Dad in hot car death pleads not guilty
Justin Ross Harris, accused of deliberately leaving his son inside his SUV on a hot day to die, has pleaded not guilty to the eight felony charges against him, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has learned.
Harris — held without bond since June 18, when Cobb County police found him with 22-month-old Cooper’s lifeless body in a Smyrna parking lot — was scheduled to be arraigned Friday. His attorney, Maddox Kilgore, on Monday informed Cobb Superior Court Judge Mary Staley’s office that his client was waiving the arraignment, a fairly common practice.
“It’s standard. Most lawyers do it,” said Dunwoody defense attorney Esther Panitch, who is not attached to the case.
Harris, 33, has maintained his innocence, saying he thought he had dropped Cooper off at daycare before reporting to work at Home Depot’s corporate offices in Cobb.
Late last month, Cobb District Attorney Vic Reynolds announced he would not seek the death penalty for Harris.
“After reviewing Georgia’s death penalty statute and considering other factors, the State will not seek the death penalty in this case at this time,” Reynolds said in a statement.
This story will be updated later today on myajc.com.
About the Author
A native Atlantan, Boone joined the AJC staff in 2007. He quickly carved out a niche covering crime stories, assuming the public safety beat in 2014. He's covered some of the biggest trials this decade, from Hemy Neuman to Ross Harris to Chip Olsen, the latter of which was featured on Season 7 of the AJC's award-winning "Breakdown" podcast.
