TRIAL - Ross Harris #1

[Inthedetails]

And why would leaving early indicate he killed Cooper on purpose?

It doesn't show he killed on purpose, imo. It shows he's completely irresponsible. So, if he's not convicted for intending to kill Cooper, he can be convicted on neglect. JMO.

Or, it might be setting up the case that he was looking for an audience to see his distress over discovering Cooper.

In any case, he DID leave work early when he was behind on a project and he DID leave Cooper in the car.

 

[minor4th]

I don't get how any of this testimony today has to do with Cooper's death. Where point is the state trying to make?

 

[MsMarple]

So the defense hasn't claimed this, at all? (I missed the opening statements and haven't watched them entirely.)

Kilgore did make that claim during opening statements:

Then Kilgore was quick to also point out Harris' sex life, "no matter how perverse and nasty and wrong that we think it is," has nothing to do with Cooper's death.

"His sexting throughout the day was after he had forgotten Cooper," Kilgore added.

According to the attorney, Harris' closet friend said Harris was dealing with "sexual sins in his life" and was reaching out for helping, including confessing to his men's group at church and asking for prayer.

http://www.11alive.com/news/local/r...ysterical-at-scene-of-hot-car-death/328836164

I can't find any other references from Ross' friends about the church confession. I'm not saying it wasn't in msm, just that I couldn't find anything. There are many interviews with Ross' friends from 2014 articles - ha, remember the comment about how Ross was late to his own wedding because he stopped to pick up hairspray? Anyway, again, I'm not saying no one mentioned Ross confessing about sexual problems, just that I couldn't find any.

Lol, I think there's a typo - "closest" not "closet" friend. Zipping my mouth...

 

[Hope4More]

In this time of national elections, many of us often fact check after the debate statements are made. During the lull in testimony today with teen testifying, I spent a few minutes to satisfy my curiosity. I will now copy/paste a couple of lines of transcript by Stoddard during preliminary hearings. I see the word "several" used and was wondering the intent the word "several" was meant to send the recipients eyes/ears to believe the testimony as delivered. How was it intended to be received?
[FONT="]UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you notice any -- were there any injuries to the child's face? [/FONT]

[FONT="]STODDARD: There were. [/FONT]

[FONT="]UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And what were those? [/FONT]

[FONT="]STODDARD: The way it's explained, there were several marks on the child's face. It would have come from the child or a scratch being made while the child was alive, and then not healing, not scabbing over or anything like that and just soon after he passed away.
[/FONT]http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1407/03/cnr.05.html

Then please visit this link of day 4 pat 2 of Stoddard's superior testifying to what he saw as he knelt beside Cooper at the scene. Please fast forward to the 54:45 minute mark (specifically the 55:20 mark)
[video=youtube;hZNYISQH9zs]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZNYISQH9zs&t=3348s[/video]

Thanks for taking the time to look that up.

 

[minor4th]

It doesn't show he killed on purpose, imo. It shows he's completely irresponsible. So, if he's not convicted for intending to kill Cooper, he can be convicted on neglect. JMO.

Or, it might be setting up the case that he was looking for an audience to see his distress over discovering Cooper.

In any case, he DID leave work early when he was behind on a project and he DID leave Cooper in the car.

None of that makes sense for me - there's no question he left Cooper in the car. But leaving early from work when he had a deadline looming just doesn't have anything at all to do with whether he was negligent in forgetting Cooper or not.

As far as having an audience to see his distress - he could have manufactured that anywhere and at any time. He didn't need to leave for the movie early to drum up an audience.

See what I mean?

 

[JerseyGirl]

Alex Hall is the prosecution’s next witness.

Hall works at Home Depot and knows Harris from college. They became closer once they both started working at Home Depot.

He is one of the partners that joined Harris is joining a web development consulting business.

“We were pretty much all the way there with the legal stuff,” said Hall when asked about how far along their business was. They already had one firm client and some prospective clients.

Hall said he didn’t see Cooper very often.

 

[matou]

We still haven't heard from the person (or people) he was sexting with that day so we don't know if he was going to meet up with someone before getting to the movie. JMO

 

[minor4th]

To me it seems like the state is just trying to denigrate Ross' overall character enough to make a jury think he could kill his kid. I really have not heard evidence that indicates he deliberately killed his child. I've also seen nothing to prove that he knew Cooper was in the car and did not legitimately forget (whether negligent or not).

This is one of the weakest prosecutions I've ever seen.

 

[GA_Peach]

Didn't he leave at like 4:15 or 4:19?

Yes, I recall he left at 4:15.

 

[Inthedetails]

None of that makes sense for me - there's no question he left Cooper in the car. But leaving early from work when he had a deadline looming just doesn't have anything at all to do with whether he was negligent in forgetting Cooper or not.

As far as having an audience to see his distress - he could have manufactured that anywhere and at any time. He didn't need to leave for the movie early to drum up an audience.

See what I mean?

No, I don't really see what you mean. I think they are building a case that the guy is irresponsible. I think character does matter in this case - to indicate whether he forgot out of human error, forgot out of reckless habit (which is what I think), or intended to leave Cooper.

