Post Verdict - Ross Harris Trial

[Laughing]

I don't know why this just popped into my head, but it occurred to me that Ross is unlikely to have any visitors, ever. For a man as gregarious as Ross seems to be, that has to be extremely daunting.

He slammed the door on his son's life and on his own.

jmo

Who knows, Damian Echols found a bride during his time in prison.

:escape:

 

[monkeypants]

Who knows, Damian Echols found a bride during his time in prison.

:escape:

Lol....can you imagine the tenney boppers that will be writing him

 

[Laughing]

Lol....can you imagine the tenney boppers that will be writing him

don't wanna don't wanna don't wanna imagine that!!!:gaah:

 

[NCTeacher]

Would be interesting to see if his half brother shows. Quite a pickle he is in I'd think.

My hunch is NO, I think Michael Baygents has washed his hands of his brother based on Ross's clearly illicit behavior. I think his testimony was the last act of brotherhood--only because he believes Ross didn't intentionally kill Cooper. My hunch is based on Ross's seemingly genuine emotion when his brother was testifying and whenever the pervasive tone of testimony was directed towards spending time with his brother. I think Ross was grieving for the loss of all that.

 

[NCTeacher]

I've heard that the reason why Ross's family didn't come to the sentencing is because he asked them not to. As a mother, I do not care if my child tells me he doesn't want me there---I will be there for every single, major, life-altering event in his life. Period. And that goes for all three of my boys (who are still in grade school, but even when they are 72, I'm still going to be all up their business). For the life of me, I do not understand that even if Ross asked his mother not to be there, why she wasn't beating down the door to get to her baby on possibly the WORST day of his life--especially since she is all over the internet proclaiming his innocence, even still. Some people are saying because "she was preparing for an appeal" or "to help him with his appeal." Seriously? It would be more helpful for "his appeal" for her to stand solidly behind him, supporting his innocence in public than not showing up for his sentencing.

I mean, after all, I'm sure if Ross had his say so, he wouldn't have wanted ME at his sentencing either, but I went anyways.

 

[NCTeacher]

Technically, she's not cleared, but what Detective Stoddard said in court is that they had not found evidence to implicate her. It was obvious by the way he said it that he still thinks she knew *something*.

I initially thought that LeAnna was involved. After her testimony, I found her genuine and sincere regarding Cooper--I don't think she was involved in any way. A lot of people claim because she said "he must've left him in the car" is the indicator of her guilt. However, she had JUST talked on the phone with him an hour prior and had texted with him back and forth during the day---the discussion of which was for her to pick Cooper up at daycare. So basically: Ross told her that Cooper was at daycare and that she was supposed to pick Cooper up. Then when she gets there, the daycare workers say "Ross never dropped him off." What is the only logical explanation then? He must be in the car.

Additionally, if she had known of the plan, then she would've known of Ross's desire for her to stay at the daycare. Either she didn't know anything about Ross's plan, or she forgot her lines in the play because she didn't stay at the daycare and instead went to the Treehouse, looked for his car, and then proceeded to go in and out of the building trying to charge and use her phone.

Her behavior at the police station is also IMO, understandable--though, I admit, strange. It seems as though in that family there were two children, and one adult. The adult, LeAnna seems to have had her "mothering mode" kicked in, just as a parent who loses one child will not fail to comfort the other---even at her own expense for mourning the loss of the first child.

When she referred to hot car deaths as "we talk about it all the time." I betcha the "all the time" had been in the previous two weeks as Ross was hatching his plan. Probably sizing her up, preparing her for his forgetfulness, and disgustingly so, reveling in his fascination and excitement for what he was about to do. I would be willing to bet he brought that conversation up many times in the weeks prior to Cooper's murder. It is clear "hot car deaths" was a legitimate fear of LeAnna's because she followed those stories and sent those stories out to people (including Ross) in her email in the years proceeding Cooper's death. As one person on here stated, I think this manner of killing Cooper by Ross was a big "screw you" to LeAnna, I'm going to kick you where it hurts--so you'll hate me and want to divorce me. Bet he was surprised when he fished for her response to the situation in the police station, and she said she would "never leave him" and "doesn't hate him."

