Trial - Ross Harris #3

[just the facts pls]

I just have to say I love this website. I love hearing all your smart and interesting perspectives. What I try to do is watch the testimony first, mull it over and then come here to see what you guys have come up with. Having said that, I was totally amazed that an overwhelming majority of you think the interview video makes you feel he's guilty.

A few thoughts: is it true that Cooper had life insurance? I've never heard of that ever before, why would a child have it? Why is this not admitted evidence? Should be illegal, IMO.

I actually find his behavior, and Leanna's, in the interview room pretty legit. To me his grief seems sincere, swinging from shock and staring to vocal sobs. I can see how one might not feel comfortable dealing with this outside of his home, especially not In a police station in which you might be arrested, so his behavior doesn't seem cold. The way he can't sit still, he paces, etc, nothing feels comfortable. While watching, I really tried to put myself in his position and I actually felt for him. Some of you mentioned the fact that he's screaming My Boy etc, I don't think that's weird. Even if he knew he was being watched, I'm sure he did, He doesn't want to appear cold, I could see feeling like you're going to be scrutinized.

When the two were together, I felt they were both sincere. Leanna clearly is the one that makes things ok, probably because Ross is a mental child. I think he must have been in such total shock that comforting him might have felt like a diversion from the tragedy. The way they handle business of Ross's job, calling people, dealing with the car does not seem staged but really off the cuff. Maybe dealing with these things felt like a diversion as well. The fact that he was concerned with being arrested, IMO, doesn't seem crazy to me. Her reaction as well. Who would want to grieve the loss alone in jail? The receipt looks to me to just be a regular action to make, he hasn't been under investigation for very long so tossing it wouldn't feel criminal. The fact that he talked about being in law enforcement, being a father, asking if the cop is a father also shows me that he is trying to relate to them. Probably for a couple reasons, ya he doesn't want to be arrested. Also maybe he is looking for some sort of validation that this could happen to anyone. I can see how one would seek that.

Aside from the interview, I think there is some evidence that can't be explained away. The lunchtime visit to the car, the fact that he didn't discover Cooper for a period of time when his head is close to JRH, the smell must have been strong, the amount of time between CFA and walking away from the car. These are bad for him. I thought it was weird that his in court reaction to the interview was almost stronger / worse than the ME report.

I would LOVE to hear your thoughts on this. Love being apart of this community.

BBM. Not only did JRH have insurance on Cooper, he told his own family how to cash it in:

http://www.**************/1334773/justin-ross-harris-told-family-how-to-collect-sons-life-insurance/

 

[Cardinal47]

Chill. I'm not shooting the messenger, and that implies there's a message worth shooting the messenger over.

Nah, I'm still not buying that JRH was so overcome with teenage temptresses that he can't be expected to remember when his own son is in the car. Remember he was texting and sexting for literally months before this happened. Interview tapes show that he is intelligent, self aware, can communicate clearly, and thinks ahead. He's a thirty something with a college degree who qualified for a high paying job. He's not a fourteen year old kid who goes "gah! *advertiser censored*!" He's a grown man who left his son in the car to die shortly after telling a woman he needed to escape his son and his family.

I would say for all of his academic and work accomplishments he was very inexperienced in the sex department. Yes he was married and had a child but I'll bet he had no experience before that. He was sexually deficient! He was absolutely thrilled with 'Whisper'!

 

[Cardinal47]

I'm still waiting for a wet tissue or a tear to run down his cheek during his duress at the loss of his son. So far he has been dry eyed. Strange to see a man cry but never shed a tear.

 

[yupikgirl]

I will say my children have largeish life insurance policies. My inlaws are weirdly obsessed with life insurance and being turned down as you get older or having really high premiums- they bought them for them at birth.

But yea I found it weird when they were born...beyond a small policy to cover a funeral I don't see the need.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[matou]

When asked by Stoddard "run me through what happened..." RH gives what "the plan was" for that day and gives additional info. There is a delay before his answer. Starts with "I woke up." This tells me there is bs in his answer. JMO

 

[Hope4More]

I just have to say I love this website. I love hearing all your smart and interesting perspectives. What I try to do is watch the testimony first, mull it over and then come here to see what you guys have come up with. Having said that, I was totally amazed that an overwhelming majority of you think the interview video makes you feel he's guilty.

A few thoughts: is it true that Cooper had life insurance? I've never heard of that ever before, why would a child have it? Why is this not admitted evidence? Should be illegal, IMO.

