The Sidebar - Harris Trial #3 *VERDICT - GUILTY*

[arkansasmimi]

Quote Originally Posted by arkansasmimi View Post
RBBM, thanks never heard that. Do you know when this was talked about?TIA. Chelsea D testimony was blacked out so we didn't hear hers.

I know from testimony, that one of the witnesses that RH had sexted with was at Hilton Head with her family on June 18, 2014. RH had asked her for a bj. She didn't come forward, but her friend did and told CCPD. Kilgore asked the witness if she ever did, she said no.

I am sorry, but that is just out of control. A teen is on a family vacation, and this asks her for a BJ? He is lucky he wasn't killed outright by an angry father.

:waitasec: Huh? she wan't a teen and they had already hooked up before. .

Another woman, 24-year-old Elizabeth Smith, testified she began exchanging sexually explicit messages with Harris in January 2014. They met up for sex a month later in a parking lot off I-75, she said. Two months later, Harris texted her a selfie he’d taken of himself and Cooper while they attended a Braves game.

They also exchanged messages in the early morning hours of Cooper’s last day. At 7:25 a.m., Harris messaged Smith and asked her if she would meet up with him to have sex. But Smith replied, “No, I’m in Hilton Head.” http://www.myajc.com/news/news/local/parade-of-women-testify-about-ross-harris-sex-life/nstYX/

 

[SuperTmo]

:waitasec: Huh? she wan't a teen and they had already hooked up before. .

Another woman, 24-year-old Elizabeth Smith, testified she began exchanging sexually explicit messages with Harris in January 2014. They met up for sex a month later in a parking lot off I-75, she said. Two months later, Harris texted her a selfie he’d taken of himself and Cooper while they attended a Braves game.

They also exchanged messages in the early morning hours of Cooper’s last day. At 7:25 a.m., Harris messaged Smith and asked her if she would meet up with him to have sex. But Smith replied, “No, I’m in Hilton Head.” http://www.myajc.com/news/news/local/parade-of-women-testify-about-ross-harris-sex-life/nstYX/

I'm confused... I think your original post about the exchange while she was in Hilton Head implied that the female was a teen, since you quoted yourself and someone else IRRC about him sexting teens... was she not a teen?

 

[GA_Peach]

This is going to be my last post on this subject.

SuperTmo, I couldn't agree more with your recent posts.

For those blaming the minor victims, would it have made any difference if the girl was 4? 5? 6? 9? 10? 12? 13? All of those girls would have been old enough to know that they were being photographed. What's the difference?

Children's brains are not fully developed, and that is why we have an age of consent. Anyone under that age is deemed not competent enough to make an informed decision about what is happening. Ross was an adult who was fully aware of his actions. When he found out the minor's age, he did not stop sexting. Instead, he continued to ask for pictures and gave her detailed instructions on how to perform oral sex. That's where the blame rests. Period.

There are two victims in this case - Cooper and the unnamed minor. I am eagerly awaiting justice for both of them.

 

[arkansasmimi]

It DOES concern me that she did that... but I wonder WHY she did it? What is going on in her life that makes her feel like attention from a man is so important? Girls who do this are the ones that guys like RH somehow manage to find. Its not coincidental... They are looking for someone to give them attention, make them feel wanted and special, and guys like RH are looking for girls who are seeking that out. We all need to feel wanted and loved and special (I'm flashing back to developmental psychology classes and Maslow's hierarchy of needs or Eric Ericsson's theories, but can't remember what specifically discussed this sort of thing).

Regardless. My thought is these girls are vulnerable to being found by perverts like RH because they aren't getting those needs filled at home so they go looking elsewhere. Perhaps they are being exploited in other ways and they DON'T know it is wrong. How do we know what their thought process is? Can you imagine any of your grandkids doing this? Probably not because they are loved, cared for, made to feel important and special, and don't need to go seeking attention from perverted men to make them feel good about themselves. I have no idea of the ages of your grands so please take this as just an example of how I think kids in your family are cared for based on what you've posted here. I cannot imagine kids in your family feel anything but highly valued, loved and respected. But not all kids are made to feel that way and the ones that aren't are more vulnerable to finding people like RH. I can't blame the kids for that. We all have the innate desire to feel that way. I would feel like I failed my child horribly on the most basic of her needs if she ever felt compelled to do this sort of thing.