She nearly collapsed during testimony when she (obviously) thought the prosecutor's line of questioning was going to lead to her seeing pictures of Cooper deceased. I'm confident she loved Cooper, still does, and had nothing to do with his death. However, I think her top priority was Ross and maintaining her marriage because she inquired about having more children and mentioned it at Cooper's funeral. I think she knew this was the only thing keeping Ross in the marriage and felt with Cooper's death, he may leave her once he got his bearings back after "the accident." All that is unfortunate, because had Cooper been her top priority, she may have evaluated the evidence differently and have come to the same conclusion the majority of us have: Ross systematically planned and executed his son in a heinous, tortuous way in order to leave his marriage with no strings attached.

 

[katydid23]

I've heard that the reason why Ross's family didn't come to the sentencing is because he asked them not to. As a mother, I do not care if my child tells me he doesn't want me there---I will be there for every single, major, life-altering event in his life. Period. And that goes for all three of my boys (who are still in grade school, but even when they are 72, I'm still going to be all up their business). For the life of me, I do not understand that even if Ross asked his mother not to be there, why she wasn't beating down the door to get to her baby on possibly the WORST day of his life--especially since she is all over the internet proclaiming his innocence, even still. Some people are saying because "she was preparing for an appeal" or "to help him with his appeal." Seriously? It would be more helpful for "his appeal" for her to stand solidly behind him, supporting his innocence in public than not showing up for his sentencing.

I mean, after all, I'm sure if Ross had his say so, he wouldn't have wanted ME at his sentencing either, but I went anyways.

If she wants us to believe in his innocence, what better way than for her to sit behind him in court?

 

[katydid23]

Lol....can you imagine the tenney boppers that will be writing him

I bet he is getting a lot of freaky mail. Disgusting to ponder.

 

[monkeypants]

I initially thought that LeAnna was involved. After her testimony, I found her genuine and sincere regarding Cooper--I don't think she was involved in any way. A lot of people claim because she said "he must've left him in the car" is the indicator of her guilt. However, she had JUST talked on the phone with him an hour prior and had texted with him back and forth during the day---the discussion of which was for her to pick Cooper up at daycare. Ross told her that Cooper was at daycare and that she was supposed to pick Cooper up. Then when she gets there, the daycare workers say "Ross never dropped him off." What is the only logical explanation then? He must be in the car.

Additionally, if she had known of the plan, then she would've known of Ross's desire for her to stay at the daycare. Either she didn't know anything about Ross's plan, or she forgot her lines in the play because she didn't stay at the daycare and instead went to the Treehouse, looked for his car, and then proceeded to go in and out of the building trying to charge and use her phone.

Her behavior at the police station is also IMO, is understandable--though, I admit, strange. It seems as though in that family there were two children, and one adult. The adult, LeAnna seems to have had her "mothering mode" kicked in, just as a parent who loses one child will not fail to comfort the other---even at her own expense for mourning the loss of the first child.

When she referred to hot car deaths as "we talk about it all the time." I betcha the "all the time" had been in the previous two weeks as Ross was hatching his plan. Probably sizing her up, preparing her for his forgetfulness, and disgustingly so, his fascination and excitement for what he was about to do. I would be willing to bet he brought that conversation up many times in the weeks prior to Cooper's murder.

She nearly collapsed during testimony when she (obviously) though the prosecutor's line of questioning was going to lead to her seeing pictures of Cooper deceased. I'm confident she loved Cooper, still does, and had nothing to do with his death. However, I think her top priority was Ross and maintaining her marriage because she inquired about having more children and mentioned it at Cooper's funeral. I think she knew this was the only thing keeping Ross in the marriage and felt with Cooper's death, he may leave her once he got his bearings back after "the accident." All that is unfortunate, because had Cooper been her top priority, she may have evaluated the evidence differently and have come to the same conclusion the majority of us have: Ross systematically planned and executed his son in a heinous, tortuous way.

Imo there is absolutely nothing about LT behavior prior to knowing, learning or after knowing what happened to cooper even remotely understandable. Nothing.
The comment at DC, the reaction at HD when told, and absolutely, most certainly her behavior at the police station.....her testimony was memorized and crafted, her response to pictures I'm sure genuine.
Her lack of support for cooper is stunning.

