Ross Harris declines to testify; closing arguments set for Monday
It was an open question until the very last minute. But on Friday morning Ross Harris, asked by Cobb County Superior Court Judge Mary Staley Clark whether he would take the stand in his own defense, confirmed he will not.
Defense attorney Maddox Kilgore said Harris’ lawyers met with their client last weekend at the jail to specifically discuss whether he would testify.
“He’s aware of his right. He wants to waive it,” said Kilgore, adding that they discussed the topic for at least 10 hours.
The defense’s 18th and final witness was a computer forensics expert who testified that Cobb County police ignored context in their investigation of Harris, charged with intentionally leaving his 22-month-old son Cooper inside a hot car to die. He has insisted it was a mistake.
The state has said they’ll call a rebuttal witness, a Cobb police detective. Following that, the judge will instruct jurors on how to apply the law to the evidence in the trial.
Closing arguments are scheduled for Monday, with each side allotted up to two hours. The jury will then receive the evidence but an immediate verdict is unlikely, as court will recess at noon Tuesday due to the election.
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.
