Justin Ross Harris is the subject of the second season of the AJC's podcast series "Breakdown," which will follow the trial's developments.
THE STORY SO FAR
Earlier: Justin Ross Harris was charged with murder in the hot-car death of his son Cooper in 2014, but the trial was moved after the judge ruled an impartial jury could not be found in Cobb County.
The latest: The trial is now taking place in coastal Georgia and jury selection has begun.
What's next: Opening statements and testimony are set to begin Oct. 3.
News of the Ross Harris hot-car murder case has traveled all the way from Marietta down to Georgia’s Golden Isles.
During the first day of jury selection on Monday, 27 of the first 36 prospective jurors said they had heard about the case through the news media. And 19 of these three dozen jurors said they had both formed and expressed an opinion about Harris’ guilt or innocence, although they did not indicate which side they’d taken.
These jurors will be asked individually about those answers as the selection process continues Tuesday.
Four months ago, Superior Court Judge Mary Staley Clark moved the trial 300 miles to Glynn County after determining she couldn't find a fair and impartial jury in Cobb.
Batches of 36 prospective jurors are being called into the courtroom for initial questions. Then panels of 12 will be brought into the jury box for more in-depth questions by both the defense and the prosecution. Two weeks have been set aside to pick Harris’ jury and the trial itself is expected to last four to six weeks. Opening statements and testimony are scheduled to begin Oct. 3.
Harris stands charged with murder for the death of his son Cooper, who died after being left in a hot car on June 18, 2014, as well as charges that he allegedly sent sexually explicit messages to under-aged girls. His lawyers have insisted that Harris did not intentionally kill his son and that the incident was a tragic accident.
On Monday morning, a long line of the prospective jurors who answered hundreds of summonses stretched along the second floor of the courthouse and down the stairs to the front entrance. From the outset, it appeared as if it’s going to take a while for everyone to get used to their new surroundings.
“Lord, I need a phone book,” Staley Clark exclaimed as she first sat in her chair, which seemed to swallow her up to the point she had to peer over the bench. “I can’t see anybody.”
Also Monday, 34 Glynn County residents asked to get out of the trial by citing health problems and financial hardships. Less than half were excused.
Having to serve as a juror on this case will be a hardship for just about anyone. There will be photos of a 22-month-old child who died in a hot car on a hot Georgia day, weeks of emotional testimony and extended time away from work and family.
One prospective juror complained of severe back pain caused by a pinched nerve. The pain was greater, he said, than when he suffered a massive heart attack “and flat-lined eight times.”
He was excused.
Another man who’s overseeing the remodeling of his house almost begged to be excused. He’s been without a kitchen since April and the dishes are being washed in the kitchen sink.
“My wife is about ready to kill me,” the man said.
But that wasn’t a good enough reason for him to be excused. Staley Clark denied his hardship request.
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