I know you have developed an acquaintance with LT so I am sure we are at different ends of the spectrum here now, but no way IMO is LT behavior understandable.

I do not think she is culpable in this murder but I don't think her hands are clean in the sense she could have fought for her sons memory.

 

[GA_Peach]

-I drove from eastern NC to Atlanta for the sentencing
-I drove the route from CFA to the Treehouse (recorded it, and it took 8 takes)
-I found the space in the Treehouse parking lot and did the park job
-For those of you sticklers: A guard came and talked to me, wanted to know why I was there, he nodded and allowed me to stay and finish my personal analysis of the parking spot.

Firstly, about the sentencing:
-Ross Harris has lost at least twenty pounds since the verdict, so the observation about his weight is off. I noticed it right away when he entered. You can see clearly on the replays in his face, neck, and gut the weight loss.
-Ross seems to have been on Xanax or something, his eyes and mannerisms were very slow and almost lethargic.
-Leanna was NOT there. Only a male cousin, members of the public, and lots of media.
-The defense was rude and pompous (which startled me because they seemed so polite during the trial). The attitude I immediately detected was "why are we even here, this is a waste of our time."
-Judge Staley was emotional. Her voice quivered, she had to collect herself, she said that LWOP was the very LEAST form of justice she could give Ross Harris after he shut that door and walked away from Cooper in June, in Georgia. Not sure why Minor thinks she was communicating it was an accident, context is very important tool, and in context she was being poignant and pointing out the IRONY of his goal and the reality he achieved.
In other words Ross--your actions will cause others to think twice before they leave their child to die in a hot car. It has also brought on so much national attention that awareness has increased 10 fold. Recall, the notices in the Wal Marts appeared shortly after this case made national news.

Drive from CFA to Treehouse
-Impossible to forget, that's all I have to say. It took me on average less than 1 one minute to get out of the CFA parking lot and make the U-turn (the point where he needed to forget Cooper in order to drive through the intersection), all while CFA was visible in my periphery. There wasn't even an opportunity for Cooper to leave his working memory, much less be forgotten completely.

Treehouse Parking Lot Space Analysis:
The spot he chose was between TWO CURBS (two islands). One of the curbs extended into the space by approximately 1 foot. He drove between the two curbs to pull into the spot. The maneuver was very awkward and the space narrow. That is NOT a space ANYONE would choose to pull into. It was designed for you to drive around and enter from the other side of the space, not to pull through it (I ran over the curb the first time). When he drove through the lot, the spot he chose isn't even visible until you pass by it because you are driving up a hill. Why would he back up and maneuver into that difficult, narrow, awkward spot when other spots were much more accessible after running late for work? Because he knew no one would park next to him. Because this spot was pre-selected.

If I had been on the fence, I would no longer be after physically pulling into that spot as he did.

BBM

Thank you so much for attending the sentencing. Cooper was in my thoughts all day, but unfortunately, I had some real life stuff come up that prevented me from attending (nothing major, but I needed to attend to them).

The drive from CFA to the turn lane is pretty eye-opening, isn't it? There is nothing that compares to seeing in person. As frequently as the State showed pictures and videos, nothing was able to capture how close and how short the drive to the turn lane is. It's mind-boggling. However, you mentioned the one thing that cemented Ross's malice murder guilt in my mind - Ross could not have forgotten his trip to CFA with Cooper when CFA was still in his active memory. From the time Ross left CFA until he "missed" his turn, CFA is in his peripheral vision. Did you notice how Cooper's daycare loomed over the entire area?

Thank you for the information about Ross's parking spot. I have never had the stomach to actually pull into the Treehouse. I say a little prayer for Cooper each time I drive by though.

Thank you again!

 

[NCTeacher]

Imo there is absolutely nothing about LT behavior prior to knowing, learning or after knowing what happened to cooper even remotely understandable. Nothing.
The comment at DC, the reaction at HD when told, and absolutely, most certainly her behavior at the police station.....her testimony was memorized and crafted, her response to pictures I'm sure genuine.
Her lack of support for cooper is stunning.

I know you have developed an acquaintance with LT so I am sure we are at different ends of the spectrum here now, but no way IMO is LT behavior understandable.