I actually find his behavior, and Leanna's, in the interview room pretty legit. To me his grief seems sincere, swinging from shock and staring to vocal sobs. I can see how one might not feel comfortable dealing with this outside of his home, especially not In a police station in which you might be arrested, so his behavior doesn't seem cold. The way he can't sit still, he paces, etc, nothing feels comfortable. While watching, I really tried to put myself in his position and I actually felt for him. Some of you mentioned the fact that he's screaming My Boy etc, I don't think that's weird. Even if he knew he was being watched, I'm sure he did, He doesn't want to appear cold, I could see feeling like you're going to be scrutinized.

When the two were together, I felt they were both sincere. Leanna clearly is the one that makes things ok, probably because Ross is a mental child. I think he must have been in such total shock that comforting him might have felt like a diversion from the tragedy. The way they handle business of Ross's job, calling people, dealing with the car does not seem staged but really off the cuff. Maybe dealing with these things felt like a diversion as well. The fact that he was concerned with being arrested, IMO, doesn't seem crazy to me. Her reaction as well. Who would want to grieve the loss alone in jail? The receipt looks to me to just be a regular action to make, he hasn't been under investigation for very long so tossing it wouldn't feel criminal. The fact that he talked about being in law enforcement, being a father, asking if the cop is a father also shows me that he is trying to relate to them. Probably for a couple reasons, ya he doesn't want to be arrested. Also maybe he is looking for some sort of validation that this could happen to anyone. I can see how one would seek that.

Aside from the interview, I think there is some evidence that can't be explained away. The lunchtime visit to the car, the fact that he didn't discover Cooper for a period of time when his head is close to JRH, the smell must have been strong, the amount of time between CFA and walking away from the car. These are bad for him. I thought it was weird that his in court reaction to the interview was almost stronger / worse than the ME report.

I would LOVE to hear your thoughts on this. Love being apart of this community.

One quick answer- yes, there were 2 insurance policies on Cooper, and , actually in that community, apparently insurance on babies isn't unusual.

Judge Staley ruled pretrial that the insurance couldn't be brought up at trial, because LE/the State couldn't prove any connection between the policies and Cooper's death (not for lack of trying, it must be said, as LE dove deep into financials as motive, beginning as early as June 24, 2014).

BTW, she ruled the insurance could be introduced at trial if the State could prove that nexus, but the State hasn't, presumably because they couldn't.

Response in court: he broke down listening to the ME report, and I imagine watching video taken hours after he found his son dead made him feel like he was back in that room again, back in a nightmare.

 

[momoftwocrazies]

BBM. Not only did JRH have insurance on Cooper, he told his own family how to cash it in:

http://www.**************/1334773/justin-ross-harris-told-family-how-to-collect-sons-life-insurance/

Link won't work. Also what does BBM mean?

 

[just the facts pls]

I would say for all of his academic and work accomplishments he was very inexperienced in the sex department. Yes he was married and had a child but I'll bet he had no experience before that. He was sexually deficient! He was absolutely thrilled with 'Whisper'!

I dunno, all we know is what has been shown in court so far. Who knows how far back the cheating goes though, you know? Yes, I have no doubt he was thrilled with Whisper, kik, and scout. Considering the success he's had on those apps it's hard for me to believe he's inexperienced with women though. He also shows a consistent taste for women far younger than he is, including at least two underage girls. If he was just trying to get laid with anyone regardless, surely there would be adult oriented web sites and apps, and there would be some twenty somethings and women his own age thrown into the mix, no?

 

[just the facts pls]

Link won't work. Also what does BBM mean?

Sorry about that - some web sites aren't allowed and I didn't know the one I referenced was one of them.

BBM means "bold by me" - it shows what someone is replying to.

 

[dlkutac]

Just curious... Ross has a very effective set of defense attorneys who have been with him from the beginning, and who I assume, are not working for free. They are definitely not public defenders. Who is paying for his defense? Obviously, if he is convicted, he will not be paying with his pennies/hour prison job. I would think this defense is in the hundreds of thousand dollars.

(Sorry if this has been discussed previously.)

 

[matou]

He hesitates after mentioning being dropped off at work after he ate lunch at Publix and does not mention going to his car at all. Mentions the movie at 5 pm. Also interesting to me: he said Cooper falls asleep easily when YOU are driving. Weird wording IMO.

