper most nights from Daycare.. and RH had texted her to say "when are you picking up my buddy" or similar about 3:40pm
So he was calling the daycare to tell Leanna what had happened. He had already tried her cell but not got her..
The question is - was she supposed to get to daycare BEFORE Daddy left work and discover that baby was still in the car? i.e. did daddy want to really upset her? Did he do it to hurt her?

Or - was it really just a mistake and he thought Leanna was going to pick up the baby from daycare which explains why he did not go to the daycare to pick up his son? Or something else

Do you remember what time he told his buddies he would be late to the movies?

 

[Ven]

Don't forget all the donations that started rolling in at the beginning! They had to know they would get thousands even tens of thousands in sympathy money from family, friends, church and community!

I didn't even think of that, good point!

Pure evil

 

[Delta Dawn]

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:

Carseat was forward facing til about two weeks prior to C's death

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

an unexplained 6 minute call from RH to daycare LE feel he actually spoke to someone during that call as the daycare msg system is not equipped to take 6 minute long messages.

Thank you for this summary. I am in shock and now mostly glad I had to pull away from the feed for work. I never would have been able to finish up my day if I had kept listening. This makes me so sick. And angry. Very angry. Proud of my LE though. They've got this.

 

[fruity]

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?

thanks was not enough. I'm giving you applause too.

 

[dyannaON]

well he has plenty of time to see if his research on how to survive in prison works!!! Plus has plenty of time to show his privates to other inmates. I feel ever so sad with this world.

 

[osu]

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

Here's the video of the veterinarian demonstrating being left in a hot car they were talking about at the hearing today.


How Hot Does it Get in a Parked Car
Dr Ernie Ward
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JbOcCQ-y3OY

 

[tlcya]

It was an email from DC to all parents.

ah, so yet another opportunity for poor busy sexting good guy Ross to remember his child was in the car (NOW DEAD). thanks for that. It will be interesting to hear down the road if he opened the email and read it or ignored it.

 

[Fairy]

Do you remember what time he told his buddies he would be late to the movies?

I believe it was 3.45

 

[Melanie]

Woah, boy - I'm gone for an hour and you fill me up with 8 pages - LOL. I gotta say, I had to step away and grieve in peace for precious Cooper. As a mother, I can.not.imagine doing that to my toddler. My goodness, those were the greatest years! Maybe I'm saying that because my now 17 6'3" son is in Senior school, and I miss them terribly. Oh to be young again!

On that note, I used this as a lesson to him - as I do in many cases. And trust me, I have the most sweet-tempered young man, with a love for classical music, and a heart of gold. However, life throws us curve balls. I said, ya know - when you get older, and feel incredibly overwhelmed, know there are options. This man made a terrible terrible judgement call by killing his child. Regardless of the consequences, he can always count on me and his dad, or a hospital, or a fire department, or ANYBODY! But treat your child exactly how I raised you - with respect. Without respect you have nothing.

Of course I got the yah yah mom, I know, I know - but it's all about life lessons. Something happened along the way to Harris -- I don't know what it is, nor we may never know. But I'd like to believe you don't get a dark heart out of the blue.

My heart aches for Cooper. Why didn't he just give him to someone. He had plenty of opportunities - the church, his folks, her folks - anyone.

Not.one.more I say - not.one.more.

Mel

 

[peachy92]

I think I've got an interest in this case because I once lived in the area. I missed the hearing due to having to work.

He really did not need to go to the Home Depot if he needed regular light bulbs. The Publix is huge. I think it's the largest one I have ever been to.

And which theater was he claiming to go to? Parkway Pointe AMC would be the closest, but the shopping center isn't as popular as Akers Mill Square. In fact, if he was going to the AMC, Cumberland Blvd is right next type to the theater.

But most of all, that poor baby. Rest in peace baby Cooper.

Typos corrected.

 

[RainCheck]

I don't know. He got the money, because he was arrested, but people thought it was an accident. Would he still get thousands in donations if he was never arrested? I am not sure about that.

Yes, of course he and his wife would have gotten a lot of money donated! Anytime a child dies family, friends and community are going to rally. A gofund would have made its rounds on social media. The church alone would have raised funds for them!

 

[Zuri]

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 agree with others that have responded above. Seizures as a result of hyperthermia often result in injuries like scratches, tongue lacerations, bruising, abrasions.

 

[Sonya610]

I can tell you that true sex addicts are like many drug addicts. I truly believe my ex would have killed me many times when I tried to stop his... and many of the women he had been with, he threatened their lives. They don't want anything coming in the way of their addiction and will do whatever it takes to make sure nothing does.

So was Cooper a threat to his fabulous online virtual sex addict life?

And if so how?

 

[oh_gal]

It was an email from DC to all parents.

Do we know it was to all the parents, or was it a group email (one to Ross, one to Leanne), as in, "Where's Cooper?"

 

[CHERIE.T]

I wish I could say so many things that would get me in trouble. I always believed he did it, but did NOT expect what I heard today.

That poor boy. I don't think I've ever felt so much love and pain for a child not my own. He's flying with the angles now. No tears in heaven.

I felt he was guilty by using my common sense, my gut and logic.
And IMO there were no coincidences.

 

[SStarr33]

Do we know it was to all the parents, or was it a group email (one to Ross, one to Leanne), as in, "Where's Cooper?"

I feel like if it was that the pros would have said so, but you might be right.

 

[who knew?]

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?

Thank you! You have laid this out nicely and you are exactly correct! I want both mom and dad to get the death penalty.

 

[tlcya]

thanks to Delta Dawn, got it. added.

 

[marlap]

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

BBM...

I find that very interesting in regards to this case!

 

[CrazytownUSA]

It became clear that Leanna picked up Cooper most nights from Daycare.. and RH had texted her to say "when are you picking up my buddy" or similar about 3:40pm
So he was calling the daycare to tell Leanna what had happened. He had already tried her cell but not got her..
The question is - was she supposed to get to daycare BEFORE Daddy left work and discover that baby was still in the car? i.e. did daddy want to really upset her? Did he do it to hurt her?

Or - was it really just a mistake and he thought Leanna was going to pick up the baby from daycare which explains why he did not go to the daycare to pick up his son? Or something else

I thought they said she was supposed to P/U Cooper that day at 4:45, but I also remember 4:15 being brought up.