BRUNSWICK — The Justin Ross Harris trial will be in recess beginning noon Thursday and lasting until Monday due to the threat posed by Hurricane Matthew.
Superior Court Judge Mary Staley Clark said it’s possible Thursday’s morning session will also be canceled. A voluntary evacuation is in effect for the Golden Isles, expected to feel the brunt of the storm late Friday.
It’s just the latest delay for a trial that was supposed to begin in April in Cobb County but was moved after an impartial jury could not be found. Testimony is expected to last roughly six weeks
Back in court, jurors were given their first glimpse of the body of Cooper Harris, the 22-month-old boy prosecutors say was murdered by his father in June 2014.
The gruesome crime scene photos showed Cooper’s body already in a state of rigor mortis, his knees slightly bent, arms to his side. Scratches were evident on his face, along with some discoloration caused by bruising.
The photos proved troubling to some of the jurors. One woman kept her hand over her mouth and closed her eyes. Another covered her eyes throughout the presentation by prosecutors. But most from the six-man, six-woman panel kept their eyes on the large computer screen, although several couldn’t help but look away from time to time.
Prosecutors also continued to try and establish the presence of a stench emanating from the toddler’s body. Cobb County police crime scene technician Brad Shumpert testified that the smell was “noticeable,” describing Cooper’s “hot, musty, urine-soaked diaper.”
On Tuesday, a prosecution witness also present at Akers Mill Square, where Harris said he first discovered his son’s body, told jurors he did not notice any odor. The defense, in their opening statement, said only the lead detective and his boss reported a smell of death.
Harris, according to the prosecution, would have smelled it before he pulled into the Akers Mill parking lot.
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