Trial - Ross Harris #6

[popsicle]

I thought he said no? (I would have to go back and watch, of course.) Anyway, I have a problem with any witness not telling the truth. Leanna did everything she could to not answer questions and was forced to answer at the end, basically forced into answering truthfully.

I think it's very interesting that this behavior is only intolerable when it's a prosecution witness. There should be no acceptance of this on both sides IMO.

It's called riding on Bias Blvd.

 

[katydid23]

I don't think she owes anyone an explanation, not one of which, even if she did provide one, would satisfy those who are determined to believe the worst of her.

What she did say on the stand was that she would have left him if she had known about him going to a prostitute ( much less his sexting with minors ) and that both her religion and her own childhood made her opposed to divorce.

I'm willing to guess that she would have divorced him earlier after Cooper's death, but knew if she did, it would be interpreted as her no longer believing it was an accident, making a fair trial for RH even more unlikely.

IMO it is an indication of her fundamental decency that no matter the host of reasons she has for not wanting anything to do with her ex, she is willing to do what she can to prevent him from being sent away for life for what she knows was an accident.

However, she cannot KNOW in all certainty, whether it was an accident or not. She did not really know that much about her husband. JMO

 

[MzOpinion8d]

((Cooper)) just born, Ross loving him.

That was before the "novelty wore off".

 

[blue22]

However, she cannot KNOW in all certainty, whether it was an accident or not. She did not really know that much about her husband. JMO

What she didn't know about him is startling. IMO, the "double life" side of Ross was his real self.

I honestly don't think she KNOWS he didn't do it. I think she wants to believe the man she though she knew, could never be capable. I really can't blame her there. The alternative is a harsh reality to accept.

 

[Hope4More]

However, she cannot KNOW in all certainty, whether it was an accident or not. She did not really know that much about her husband. JMO

IMO the only thing she underestimated was just how insecure RH was about his sexual ability with her and what he was willing to do to compensate for it elsewhere.

I got the sense she knew her husband exceedingly well, actually. I find nothing believable about the State's story line of Ross having a deep dark side, invisible to his wife, that would make him capable of killing his child. Leanna doesn't believe that, and neither do I.

 

[Hope4More]

That was before the "novelty wore off".

He never said that, as I imagine you know.

 

[MzOpinion8d]

Leanna seems to have matured since her early interviews in the case. She is doing a fine job of humanizing her ex and showing that they were a young couple with a child whom they both adored. Hard to imagine that Ross developed a dark side. Sad, too.

She appears to have been extensively coached by defense experts.

 

[Gardenista]

Look at it from the jury's POV, not Leanna's. If they believe she only divorced Ross to help him, then why would they believe the things she's saying on the stand that might help him? You can get a flavor of that POV right here in this thread.

IMO it's possible the warped pretrial publicity about Leanna might well be one more hurdle for the DT to overcome, but I think they and Leanna did the best job possible to debunk it today.

I get that but how does a divorce help him when she thinks it was unintentional divorced or married?

 

[catpatrol]

I thought he said no? (I would have to go back and watch, of course.) Anyway, I have a problem with any witness not telling the truth. Leanna did everything she could to not answer questions and was forced to answer at the end, basically forced into answering truthfully.

I think it's very interesting that this behavior is only intolerable when it's a prosecution witness. There should be no acceptance of this on both sides IMO.

He said no after a snarky answer about RH killing his son. He obviously didn't want to just say 'no', he wanted to elaborate in a way that would bolster his case that Ross murdered his son. It absolutely goes both ways and I remember many thinking it was a great "gotcha!" answer. Not so much with Leanna's testimony, it seems.

I agree that there is a big problem with anyone not telling the complete truth under oath.

 

[popsicle]

She appears to have been extensively coached by defense experts.

I imagine she will be tonight as well. jmo

 

[Hope4More]

Cooper's mother's value system is off kilter. She knew JRH was interested in and hoped that was all until she saw two messages pop up on his phone. She offered to divorce Ross att but she did not do it so she should not sit on the witness stand and tell us that if she knew in June 2014 about his sexting and adulterous acts that she would have divorced him. She knew! She's known for years.

LH used the word escalating when relating to his sexting urges. She knew. They went to counseling about this very thing. She was NOT shocked to learn of any of the testimony provided to this jury. <<< her words

Seeing several videos and 72 photos of Cooper's smiling face; hearing his glee when the ocean lapped around his feet; watching him attempt to play the guitar and learn to talk was endearing. And, quite frankly, angered me at this parents all over again. LT does not want the father of her baby to be a known killer.

Those were NOT her words, that she "wasn't shocked by any of the testimony "heard by this jury..


She said she wasn't shocked to find out he had stepped outside their marriage, given the problems they were having. Period.

She also said she would have walked out the door if she had known even about the prostitute.

And, RH is not a "known killer." He hasn't been convicted of anything, and may not be for any of the charges relating to Cooper's death, for that matter.

 

[Deleted member 39678]

IMO the only thing she underestimated was just how insecure RH was about his sexual ability with her and what he was willing to do to compensate for it elsewhere.

I got the sense she knew her husband exceedingly well, actually. I find nothing believable about the State's story line of Ross having a deep dark side, invisible to his wife, that would make him capable of killing his child. Leanna doesn't believe that, and neither do I.

It looks to me that Leanne's testimony helped the defense with the murder charges. The sexual charges not so much.

