MOO, but I think L is a he!! of a lot smarter than her husband. Not to say that is a good thing in this case. Her academic history, etc. all seem to show her as being very bright, and easily capable of concocting a plan this simple, but that seems at odds with "Ross must have left him in the car" and "Did you say too much?" along with the bizarro-world speech at the funeral. To look at them it seems as though she MUST have self-esteem issues. She's kind of cute, whereas he looks like an overgrown LEGO minifigure. She is well-educated, which enabled him to quit work, take a summer off, and then go to school full-time while she supported them. All in all, she had a lot more invested in the marriage, and when he finished school, she was pregnant in short order. Maybe he wanted that to keep her attached and too busy to check up on him? Maybe she wanted that to keep him, or as her "reward" for putting him through school. Who knows? But she seems like a girl who could have done better.
A couple things stand out to me, gleaned from the "small details" thread:
*Ross apparently (interview in small details thread) had a long time reputation for being "always late"-- which may have become a more serious problem for him. Could be his irresponsibility in this area was irritating to LH, as well as his job, where he was passed over for promotion. So, his behavior being late for work the day Cooper died, and stopping for fast food anyway, was actually not out of character for him. He also apparently was irresponsible with some money management, from interviews.
* Ross has a history of chatting up women on line that goes back to his college days, according to an interview with a college buddy. Lots and lots of online GFs, lots of computer equipment, going back to college days. So, it's not out of character for him to be juggling 6 different women online the day Cooper died. That means he has a TEN YEAR (or more) history of his online activities with women, rather than a recent bout of infidelity. Depending on when LH found out about this substantial online "dating" history, that could be extremely upsetting to her. If she found out recently, the long term betrayal and facade of religiosity could have been devastating for her. If she knew for a long time, his behaviors might have been more of a frustration causing her to question whether their marriage could survive. Either way, most wives would be highly annoyed and angry with this behavior, if not contemplating divorce. Especially if she knew he was meeting women in person. (Imagine the worries about STDs, etc.)
* Comment in the small details thread about RH's social awkwardness in person, as well as the parents of other GFs being unhappy/ disapproving of him. If LH's parents also were somewhat disapproving of her choice of marrying him, it might explain why she went to stay with HIS parents, not hers. She may have married him as a "fixer upper", thinking he would change over time, love conquers all, etc.
I'm more and more convinced that LH was the brains in this family. RH is appearing to be more and more irresponsible and immature as one looks at his behavior over time. He is sloppy with his electronic dating presence, and doesn't seem to care if he is found out, DESPITE a strong interest and knowledge of computers. I'm thinking LH was highly frustrated with him. I wonder if he could have made threats to LH-- "if you divorce me, I will hurt you", that kind of thing.
I was originally thinking she may have set him up, thinking he was none too bright, and pretty lazy. But now I wonder if there was a threat that she thought was directed at her, and was shocked that he took out his anger at her on Cooper, to hurt her. Like a veiled threat, "wouldn't it be awful if someone forgot and left Cooper in a hot car?" That might explain why she wasn't as shocked as would be expected. And why she said "did you say too much?"
I still don't think she was abused in any way, emotionally or otherwise. I think she "wore the pants" in the relationship, and Ross was like a big sociopathic adolescent she had to manage. IDK-- just speculating, if any of my rambling makes sense! Leanna's ongoing behavior is so strange that there has to be a back story, IMO.
Anyway, I think it's likely Leanna was very seriously contemplating divorce when Ross left Cooper in the car, "accidentally on purpose". I think that might have something to do with the entire set of circumstances.
Regardless, I also thing RH's defense team will actually use his chronic lateness, and long term history of sexting, as an excuse for why he "forgot" Cooper. I don't think it will persuade a jury that he's not guilty, though. And regardless of what exactly the back story is on LH, IMO, she better cooperate with authorities. Things just don't look good for her. Prosecutors essentially put her on notice that she is more than a witness. I think she should tell everything she knows to the investigators.