I do not think she is culpable in this murder but I don't think her hands are clean in the sense she could have fought for her sons memory.

I have only spoke to Leanna via fb on two occasions, I'm not sure I would even call that an "acquaintance," and given my commitment to Ross's guilt (I mean, who else drove 500 miles to go to the sentencing? and then recorded the drive from CFA to the Treehouse and a special edition analysis of the parking space?), I'm sure she wouldn't speak of me favorably if she knew all that. She may, I don't know---there are always moles everywhere. Anywho, point being I only reached out to her once I became convinced of her innocence and reached a genuine understanding of her behavior, not the other way around.

As far as her testimony being rehearsed, of course it was. I would be just as prepared (if not more so) had I been in her shoes. After all, it was being live-streamed with millions of viewers around the world, the whole world seems to hate her guts, and she was shaking like a leaf when she came out. I don't understand her commitment to Ross's innocence, but I can make sense of her behavior.

Certainly the lack of Cooper-centered testimony (for example when she said Ross humiliated and ruined her life) seems to be lacking in Cooper-focus, but had she said "he humiliated me, ruined my life, and took Cooper from me," that instantly paints a portrait of guilt, which she clearly was not there to do.

I agree, her reactions to Cooper's pictures/videos were seemingly quite genuine. I only wish Ross was able to see them at the same time and we could watch his reactions, or lack thereof.

 

[NCTeacher]

BBM

Thank you so much for attending the sentencing. Cooper was in my thoughts all day, but unfortunately, I had some real life stuff come up that prevented me from attending (nothing major, but I needed to attend to them).

The drive from CFA to the turn lane is pretty eye-opening, isn't it? There is nothing that compares to seeing in person. As frequently as the State showed pictures and videos, nothing was able to capture how close and how short the drive to the turn lane is. It's mind-boggling. However, you mentioned the one thing that cemented Ross's malice murder guilt in my mind - Ross could not have forgotten his trip to CFA with Cooper when CFA was still in his active memory. From the time Ross left CFA until he "missed" his turn, CFA is in his peripheral vision. Did you notice how Cooper's daycare loomed over the entire area?

Thank you for the information about Ross's parking spot. I have never had the stomach to actually pull into the Treehouse. I say a little prayer for Cooper each time I drive by though.

Thank you again!

It was eye-opening, but the most flooring was the Treehouse parking space for me. What's funny, in hindsight, is I didn't bat an eye at driving right into their parking lot, looking for the space, and recording my analysis. Like I said though, I caught the attention of a security guard, explained why I was there, he didn't say much--just seemed sympathetic, he nodded and allowed me to carry on--though I did wrap up in a matter of minutes, I'm sure had I been there longer they would've asked me to leave. I guess my mission for Cooper trumped my logic and clear-thinking!

That parking space is stomach-churning.

You make a sharp right to enter the lot, drive over speedbumps, round to the right TWICE, drive up a hill (you cannot see the spot, it's obstructed by the island with one tree in), so you have to literally drive past the spot in order to see it, and the spot itself, like I said, is flanked by two islands (the island with two trees on the right in the surveillance camera) jets into the spot by one foot. When we were trying to find the spot, we couldn't find it for awhile because I knew he pulled into the spot--that one seemed impossible. Once I figured out the spot based on the island locations, I was stunned. My first thought was "No way. No one late for work or not, would choose to pull into this spot squeezing between these two islands. No way." Unless of course, that spot had some sort of special significance and it was imperative to pull into it that way.

I bet if somebody searched through HD security videos, people rarely parked there, and those who did pulled in from the opposite side. I was terribly uncomfortable pulling into that spot the way he did, and in my video analysis I kept harping on how "narrow" the spot was to get in to.

 

[neesaki]

I initially thought that LeAnna was involved. After her testimony, I found her genuine and sincere regarding Cooper--I don't think she was involved in any way. A lot of people claim because she said "he must've left him in the car" is the indicator of her guilt. However, she had JUST talked on the phone with him an hour prior and had texted with him back and forth during the day---the discussion of which was for her to pick Cooper up at daycare. So basically: Ross told her that Cooper was at daycare and that she was supposed to pick Cooper up. Then when she gets there, the daycare workers say "Ross never dropped him off." What is the only logical explanation then? He must be in the car.

