Trial - Ross Harris #2

[JerseyGirl]

Their communication eventually became sexual and they send sexually explicit photos. Harris also sent photos, at least one was sexually explicit. He also sent her three songs that he played on his guitar.

“I guess I fell in love with him,” Meadows said.

Harris told her that he loved her.

Harris wanted to meet up with her but she didn’t.

When asked why not Meadows responded: “I was an 18-year-old kid, I was sketched out by the whole idea, I guess.”

 

[minor4th]

Ugh. Poor girl thought she loved Ross. This is really so sad

 

[Gardenista]

On the morning of Cooper’s death, at around 5:30 a.m., Smith texted Harris saying she wanted to participate in fellatio. He asked if she could come do it to him that day.

“Did he ever tell ya that his child was going to be in the car?” the defense attorney asked.

No, Smith responded.

Some of his stories seemed farfetched, Smith said.

Harris said he met or played with NSYNC.

HUGE point for the defense

 

[ScotAng]

Honestly this makes me even madder at the prosecution. Not only is this unfairly prejudicial to Ross, as it really has nothing to do with Cooper's death - but it's dragging all these other people through the humiliation of a public broadcast about very personal matters. Their names will forever be link wth graphic sexual chats via Google search. This will screw up their career prospects, relationships, etc.

Yes, they did engage in this behavior voluntarily but my God the prosecution did not need to do this. This is all just a big mess to cover the fact that they didn't like Ross because he wasn't obedient when they told him to get off the phone and their subsequent smear job with so much false information designed to prejudice the public against Ross, not for killing his kid but for being a douche bag.

That's subjective. Many on here believe it had everything to do with Cooper's death. So wrapped up in his sexual shenanigans that his focus was taken away from his son.

The State could hardly bring him to trial and blank this part of his life out. He presented himself to family, friends and colleagues as a fun family man. It's their job to shoot that persona down in flames.

The girls are collateral damage to this end, unfortunately. More at the mercy of the DT, but they're simply doing their job there too, right.

The point's been well made, though. The prostitute, the minor and the texts took care of that - I'm sure the jury get he's a sexual deviant. Move on and prove their case, or whatever course the rest of the trial takes.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Meadows says Harris told her about his wife and child while playing the game two lies and a truth.

“No, they’re all three truths,” Meadows said. “I was kind of taken aback by it.”

But they continued to communicate sexually.

Meadows and Harris met up in August 2013. She didn’t really think he’d show up.

They met up at a store, picking up some things for her friend who had just moved into a dorm.

They kissed but it didn’t go any further. He had to pick up Cooper. She was 18 at the time.

 

[Magdalyn]

The state calls Jayne Meadows to the witness stand. She’s a college student.

Meadows started talking to Harris in May 2013. She was 18 at the time.

“I just had a really bad breakup,” Meadows said. “Ross just kind of showed up at the time I need I guess.”

They met on the Scout dating app. He messaged her first.

He called her on the phone and they talked for three hours. Harris told her he was 25.

BBM: Predators are smart like that.

 

[eileenhawkeye]

These women were sexting with him after he showed them a full body and/or face picture?!

 

[katydid23]

What about answering an important business call or spilling coffee on your lap or any infinite number of things that can distract a person caring for a vulnerable child? Are you drawing no distinction among any activities that distract a parent?

Some things, like shooting heroin, come with known risks and dangers that are known to everyone. Knowing the risk of harm to your child if you shoot heroin - if you go ahead and shoot heroin, disregarding the known and foreseeable risks to your child, then you're criminally negligent.

Texting while your child is in your care is not an inherently risky behavior - in other words, it's not like Ross thought tha tCooper might get hurt or die if he texts on the way to work, and despite knowing that risk he went ahead and texted anyway.

There is a difference between texting a coworker saying you are 'on the way to work', and sexting random women you met on KIK, hoping for a hook up. His texting was all about his sexual fantasies/double life.So it was inherently risky behavior, mo. In fact, he got so caught up in the fantasy that morning, he forgot to make the right turn to drop his child off safely.

It is going to be really hard to convince the jury that this was not depraved indifference and reckless criminal negligence, imo.

 

[Beccalynne]

These other witnesses go to his 'double life' scenario. It shows that he was not the choir boy that the defense is making him out to be. In fact, he was fairly obsessed with his sexual escapades to the detriment of his family and job and describes a possible motive, of him wishing to be a free, single man again.

