Cobb County court officials sent 375 summonses to prospective jurors to hear the murder case of Justin Ross Harris and the first day of the trial on Monday will be focused on those who say they cannot serve.
The June 18, 2014, death of 22-month-old Cooper, left strapped in his seat in his father's SUV for the entire day, generated worldwide media coverage. First it was the shock of the death of the towheaded little boy. Then there were reports that Harris had visited websites for parents dreaming of escaping parenthood. Police said the then-married Harris also sent many sexually explicit text messages to young women, including a teenage girl, even as his son was dying in a sweltering car.
Courts traditionally send out large numbers of jury summons when there is concern that pre-trial media coverage could make it hard to find 12 people plus alternates who either know little or nothing about a case or they have not yet been swayed by what they have heard so that they cannot decide based solely on the evidence.
Harris has insisted that he loved his son and he simply forgot the little boy was in his car seat in the short drive between a Chick-fil-A, where the father and son got breakfast, to Harris' job at Home Depot headquarters.
About the Author