 

[RANCH]

I guess it's debatable according to some here (that's why I put that part of my post in quotes sorry to confuse) There are measurements from the autopsy that don't make sense to some. What we do know is he was three inches over the car seat limit and he was under the weight limit.

It is a fact he was in a seat that he had outgrown by height.

I believe after seeing and hearing all the testimony that his head was visible and close to the top of the seat if not above IMO. I think we will get to see a doll in the seat. I also think that he wasn't flat like a pancake to the seat and no matter where his head was he was visible because he is a person that protruded outward from the seat near the top.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

BBM

If the autopsy has measurements that don't make sense then the State has a problem. An official autopsy is crucial in a murder case because it's supposed to give the jury hard facts. If there's something wrong with it a jury may question other "facts" that the State has presented to the jury.

JMO

 

[Hope4More]

But as I wrote earlier Cooper woke up early but went back to sleep that morning so he would have been wide awake those few minuted before Ross abandoned him in the hot car.

Going back to sleep after he had just woken up was probably an indication he hadn't gotten enough sleep. Because he had some additional sleep doesn't mean he had enough sleep to be wide awake in the car later on, especially if, as his mother says, he was prone to falling asleep quickly in the car even when not short on sleep.

The only evidence we've seen about Cooper's state of awareness that AM is the video taken at CFA. Yes, he's awake, but he also is never seen walking on his own, not at 9, not walking up with RH to the counter to pick up food, and not at 9:18 when they are leaving. Jurors can make of that what they will. Personally, I see a tired toddler.

In any case, not proof one way or another about Cooper's level of alertness after he was strapped in.

 

[MsMarple]

Also there is footage from Chik-Fil-A that shows Cooper was wide awake and squirming around so much JRH had to keep shifting him from side to side.

And with regard to the jury my understanding is that jurors have the leeway to weigh the various testimonies and actually can infer other evidence based on their conclusions as long as they are reasonable and come from presented evidence.

IOW, if they weigh the teacher's testimony and the CCTV footage against testimony that Cooper was often asleep when Ross brought him in (I don't remember if that was testified to so take it as an example only) they are allowed to conclude whatever they find more reasonable and as such can infer that he was awake or asleep based on that.

I'm not saying the jury will do any of that, just that they are allowed to do so.

 

[Bravo]

Thank You beach and sorry for your troubles re: fixing broken quote for me. Board is giving me huge probs as of late and especially today. Grrrrrrrr.....

 

[RANCH]

He hesitates after mentioning being dropped off at work after he ate lunch at Publix and does not mention going to his car at all. Mentions the movie at 5 pm. Also interesting to me: he said Cooper falls asleep easily when YOU are driving. Weird wording IMO.

BBM


That's weird to you? That's the way I would say it. Do you mean that saying "you're" in one word would be better?

 

[matou]

He calls the daycare to tell them to get his wife to stay there because "there will be people going to show up."

Don't know what to think about that.

 

[matou]

BBM


That's weird to you? That's the way I would say it. Do you mean that saying "you're" in one word would be better?

No. I mean "he falls asleep easily in the car." Or he falls asleep when I'M driving, not YOU.

 

[RANCH]

No. I mean "he falls asleep easily in the car." Or he falls asleep when I'M driving, not YOU.

Sorry, but I don't understand what you're saying.

 

[Cardinal47]

One quick answer- yes, there were 2 insurance policies on Cooper, and , actually in that community, apparently insurance on babies isn't unusual.

Judge Staley ruled pretrial that the insurance couldn't be brought up at trial, because LE/the State couldn't prove any connection between the policies and Cooper's death (not for lack of trying, it must be said, as LE dove deep into financials as motive, beginning as early as June 24, 2014).

BTW, she ruled the insurance could be introduced at trial if the State could prove that nexus, but the State hasn't, presumably because they couldn't.

Response in court: he broke down listening to the ME report, and I imagine watching video taken hours after he found his son dead made him feel like he was back in that room again, back in a nightmare.

But never a tear was shed.

Just curious... Ross has a very effective set of defense attorneys who have been with him from the beginning, and who I assume, are not working for free. They are definitely not public defenders. Who is paying for his defense? Obviously, if he is convicted, he will not be paying with his pennies/hour prison job. I would think this defense is in the hundreds of thousand dollars.

(Sorry if this has been discussed previously.)

I read somewhere. Sorry I don't have a link that the Defense team was paid in the beginning but is now being paid by the state.

I think once a defendant runs out of money the state will pick up the 'public defender' costs.

Not real sure how much they pay?