GA - Suspicion over heat death of Cooper, 22 mo., Cobb County, June 2014, #6

[cluciano63]

I am not justifying the mother's weird comments but...

I can see how one spouse could FORGIVE the other, especially if the other was absolutely devastated and heartbroken. Having said that even if one was madly in love with their partner I sure wouldn't let the guy do it again, and I wouldn't be saying "He is a wonderful leader for our household".

Fact is kids die "accidental" deaths all the time, they slip out the door and get backed over in the driveway, they hang themselves on blind cords that weren't property tied up, they drown in mop buckets, etc... And often times the parents do stay together.

I think it would almost impossible to trust the person again, with another child, even if you felt it really was an accident. Imo, it would always "be there", every time the spouse is due to drop off a child, etc. Even if you don't want to feel this way, I think the feelings for this other child's safety would overwhelm the love for the spouse, at least for me. Jmo

 

[eileenhawkeye]

Very respectfully, because I doubt you mean it this way, but analyzing someone's behavior at their child's funeral seems unnecessarily cruel to me. She has no choice but to make it about the father. Many people here posted that her "silence" compelled them to believe that the father was guilty.

She didn't invite the media to the funeral. The guests that were there were there to support her and she might have felt it was appropriate to stand by her husband that time to end any gossip and speculation about her not talking to the press etc. It also was the time she spoke to her husband.

I've seen too many women completely blindsided by the sociopathic men they are married to, not to give her the benefit of the doubt.

IMVHO it is extremely distasteful to analyze and criticize a woman's behavior at her child's funeral.

:blushing:

How do you know she didn't invite the media to the funeral? I think if they wanted it private, it would be. It also seems like rules were set for the media to follow (no pictures or videos in the church). IMO...The whole point of the funeral was to give a news conference. Also, if the mother thought that speaking at the funeral would help her reputation, it failed miserably.

Actually, it seems that in most high-profile cases, the memorial service is open to the public and media, while the funeral is private.

 

[Elley Mae]

Here is an article referring to the the Harris's broken A/C...

http://hosted2.ap.org/RIPRJ/3762489...014-06-19/id-740442b2c6408699d4eec51eef816280

"Saini [landlord ] said the Harrises were perfect tenants. when the air-conditioner recently broke down Harris didn't get angry with it."

Now that we know that JRH and LH researched children dying in the heat... this report takes on a new meaning...IMO...

Thanks for the link, IHAVENOCLUE

snipped,
Police said Harris did not cooperate when they tried to question him at the scene. They said they had to handcuff him before taking him to police headquarters for further questioning. He was arrested late Wednesday night.

Even when Harris was arrested Wednesday, he made sure to have a family member call the landlord to tell him what happened.

bbm

 

[CarolynV]

I am a forgetful person, but little things throughout the day remind me of other things I need to do. I feel like he should have remembered as soon as he saw the car at lunch. On the way to the car. If he truly forgot. Or during any one of the times that he thought about his son throughout the day,

 

[Suthrnqt]

Most of the recent posts are discussion of formatting/editing/quote attribution. If a poster is bothered by their name being accidentally quoted...I've found that alerting a post - if I feel that strongly about the content - would get the situation resolved, without disrupting the forum readers.

JMO.

Via Kindle, like a true Amazon junkie

^^^^This.

 

[MissJ]

How do you know she didn't invite the media to the funeral? I think if they wanted it private, it would be. It also seems like rules were set for the media to follow (no pictures or videos in the church). IMO...The whole point of the funeral was to give a news conference. Also, if the mother thought that speaking at the funeral would help her reputation, it failed miserably.

JMO but the whole funeral seemed to have been orchestrated as a campaign to bolster Dad. I also think they wanted media there. Funerals can be private and media kept out.