Additionally, if she had known of the plan, then she would've known of Ross's desire for her to stay at the daycare. Either she didn't know anything about Ross's plan, or she forgot her lines in the play because she didn't stay at the daycare and instead went to the Treehouse, looked for his car, and then proceeded to go in and out of the building trying to charge and use her phone.

Her behavior at the police station is also IMO, understandable--though, I admit, strange. It seems as though in that family there were two children, and one adult. The adult, LeAnna seems to have had her "mothering mode" kicked in, just as a parent who loses one child will not fail to comfort the other---even at her own expense for mourning the loss of the first child.

When she referred to hot car deaths as "we talk about it all the time." I betcha the "all the time" had been in the previous two weeks as Ross was hatching his plan. Probably sizing her up, preparing her for his forgetfulness, and disgustingly so, reveling in his fascination and excitement for what he was about to do. I would be willing to bet he brought that conversation up many times in the weeks prior to Cooper's murder. It is clear "hot car deaths" was a legitimate fear of LeAnna's because she followed those stories and sent those stories out to people (including Ross) in her email in the years proceeding Cooper's death. As one person on here stated, I think this manner of killing Cooper by Ross was a big "screw you" to LeAnna, I'm going to kick you where it hurts--so you'll hate me and want to divorce me. Bet he was surprised when he fished for her response to the situation in the police station, and she said she would "never leave him" and "doesn't hate him."

She nearly collapsed during testimony when she (obviously) thought the prosecutor's line of questioning was going to lead to her seeing pictures of Cooper deceased. I'm confident she loved Cooper, still does, and had nothing to do with his death. However, I think her top priority was Ross and maintaining her marriage because she inquired about having more children and mentioned it at Cooper's funeral. I think she knew this was the only thing keeping Ross in the marriage and felt with Cooper's death, he may leave her once he got his bearings back after "the accident." All that is unfortunate, because had Cooper been her top priority, she may have evaluated the evidence differently and have come to the same conclusion the majority of us have: Ross systematically planned and executed his son in a heinous, tortuous way in order to leave his marriage with no strings attached.

This is really troubling for me. For one, her statement, "he must've left him in the car". Really? I could never imagine myself saying that just because my son wasn't at daycare. No. Zero. Nada. So she "nearly collapsed"? I don't put much strength in that at all. And if they were talking about hot car deaths all the time two weeks before it happened, that should have made her immediately question it, no? And then there's this... why is she still claiming that the child killer is innocent ? It makes no sense, no sense at all. JMO

ETA: Just because I just don't agree on certain points, doesn't mean I don't appreciate you going to the trial and giving us first hand information. I certainly do.

 

[NCTeacher]

This is really troubling for me. For one, her statement, "he must've left him in the car". Really? I could never imagine myself saying that just because my son wasn't at daycare. No. Zero. Nada. So she "nearly collapsed"? I don't put much strength in that at all. And if they were talking about hot car deaths all the time two weeks before it happened, that should have made her immediately question it, no? And then there's this... why is she still claiming that the child killer is innocent ? It makes no sense, no sense at all. JMO

Well I would've said it. Here are the premises:

-Ross said to Leanna he dropped Cooper off at daycare.
-Ross tells LeAnna she is supposed to pick Cooper up from daycare.
-She hangs up the phone drives to the daycare.
-She arrives at the daycare, goes to check him out but computer says he was never checked in.
-She goes to his classroom, looks around for Cooper.
-Daycare workers says Ross never dropped Cooper off.

Where else would he be? It isn't a leap, it's the only possibility.

 

[GA_Peach]

Well I would've said it. Here are the premises:

-Ross said to Leanna he dropped Cooper off at daycare.
-Ross tells LeAnna she is supposed to pick Cooper up from daycare.
-She hangs up the phone drives to the daycare.
-She arrives at the daycare, goes to check him out but computer says he was never checked in.
-She goes to his classroom, looks around for Cooper.
-Daycare workers says Ross never dropped Cooper off.

Where else would he be? It isn't a leap, it's the only possibility.

