Justin Ross Harris Found Guilty of Murder in Hot Car Trial
Yesterday Justin Ross Harris was found guilty of murder after the death of his 22-month-old son, Cooper. During the trial, prosecutors argued that Harris intentionally locked Cooper inside of his car because he didn’t want the responsibilities that came with having a family. The defense claimed that the death was an accident caused by a lapse in memory.
In addition to three counts of murder, Harris was also found guilty of three counts relating to electronic exchanges of lewd material with two minor girls and two counts of cruelty to children.
The trial focused on painting Harris as having a “double life”, in public a loving father and husband, but in private a deviant who had extramarital affairs and exchanged sexual messages with underage girls.
Leanna Taylor, who divorced Harris earlier this year, claimed that while he was a bad husband, he was a loving father. In a Facebook post, Taylor responded to the verdict.
“But guess what, you can convict every parent that this has ever happened to, and I can promise you 2 things,” she wrote. “#1 it will never bring our children back and #2 it will not prevent this from happening in the future. Next summer, as this begins to happen over and over again, ask yourself, ‘what can be done?!’ The problem is not the parent! The problem is a society that refuses to believe this can happen to them! Wake up! Accept it! And by accepting it you will be protecting your child!”
There are no winners in this case. This is no victory. While Cooper will never be forgotten and the prosecutor claims that justice is served for Cooper, but that won’t bring him back. Child vehicular heatstroke affects everyone because it can happen to anyone and we are all in this together.
I hope that this verdict won’t give people the idea that all vehicular heatstroke is always intentional and malicious, because it’s not.
By realizing that it can happen to you, you are protecting yourself and your loved ones.