I don't think he killed Coop on purpose. But he surely was recklessly negligent, imo.

bbm

I know Kilgore has consistently objected to this citing rule 404, Judge Staley has consistently overruled his objection, I wish I knew her reasoning for overruling it.

 

[minor4th]

The OP simply said his sexting is just another type of addiction, much like heroin is.

As a sex addict he could be consumed by pervasive thoughts of getting his next fix (pictures, sexts, actual hook-ups, appointments with prostitutes, thoughts about covering all this up, hiding his double life from employer, spouse, friends, etc.). These thoughts and actions appear to consume time where he is neglecting other responsibilities....like getting his work done, and that super important job of keeping his son alive.

I think many on the jury will think his day filled with distracting sexting while charged with the one job of the safe delivery of a two year old to daycare is risky behavior when the child ended up dead.

If he were the daycare van driver, all the other details were the same, would this same jury think "ah, well, people sext. He forgot the kid, the kid died, honest accident, not criminal."

Like I said earlier, a part of me thinks it should be ok to have laws that criminalize even accidents and mistakes when the result is the death of a child. But that is not what the law is at the moment, at least not in Georgia.

There are good reasons that the rules of evidence prohibit evidence of a defendant's bad character. It's too prejudicial - the risk is too high that a jury will convict a defendant simply because he's a bad guy who sexted too much and cheated on his wife and goofed off at work, when they are only supposed to determine whether he intentionally killed his child (because he wanted this other life) or he was so grossly negligent that he didn't even care about his son's life.

 

[JerseyGirl]

About his marriage, Harris told Meadows that they were having problems. They were having financial problems, she testified. Harris said his marriage was falling apart.

He talked about Cooper in a great way.

“He just talked about how much he loved him and how he would never hurt him,” and sent her photos of Cooper, Meadows testified.

 

[MsMarple]

It is risky and dangerous activity if you are supposed to be caring for your vulnerable young child, and it gets in the way of your ability to do so.

The definition of addiction is doing something that negatively impacts all areas of ones life. His addiction to his sexual escapades was ruining his marriage, threatening his job, and ultimately cost him his child's life and his freedom.

Not to mention his health. Maybe that's why he Googled "ghomnoreah" (gonorrhea). uke: Yep, I wanna run and have sex with him in his car, right-o.

 

[minor4th]

bbm

I know Kilgore has consistently objected to this citing rule 404, Judge Staley has consistently overruled his objection, I wish I knew her reasoning for overruling it.

She's a former prosecutor and is known to be very pro-prosecution. I think she has committed reversible error by allowing all of this bad character evidence.

 

[minor4th]

There is a difference between texting a coworker saying you are 'on the way to work', and sexting random women you met on KIK, hoping for a hook up. His texting was all about his sexual fantasies/double life.So it was inherently risky behavior, mo. In fact, he got so caught up in the fantasy that morning, he forgot to make the right turn to drop his child off safely.

It is going to be really hard to convince the jury that this was not depraved indifference and reckless criminal negligence, imo.

But he wasn't sexting on his way to work or when he pulled into his parking spot...at the moment he forgot Cooper. He was merely texting - run of the mill stuff.

 

[keeponsearching]

JH had a lot of women. I don't get it. How did he keep up with who was who. I wonder how long JH has been having affairs, one day stands since he's been married.

 

[Maisiebelle]

This must be painful for Leanna to listen to.... If she is indeed listening.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Harris would talk to her in the car on his bluetooth through the SUV’s stereo system.

Meadows said she could often hear Cooper babbling in the background.

 

[katydid23]

Like I said earlier, a part of me thinks it should be ok to have laws that criminalize even accidents and mistakes when the result is the death of a child. But that is not what the law is at the moment, at least not in Georgia.

There are good reasons that the rules of evidence prohibit evidence of a defendant's bad character. It's too prejudicial - the risk is too high that a jury will convict a defendant simply because he's a bad guy who sexted too much and cheated on his wife and goofed off at work, when they are only supposed to determine whether he intentionally killed his child (because he wanted this other life) or he was so grossly negligent that he didn't even care about his son's life.

"...or he was so grossly negligent that he didn't even care about his son's life."

BINGO. I think that ^^ is what this jury will decide.

 

[Maisiebelle]

Has anyone noticed there are more people in the courtroom today?

 

[Beccalynne]

She's a former prosecutor and is known to be very pro-prosecution. I think she has committed reversible error by allowing all of this bad character evidence.

I know, I work in Cobb (not an attorney)