My husband and I have talked about this at subject at great lengths. I have to admit that one of our children being left in the car simply would not have occurred to me (or my husband). It never would have entered my mind. My first reaction would have been that there had been a mix-up. I would have stated emphatically that my child was dropped off and would have asked for security to come to LAA so that my child could be located. At the same time, I would have attempted to reach my husband by phone. Given the respective personalities of my husband and me, it would have been far more likely that the daycare lost my child than him/her being left in a hot car to die.

I can see myself standing there in disbelief and repeating over and over, "I just talked to my husband, and he told me that I was picking up [child's name]. He has to be there. Where is he? WHERE IS HE?" I would have been stunned, confused, and in utter disbelief.

 

[neesaki]

Well I would've said it. Here are the premises:

-Ross said to Leanna he dropped Cooper off at daycare.
-Ross tells LeAnna she is supposed to pick Cooper up from daycare.
-She hangs up the phone drives to the daycare.
-She arrives at the daycare, goes to check him out but computer says he was never checked in.
-She goes to his classroom, looks around for Cooper.
-Daycare workers says Ross never dropped Cooper off.

Where else would he be? It isn't a leap, it's the only possibility.

I guess I'm a little confused, so you're saying that Leanna states that Ross reported to her that he dropped Cooper off at daycare.

Which we all know that he did not do. Right?

So, why would there be any confusion? It's obvious he was lying. And it should be obvious to her that he was lying. But, hey, I'm all open, I must be missing something? TIA

 

[monkeypants]

I guess I'm a little confused, so you're saying that Leanna states that Ross reported to her that he dropped Cooper off at daycare.

Which we all know that he did not do. Right?

So, why would there be any confusion? It's obvious he was lying. And it should be obvious to her that he was lying. But, hey, I'm all open, I must be missing something? TIA

Well he actually never said that to her.....technically ncteacher argument is off there

 

[neesaki]

My husband and I have talked about this at subject at great lengths. I have to admit that one of our children being left in the car simply would not have occurred to me (or my husband). It never would have entered my mind. My first reaction would have been that there had been a mix-up. I would have stated emphatically that my child was dropped off and would have asked for security to come to LAA so that my child could be located. At the same time, I would have attempted to reach my husband by phone. Given the respective personalities of my husband and me, it would have been far more likely that the daycare lost my child than him/her being left in a hot car to die.

I can see myself standing there in disbelief and repeating over and over, "I just talked to my husband, and he told me that I was picking up [child's name]. He has to be there. Where is he? WHERE IS HE?" I would have been stunned, confused, and in utter disbelief.

Exactly. A responsible parent isn't going to just "forget" their small child strapped in a car seat. Ya know, in spite of working two jobs and going to college, I never, ever would have considered forgetting my child in my car, or anywhere else. No. All of us parents here from the dark ages, we realize that. Well, hell, God forbid, we didn't have Facebook and Smartphones. Right? :scared: Maybe they're the devil? We just need to accept that our society is going down the tubes.

 

[Confusion]

I didn't keep up with this case nearly as closely as most, but I do remember most of the information about it. I think she may have immediately thought he left him in the car because she sounds like she had a fear of it happening. I'm guessing (no evidence that I'm right) that she believed he was innocent because it's so hard to imagine anybody being cruel enough to do it on purpose. I know it would be very hard for me to accept that someone I loved was capable of such an atrocity. I know it's possible that there are any number of other reasons for her behavior, but this is what makes the most sense to me. MOO

 

[neesaki]

I didn't keep up with this case nearly as closely as most, but I do remember most of the information about it. I think she may have immediately thought he left him in the car because she sounds like she had a fear of it happening. I'm guessing (no evidence that I'm right) that she believed he was innocent because it's so hard to imagine anybody being cruel enough to do it on purpose. I know it would be very hard for me to accept that someone I loved was capable of such an atrocity. I know it's possible that there are any number of other reasons for her behavior, but this is what makes the most sense to me. MOO

But I don't think she could love him after all that he did to her, he was living a double life. And especially leaving their baby to fry in an oven of a car, in June, in Georgia. How could she not hold that against him? It doesn't make sense to me. Is it just me? No, the jury got it right. And I pity her if she's that naive. JMO