 

[Karmady]

How do you know she didn't invite the media to the funeral? I think if they wanted it private, it would be. It also seems like rules were set for the media to follow (no pictures or videos in the church). IMO...The whole point of the funeral was to give a news conference. Also, if the mother thought that speaking at the funeral would help her reputation, it failed miserably.

I read in the msm that they did ask the media to stay away. Take it fwiw, since I'll never find the link. It wasn't a big deal to me and I didn't pay close attention to where it came from.

 

[DeDee]

Had he driven to the front of the Uncle Maddio's pizza place there is an enormous parking lot, a Cinco's restaurant can be seen a
Sports Authority
Bed Bath Beyond
Toys R Us
Longhorn's
Chic fil a (different one)
& several other stores.

Pulling in behind the restaurant I find odd.

Look around for yourself. Then ask youself, if I panicked and need help for my baby ASAP ,am I pulling in behind the stores with locked delivery doors or in front where I can run in?
He got help so I'm not sure it matters.

http://goo.gl/maps/N8QPK
moo

OMG

Reconcile that view with his car stopped near the pretty green tree after he screeched to a halt.

There are 2 dark patrol cars, then his vehicle kinda at an angle and the baby's canopy. Then, the next 2 white vehicles in the foreground are LE/ME. The only vehicle I see parked as if in a parking lot is a part of the black and white car on the bottom rt in the photo.

I count eight figures under the canopy that I suppose includes Justin Harris. That's at least 7 other ppl on scene and 4 LE vehicles. The first police car to arrive stopped because "of a gathering crowd" and not in response to 911 call.

A vehicle parked at the odd angle that Justin Harris left his in that location was going to attract attention. Plus, he hops out, leaving his door open, removes Cooper, places him on the hot pavement to [fake] performing CPR then he stops a moment to scream "What have I done?" I claim the child vomited at or near death and there was no true attempt at CPR.

If this were to occur in my family, dump my body in a volcano cuz I would collapse into dust.

But Justin Harris' hostile reaction was to flail his arms, yell and scream and curse the cops enough to be handcuffed on the scene with his tiny baby boy laying dead on the hot concrete. No. Do not applaud me at church. Toss me into a volcano.

 

[Sonya610]

I think it would almost impossible to trust the person again, with another child, even if you felt it really was an accident. Imo, it would always "be there", every time the spouse is due to drop off a child, etc. Even if you don't want to feel this way, I think the feelings for this other child's safety would overwhelm the love for the spouse, at least for me. Jmo

I think it is also relevant to the times we live in, the number of children most folks have, and the shared "parenting" roles. 100 years ago if the wife on a farm had 8 kids and she was the primary caretaker at home, I seriously doubt if divorce would be the norm should a household accident claimed one of the kids.

Likewise if the father had older children in the field doing farm work and a farm related accident occurred.

With "shared roles" it becomes even more unforgivable because we would think to ourselves "I would never have done that, I drive the kids all the time, I would have been far more careful" and there is no regular "separation of roles" that prevents the fathers from dragging infants around even when they aren't as attentive.

 

[JeannaT]

I read in the msm that they did ask the media to stay away. Take it fwiw, since I'll never find the link. It wasn't a big deal to me and I didn't pay close attention to where it came from.

The fact that there's no video at all indicates the media was not allowed to video. You KNOW they would have if they could have. I didn't even see pics of people filing in or out of the church.

But, maybe I've missed video. I've heard a little audio.

 

[IHAVENOCLUE]

I miss him with all of heart. Would I bring him back? No. To bring him back into this broken world would be selfish - Mom.

IMHO - they no longer wanted him in this world. How could any mother say this about their child shortly after his death. Did she care so little for Cooper that she didn't want him back? I am a mother of a wonderful boy -- and although he's older now, he is my ONE-derful, my life, and who I care about most in this world (second to my DH). I don't understand. Is it grief? Is she protecting him? Did she want Cooper dead.

And then this woman goes on to say "if we have more children, he will be a great father". Why would you want to bring more children into this broken world.

