The first full day of deliberations in the Justin Ross Harris trial ended without a verdict as jurors reviewed a pair of videos featuring the defendant shortly after his son's death.
The surveillance footage showed Harris, accused of leaving his 22-month-old son Cooper strapped in his car seat for roughly seven hours, being interviewed by Cobb County police and reuniting with his then-wife Leanna.
Prosecutors say Harris’ demeanor in the minutes and hours after he said he first discovered Cooper’s body led to his arrest. With police, he appears calm and composed. With his ex-wife, Harris is seen weeping and pondering jail time. The state said the tears seemed manufactured.
Many of the jurors scribbled notes as they watched the portion of the tape where Harris recounts his schedule on the day of Cooper’s death. After telling Cobb police Det. Phil Stoddard he had gone to lunch with two co-workers, Harris pauses for a few seconds, skipping over his stop at a Home Depot to buy light bulbs, which he subsequently places inside his Hyundai Tucson.
By then Cooper had been inside the SUV for roughly three hours.
Deliberations will resume Thursday at 8:30 a.m. If not verdict is reached they will continue next week, as the Glynn County Courthouse will be closed Friday for Veterans Day.
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