Totally agree. But we have no way of knowing anything about these teens. Fact still remains, we don't know why but they did what they did. My grand children and my kids, nieces, nephews most any one I know ... no matter the age, know that you do not send people photos of your private body parts. Have you not seen cases where teens do stuff like this and then someone forwards it around? IIRC there have been some who committed suicide. (maybe getting that confused with something else). Still believe the teens knew right from wrong on the issue. Agree to disagree on that.

 

[arkansasmimi]

This is going to be my last post on this subject.

SuperTmo, I couldn't agree more with your recent posts.

For those blaming the minor victims, would it have made any difference if the girl was 4? 5? 6? 9? 10? 12? 13? All of those girls would have been old enough to know that they were being photographed. What's the difference?

Children's brains are not fully developed, and that is why we have an age of consent. Anyone under that age is deemed not competent enough to make an informed decision about what is happening. Ross was an adult who was fully aware of his actions. When he found out the minor's age, he did not stop sexting. Instead, he continued to ask for pictures and gave her detailed instructions on how to perform oral sex. That's where the blame rests. Period.

There are two victims in this case - Cooper and the unnamed minor. I am eagerly awaiting justice for both of them.

With much Respect and I mean this Peach.
The difference, to me is the girls took and sent the photos themselves. This was their testimony.

IIRC, Chelsea D is a named minor in this case (she was at the time, 19 now). Still confused as to if there is just Chelsea on the 3 sexting charges or if the other minor witness is a part of this case and the other or what.

 

[MsMtOlympus]

I'm re-watching Michael Baygents (RH half-brother) testimony. Harris is clearly inconsolable while Baygents is on the stand; I'm seeing real tears, real feelings of shame, real everything. None of these genuine, spontaneous, involuntary emotions were on display in the interrogation videos. None. And although we're not privy to a firsthand viewing of Harris's reactions "on the scene" there are multiple reports that confirm that the inconsistent behavior we saw on the videos played out at the crime scene as well. Why is Harris able to react pretty much exactly as most of us do when we've gravely disappointed someone we deeply love/look up to but not at the death of his own son?

 

[monkeypants]

This is going to be my last post on this subject.

SuperTmo, I couldn't agree more with your recent posts.

For those blaming the minor victims, would it have made any difference if the girl was 4? 5? 6? 9? 10? 12? 13? All of those girls would have been old enough to know that they were being photographed. What's the difference?

Children's brains are not fully developed, and that is why we have an age of consent. Anyone under that age is deemed not competent enough to make an informed decision about what is happening. Ross was an adult who was fully aware of his actions. When he found out the minor's age, he did not stop sexting. Instead, he continued to ask for pictures and gave her detailed instructions on how to perform oral sex. That's where the blame rests. Period.

There are two victims in this case - Cooper and the unnamed minor. I am eagerly awaiting justice for both of them.

Now you know why I dropped the mike last night and gave up lol

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[GA_Peach]

Totally agree. But we have no way of knowing anything about these teens. Fact still remains, we don't know why but they did what they did. My grand children and my kids, nieces, nephews most any one I know ... no matter the age, know that you do not send people photos of your private body parts. Have you not seen cases where teens do stuff like this and then someone forwards it around? IIRC there have been some who committed suicide. (maybe getting that confused with something else). Still believe the teens knew right from wrong on the issue. Agree to disagree on that.

You're right... things like this do end in suicide. That's why a grown man, who fully understands the consequences, should not ask an underage girl for sexually explicit photos.

 

[monkeypants]

With much Respect and I mean this Peach.
The difference, to me is the girls took and sent the photos themselves. This was their testimony.

IIRC, Chelsea D is a named minor in this case (she was at the time, 19 now). Still confused as to if there is just Chelsea on the 3 sexting charges or if the other minor witness is a part of this case and the other or what.

There are 3 minors!!

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[JerseyGirl]

Harris is accused of possessing lewd photographs of two underage girls, sending nude photos to those girls and one other and engaging in sexually explicit chats with all three.

The eight-count indictment includes two counts of sexual exploitation of children and six of disseminating harmful material to a minor.

http://www.ajc.com/news/crime--law/...lly-exploiting-minors/3dKhC76bDFeI1g2eSGTo3M/

1. He possessed lewd photographs of 2 underage girls
2. He sent nude photos of himself to 3 underage girls
3. He engaged in sexually explicit chats with all 3 underage girls

 

[GA_Peach]

With much Respect and I mean this Peach.
The difference, to me is the girls took and sent the photos themselves. This was their testimony.

IIRC, Chelsea D is a named minor in this case (she was at the time, 19 now). Still confused as to if there is just Chelsea on the 3 sexting charges or if the other minor witness is a part of this case and the other or what.

