Comparing her to a famous suspect who was later exonerated, the attorney for Leanna Harris said Tuesday his client has been unfairly vilified by the media.
“In much the same way, the press unjustly harassed and hounded Olympic bombing hero Richard Jewell when he didn’t behave as some thought he should,” said Harris’ lawyer, Lawrence Zimmerman, in his first public comments since being retained last week.
Although she hasn’t been charged, Cobb law enforcement officials have tried to raise doubts about Leanna Harris’ words and actions following the death of her son Cooper, left in a hot car by her husband for seven hours. Ross Harris, who contends he forgot that his 22-month-old son was inside his SUV on the morning of June 18, remains in Cobb jail, charged with felony murder and second-degree cruelty to children.
The charges do not indicate malice but, at a recent probable cause hearing, Cobb Assistant District Attorney Chuck Boring said prosecutors believe Ross Harris intended to kill his son.
Leanna Harris, according to her lawyer, has been victimized by a rush to judgment based largely on her lack of outward emotion following Cooper’s death.
“Newspapers, television and online media have fostered a poisonous atmosphere in which Leanna’s every word, action and emotion – or failure to cry in front of a crowd — is scrutinized for some supposed hidden meaning,” Zimmerman said in a written statement.
He did not address comments attributed to her by investigators, including the testimony by Cobb Police Det. Phil Stoddard that, when she was reunited with her husband after learning he had been charged with murder, she asked him, "Did you say too much?"
The context of that statement is unclear, however, without a transcript or videotape of their full conversation.
Investigators also said she told them she had worried about the possibility of her son being left in a hot car, telling officers it was her “worst fear.”
Leanna Harris' only public remarks came at Cooper's funeral in Tuscaloosa. She emphasized she was not angry at her husband, calling him "a wonderful father."
Her statement that she wouldn’t bring her son back even if she could raised eyebrows after media reported it but was warmly received by the 250 or so mourners attending the service.
“He’s in the most peaceful, wonderful place there is,” she said, a common sentiment among the deeply religious who believe the afterlife is God’s greatest gift.
Harris’ faith has sustained her, according to her lawyer.
“She mourns Cooper’s death deeply, in her own private way. She takes comfort from a strong faith in God, but the loss is still overwhelming,” Zimmerman wrote.
The 30-year-old dietitian has been unable to return to work, her lawyer said, and she’s temporarily moved back to Alabama where she’s surrounded by family and friends.
Zimmerman asked for a halt to the intrusive questioning, saying his client deserves time and space to grieve.
“Reporters have delved into Leanna’s upbringing, her employment, quizzed people for information about her marriage, and her sex life,” Zimmerman stated. “Since his death, she has been unable to have that time of mourning that every bereaved parent needs.”
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