That's the problem with having unrelated crimes being tried in one trial. JMO

 

[blue22]

He said no after a snarky answer about RH killing his son. He obviously didn't want to just say 'no', he wanted to elaborate in a way that would bolster his case that Ross murdered his son. It absolutely goes both ways and I remember many thinking it was a great "gotcha!" answer. Not so much with Leanna's testimony, it seems.

I agree that there is a big problem with anyone not telling the complete truth under oath.

I totally forgot about that moment. (I don't even remember what I wore or ate yesterday, lol.)

If the jury doesn't find Leanna completely truthful...I think this is damaging in a different way than Stoddard. She is essentially a character witness for Ross, the biggest one they have. If she isn't coming across as transparent and truthful, that's really bad for the defense. Stoddard was a problem, just in a different way than her. I personally think Stoddard being an issue is less damaging to the defense than if the jury thinks Leanna isn't completely truthful. I think Stoddard will be more of an issue on appeal. IMO.

 

[minor4th]

I did not get to watch all of Leanna's testimony, but did see a big part of it.

The main reason for the defense to call her would be for her to be able to give some context to Ross and his relationship with Cooper. The jury needs to know this - it's important to know if he was a dad who was always trying to get away from his son or was neglectful or indifferent to his son.

Leanna was not particularly protective about Ross. She criticized his personality quirks and condemned his cheating and hiring a prostitute. But Leanna told the truth about how Ross was as a father. Any one who believes otherwise, I respectfully ask you to point out specifically what you think Leanna lied about.

Her life has been destroyed by Ross - one could understand if she held a grudge and wanted some retribution ( like Ms Meadows).*. I believe that if Ross had been a lousy father or even deficient in any way, Leanna would have been first in line to tell the prosecutors and help them convict Ross.

* Even Ms. Meadows, who seemed to me to hold a grudge against Ross, had nothing critical to say about Ross as a father.

 

[Rayemonde]

Like a lot of people, I was waiting for LH to testify but unfortunately I do not find her believable because it is so obvious that she is protecting JRH at all costs. At the end of the day, I think she invested a decade of her life in JRH and like anyone who is invested that much time, energy, and hope in someone else she will not admit that she was wrong. If I have my information correct, she took care of the bills, split the chores, helped JRH through college, and held his hand through everything even when he was betraying her and bashing her behind her back. I want very much to sympathize with her, but her obfuscating on the stand and characterizing JRH as "lost" did it in for me. The man is not "lost." He's had a six year old sexting habit (with god only knows what else) and she admitted today that she knew about it.

RSBM.

I totally agree, but it makes me think that he never really wanted a divorce. He had good old LH at home to do everything for him and get him out of trouble (and she's still trying to get him out of trouble now), and meanwhile he was sexting and meeting women all the time. Having his cake and eating it. Why try to get a divorce?

Plus I think part of the thrill for him was having a "double life" and doing stuff behind LH'S back. If he were divorced and single, there would be no thrill in sexting all these women and hiring prostitutes behind the wife's back.

So for me, there's no compelling motive for RH to intentionally leave his son so suffer and die in the most horrendous way. He already had his escapes - his hook-ups and his prostitutes. He didn't need to murder his son to escape.

:moo:

 

[MzOpinion8d]

I recall when Stoddard was asked about whether he found any signs that Cooper had been mistreated or abused, he didn't answer with a simple yes or no. I guess you could also compare Leanna's 'lies' to Stoddard's 'misstatements'

I recall Stoddard answering "You mean aside from the death?" Which to me seems like a very straightforward answer, and proof positive of mistreatment.

 

[just the facts pls]

I've got a question.

LH today testified that JRH got into a bottle rocket accident which caused hearing loss in his right ear. The defense put pictures into evidence that appear to show stitching behind JRH's ear, but I didn't get a clear look at them.

I thought this is odd since it's JRH's left ear that shows signs of damage. Does anyone know what happened to his left ear?

Here is a picture of his left ear:

http://i2.cdn.turner.com/dr/hln/www/release/sites/default/files/static/images/harris-crying.jpg

Here is a picture of his right ear:

https://metrouk2.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/ad_221561960-e1475563155374.jpg?w=620&h=503&crop=1

Here is a picture of his face that shows obvious asymmetry:

http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/140703141742-justin-ross-harris---court-story-top.jpg

 

[catpatrol]

I totally forgot about that moment. (I don't even remember what I wore or ate yesterday, lol.)

If the jury doesn't find Leanna completely truthful...I think this is damaging in a different way than Stoddard. She is essentially a character witness for Ross, the biggest one they have. If she isn't coming across as transparent and truthful, that's really bad for the defense. Stoddard was a problem, just in a different way than her. I personally think Stoddard being an issue is less damaging to the defense than if the jury thinks Leanna isn't completely truthful. I think Stoddard will be more of an issue on appeal. IMO.

I do wonder if Leanna's resistance to the divorce/cheating questions comes from a place of guilt or shame.

 

[catpatrol]

I recall Stoddard answering "You mean aside from the death?" Which to me seems like a very straightforward answer, and proof positive of mistreatment.

I don't consider that straightforward, or definite proof of mistreatment. Since he hasn't been convicted of anything, a tragic accident is still a possibility.

 

[MzOpinion8d]

He never said that, as I imagine you know.

I know he didn't say that particular quote; however he replied to the woman who did, empathizing with her and talking about how they both needed a "break" from real life.