Kids know how to work their parents' phones at a young age. You see kids as young as 3 taking selfies and videoing themselves. If they take naked photographs of themselves (upon the request of an adult), they are still to be blamed? The law has drawn the line for accountability at the age of consent.

 

[MsJosie]

I'm re-watching Michael Baygents (RH half-brother) testimony. Harris is clearly inconsolable while Baygents is on the stand; I'm seeing real tears, real feelings of shame, real everything. None of these genuine, spontaneous, involuntary emotions were on display in the interrogation videos. None. And although we're not privy to a firsthand viewing of Harris's reactions "on the scene" there are multiple reports that confirm that the inconsistent behavior we saw on the videos played out at the crime scene as well. Why is Harris able to react pretty much exactly as most of us do when we've gravely disappointed someone we deeply love/look up to but not at the death of his own son?

Could RH real tears be...because his family is there and knows the truth? Tears because he was caught and shame his family knows....not really tears for Cooper? JMO

 

[Hope4More]

If you are assigning guilt or responsibility, it does sound like they are "on trial".

There is a reason we have laws to protect certain age groups in our society. We realize their frontal lobe is not fully developed and that they are more prone to being preyed upon. If there weren't people like RH in society, we would have no need to have laws in place to protect minors.

It's like blaming a rape victim because they were wearing something provicative.

I made questionable choices as as teenager that I certainly wouldn't make as an adult. Teenagers ARE responsible for their actions to a major degree, but the reasons we have these types of laws is because our lawmakers and courts RECOGNIZE that there are certain behaviors that minors are vulnerable to.

When you can't argue the law...

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No victim is responsible for the crimes committed against them. I don't think that's very complicated.

But it's also true that young people are living a different social life reality than their parents did at the same age. I've been dismayed by that fact since my son was in 4th grade and was exposed to *advertiser censored* (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) by another student who accessed it on a school computer when the kids were left unmonitored by their teacher for a few minutes.

The fact of the matter is that there is no way for parents to prevent their kids from making bad decisions about what they do online, and no way to prevent other kids from exposing our own to content we would never permit.

I consider it my responsibility as a parent to educate my son about consequences, and to give him all the tools he needs to make constructive decisions for himself.

If I caught someone online trying to exploit my son, there would be no words to express my fury , and I would hold that person solely responsible. I would also take a way my son's electronic privileges for a very long time time if what drew anyone to him was his posting that he was interested in sexual conversations. I guess I see that as commont sense, not a matter of assigning blame.

 

[JerseyGirl]

I'm re-watching Michael Baygents (RH half-brother) testimony. Harris is clearly inconsolable while Baygents is on the stand; I'm seeing real tears, real feelings of shame, real everything. None of these genuine, spontaneous, involuntary emotions were on display in the interrogation videos. None. And although we're not privy to a firsthand viewing of Harris's reactions "on the scene" there are multiple reports that confirm that the inconsistent behavior we saw on the videos played out at the crime scene as well. Why is Harris able to react pretty much exactly as most of us do when we've gravely disappointed someone we deeply love/look up to but not at the death of his own son?

Could RH real tears be...because his family is there and knows the truth? Tears because he was caught and shame his family knows....not really tears for Cooper? JMO

because from the very beginning, it's always been all about Ross. Ross is #1 is Ross' book and I wouldn't be surprised if all his crocodile tears in the courtroom are based on him thinking he has to go back to the hard metal toilet and uncomfortable cot in his jail cell that evening.

 

[GA_Peach]

Harris is accused of possessing lewd photographs of two underage girls, sending nude photos to those girls and one other and engaging in sexually explicit chats with all three.

The eight-count indictment includes two counts of sexual exploitation of children and six of disseminating harmful material to a minor.

http://www.ajc.com/news/crime--law/...lly-exploiting-minors/3dKhC76bDFeI1g2eSGTo3M/

1. He possessed lewd photographs of 2 underage girls
2. He sent nude photos of himself to 3 underage girls
3. He engaged in sexually explicit chats with all 3 underage girls

I think there are actually 4 different minors.
There are three different girls in the March 2016 indictment plus the minor from the current case.

 

[arkansasmimi]

I'm confused... I think your original post about the exchange while she was in Hilton Head implied that the female was a teen, since you quoted yourself and someone else IRRC about him sexting teens... was she not a teen?

No, My Orig post was to TexMex asking about the teen who had came forward. I had not heard of anyone coming forward and thanked him, asked him if he knew time frame. I had only heard - in trial- of the witness who RH had sent message to (Elizabeth Smith the 24 year old witness who was sexting/chatting/hooking up with him) Smiths friend contacted CCPD, this was on Cross with Kilgore.