I admit that people showing up late for work, leaving work early, and generally being lax about work is a huge pet peeve of mine. I do think reliability reflects one's character - so this detail about him leaving early for work to see a movie does matter, imo, and is a predictor of how he handles other important responsibilities.

jmo

 

[Hope4More]

I don't get how any of this testimony today has to do with Cooper's death. Where point is the state trying to make?

Imo, a possible motive. That RH wasn't just unhappily married and unfaithful, but an unfaithful husband who broke the law and societal norms in pursuit of fulfilling his own "needs," and who clearly didn't want to stay married to Leanna but felt he couldn't divorce Leanna because of Cooper. Make Cooper go away --in a manner he thought peeps would perceive as a tragedy, and really no one's actual fault-- and so would the marriage.

Not seeking a child-free life as such, but a marriage and all that responsibility -free life, Cooper just being collateral damage.

 

[matou]

So this witness introduced r/childfree to Ross and told him what it was about in April 2014.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Hall said he didn’t see Cooper very often.

Hall said that he typically drove to lunch, although Harris did sometimes too.

Harris had interviewed at Chick-fil-A for a different job, which he talked with Hall about a little bit. Hall said Harris was upset that he didn’t get the job.

Did Harris ever seen stressed out about a project? Boring asked. Hall said he can imagine that Harris was stressed at some point about work but didn’t seem to be in the days leading up to Cooper’s death.

Hall brought up in their Google chats a Reddit thread about living “child free” on April 28, 2014.

Harris’ response was “grossness.” Hall, who has no children, said he didn’t recall that conversation at all.

 

[GA_Peach]

But...all the movie going friends left early that day, yes?

Correct.

Did any of Ross's friends having looming deadlines? There is nothing strange about a person wanting to arrive at a theater ahead of the movie start time. I am not a movie person, but my husband is. My DH likes to arrive in plenty of time so that he can purchase his refreshments and be in his seat prior to the previews beginning. However, when a person is stressed over a tight deadline and is leaving the office early, it seems odd that he would want to allow himself plenty of time to peruse refreshments, etc. Traffic was not going to cause him to be late to the theater!

Have either of his friends testified to what time they arrived at the theater?

ETA - This particular theater has assigned reclining seats. I am not sure when the theater converted (l suspect prior to 2014), but it is likely that they did not need to allow any time for selecting good seats. Seat location is selected/assigned when tickets are purchased.

It doesn't show he killed on purpose, imo. It shows he's completely irresponsible. So, if he's not convicted for intending to kill Cooper, he can be convicted on neglect. JMO.Or, it might be setting up the case that he was looking for an audience to see his distress over discovering Cooper.In any case, he DID leave work early when he was behind on a project and he DID leave Cooper in the car.

Exactly. I do think that it is extremely coincidental that Ross's discovery of Cooper was at the last place before the movie theater with an audience.

Imo, a possible motive. That RH wasn't just unhappily married and unfaithful, but an unfaithful husband who broke the law and societal norms in pursuit of fulfilling his own "needs," and who clearly didn't want to stay married to Leanna but felt he couldn't divorce Leanna because of Cooper. Make Cooper go away --in a manner he thought peeps would perceive as a tragedy, and really no one's actual fault-- and so would the marriage.

Not seeking a child-free life as such, but a marriage and all that responsibility -free life, Cooper just being collateral damage.

100% this, especially the last line.

 

[byo]

Harris had interviewed at Chick-fil-A for a different job , which he talked with Hall about a little bit. Hall said Harris was upset that he didn’t get the job.

Snipped and BBM

I didn't know he didn't get the job. Wow, blow to the esteem.

 

[Hope4More]

Point scored by the defense, about why RH wouldn't have wanted to drive to lunch that day. Having friends picking him up would save him 20 minutes, time he needed because he was leaving early.

 

[matou]

I keep thinking this witness is going to break out laughing every time he reads his chats.

 

[Hope4More]

Hall said he didn’t see Cooper very often.

Hall said that he typically drove to lunch, although Harris did sometimes too.

Harris had interviewed at Chick-fil-A for a different job, which he talked with Hall about a little bit. Hall said Harris was upset that he didn’t get the job.

Did Harris ever seen stressed out about a project? Boring asked. Hall said he can imagine that Harris was stressed at some point about work but didn’t seem to be in the days leading up to Cooper’s death.

Hall brought up in their Google chats a Reddit thread about living “child free” on April 28, 2014.

Harris’ response was “grossness.” Hall, who has no children, said he didn’t recall that conversation at all.

The same (and only) day RH searched the term ?

 

[GA_Peach]

Point scored by the defense, about why RH wouldn't have wanted to drive to lunch that day. Having friends picking him up would save him 20 minutes, time he needed because he was leaving early.

Weren't they all leaving early? Picking Ross up surely cost his friends time.

 

[katydid23]

But...all the movie going friends left early that day, yes?

One friend left early because he said his wife was going to meet him before the movie. And one went to the BBQ Shack to eat before the film?