That statement just breaks my heart.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4zrHQZub50

3:50 minute mark.

Mel

a WSer in a previous thread on this case made an interesting observation regarding these puzzling statements from the mom at the funeral...

this helped me to maybe understand why mom made this statement...

Perhaps mom's belief is that Cooper is in heaven... A place filled with love and having no conflicts...

therefore, mom was implying that it would be selfish of her to bring him back (if she could) to a world WITH conflicts... Instead of letting him stay in a glorious heaven...

Just a thought..

 

[eileenhawkeye]

I read in the msm that they did ask the media to stay away. Take it fwiw, since I'll never find the link. It wasn't a big deal to me and I didn't pay close attention to where it came from.

I don't remember hearing what the parents of the Newtown victims said at their funerals. There were pictures of people entering the service, but I heard nothing about what happened inside the service. It doesn't make sense that the media would stay away for the Newtown victims, but not for Cooper. If they didn't want them there, they could have people watch the doors to keep them out.

 

[Hoosgirl]

Rather than presenting this as an internet rumor, I will present this hypothetical: suppose Ross was going to meet his friends and then was supposed to pick up Cooper at day care. Seems strange to me the timing of that, since day care closes at 6, but that might give people some different food for thought as to the whole who/when of pickup that day.

 

[eileenhawkeye]

The fact that there's no video at all indicates the media was not allowed to video. You KNOW they would have if they could have. I didn't even see pics of people filing in or out of the church.

But, maybe I've missed video. I've heard a little audio.

I saw pictures of people entering the church.

http://www.al.com/news/tuscaloosa/index.ssf/2014/06/father_of_toddler_killed_in_ho.html

 

[Threeplus1]

Rather than presenting this as an internet rumor, I will present this hypothetical: suppose Ross was going to meet his friends and then was supposed to pick up Cooper at day care. Seems strange to me the timing of that, since day care closes at 6, but that might give people some different food for thought as to the whole who/when of pickup that day.

Last night on Nancy Grace, she said he was meeting friends for drinks and a movie. I don't have a link, nor can I stomach listening to her again to search for it. She could have easily just been "speaking" and not providing facts, but she definitely said drinks and a movie.

Edited to add that I have not heard the movie part anywhere else, so take it as you will.

 

[IHAVENOCLUE]

Betcha he didn't forget his cell phone, day planner, LUNCH, or anything that he really needed that morning. :banghead:

Oh... And an air conditioned office (I would imagine)...

:sigh:

 

[MissJ]

I would love to hear from those "friends" But I'm sure we won't.

 

[Karmady]

The fact that there's no video at all indicates the media was not allowed to video. You KNOW they would have if they could have. I didn't even see pics of people filing in or out of the church.

But, maybe I've missed video. I've heard a little audio.

I've seen video of folks entering the church, but it looks like it's zoomed from across the street or parking lot.

 

[eileenhawkeye]

The fact that there's no video at all indicates the media was not allowed to video. You KNOW they would have if they could have. I didn't even see pics of people filing in or out of the church.

But, maybe I've missed video. I've heard a little audio.

That tells me that the family coordinated it w/ the media. I bet there were rules set about where they would sit, what they could wear, and if they were allowed to photograph or videotape.

I really don't think the media snuck in, and took notes and recordings w/o anyone knowing.

 

[SnoopyDawgDawg]

I am not going to read through every single post to find these quotes that are being discussed (I don't frankly have the time) but I can say that Ross Harris said Cooper was "choking" at the scene, and there is no documentation I have read anywhere that says that corpses can choke! Belch, lose control of bowels and bladder, and eerie noises, sure. Choking, no.

I thought the choking statement was first attributed to RH but later attributed to a witness who assumed the baby was choking. Like you, I don't have the time (or eyes) to go through every post of every single thread for the link that "downgraded" the choking comment, but I seem to recall it was fairly early on.