Hope4More, in the next comment, told me that the teen in question had came forward in June 2014. I thanked them both. This is on this thread.

ETA there it is

Arkansasmimi #42

Originally Posted by arkansasmimi View Post
Agree. I believe that some things morally wrong are different legally. I def think RH is wrong about the sexting minors. I def think the minors were wrong too. 2 different things to me (minors are not on trial here but are equally wrong. JMHO no way they can be justified not to know what they did was wrong) And again, on the phone, just going by what surely will be an appeal issue because Def has already brought it up in hearings. Why RH did or didn't assert his right to not give password /not give. We have no clue.

JMHO, my opinion doesn't make a hill of beans on any outcome of this case. Or the other either. I would think the State and Defense know more about what is what than any of us. I just following along.

Quote Originally Posted by TexMex View Post
Additionally, the teen, "Chelsea" came forward to LE on her own. She's the one who told them she'd had contact with RH on June 18, the day Cooper was killed.

RBBM, thanks never heard that. Do you know when this was talked about?TIA. Chelsea D testimony was blacked out so we didn't hear hers.

I know from testimony, that one of the witnesses that RH had sexted with was at Hilton Head with her family on June 18, 2014. RH had asked her for a bj. She didn't come forward, but her friend did and told CCPD. Kilgore asked the witness if she ever did, she said no http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...idebar-Harris-Trial-3&p=12933181#post12933181

Today, 10:01 AM#43 Hope4More http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...idebar-Harris-Trial-3&p=12933186#post12933186
FACTS LIVES MATTER!

Quote Originally Posted by arkansasmimi View Post
RBBM, thanks never heard that. Do you know when this was talked about?TIA. Chelsea D testimony was blacked out so we didn't hear hers.

I know from testimony, that one of the witnesses that RH had sexted with was at Hilton Head with her family on June 18, 2014. RH had asked her for a bj. She didn't come forward, but her friend did and told CCPD. Kilgore asked the witness if she ever did, she said no.

She came forward in June, 2014, which is why allegations about minors were raised in the early July probable cause hearing.

 

[TexMex]

With much Respect and I mean this Peach.
The difference, to me is the girls took and sent the photos themselves. This was their testimony.

IIRC, Chelsea D is a named minor in this case (she was at the time, 19 now). Still confused as to if there is just Chelsea on the 3 sexting charges or if the other minor witness is a part of this case and the other or what.

this case involved CD. Counts 6,7,8

The 2016 charges name 3 additional minors and 8 counts involving them
3 counts involve minor "M.A.B"
1 count involved minor "N. P"
4 counts refer to minor "K. R"

 

[MsMtOlympus]

Could RH real tears be...because his family is there and knows the truth? Tears because he was caught and shame his family knows....not really tears for Cooper? JMO

Right, I'm sensing a greater sense of grieving over the loss of his formally good-standing with his family than the loss of his son at his own hand. Disturbing, to say the least.

 

[Seriously?]

Totally agree. But we have no way of knowing anything about these teens. Fact still remains, we don't know why but they did what they did. My grand children and my kids, nieces, nephews most any one I know ... no matter the age, know that you do not send people photos of your private body parts. Have you not seen cases where teens do stuff like this and then someone forwards it around? IIRC there have been some who committed suicide. (maybe getting that confused with something else). Still believe the teens knew right from wrong on the issue. Agree to disagree on that.

Tried to stay quiet on this subject but cannot.
Actually, for many minors engaged in sexual activity and/or sexualized behavior their histories do not do not support knowing the pictures/sexting/encounters are wrong. Their high-risk sexual behaviors are often directly related to their history of maltreatment. Some of these kids have been fondled, raped, sodomized during their childhood, including their teen years. Being sexually active becomes normalized. So for a large portion of these kids, right and wrong as modeled in their homes and by their parents/caregivers is not what is safe. We don't know these girls' histories, so I surely can't say with absolute certainty they were child victims.................with this kind of high-risk behavior, I wonder. And over and over these kids are led to believe it's their fault. And these kids are boys and girls.

So................mimi, you know I love ya, but I have to speak out for these kids !

For those of you who have sat in a room with any of these child victims and heard their outcries stories and offered support, you know what I'm talking about.

In this case,after RH knew the true age of the minor, he kept right on going. No words.

 

[Maisiebelle]

I fell asleep this afternoon. I'm sitting here and suddenly I thought I might have missed the verdict!


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