The hot-car murder trial involving Justin Ross Harris will reconvene Tuesday in Brunswick so parties can assess where matters stand with jurors, some of whom may have had homes damaged by Hurricane Matthew.
Cobb County Court Administrator Tom Charron said Monday that it's highly unlikely any testimony will occur on Tuesday and that court may be in session no more than half a day.
“We are just concerned about the jurors,” he said, adding that court officials were trying to call all of the 12 jurors, plus the four alternate jurors.
Harris stands accused of murder in the death of his 22-month-old son Cooper, who died after being left in a hot SUV in June 2014. Defense attorneys have maintained that it was a tragic accident.
The trial was moved earlier this year to the small coastal town of Brunswick in Glynn County after the judge in the case determined a fair and impartial jury could not be found in Cobb County.
The trial began last Monday with opening statements and continued through Wednesday with testimony. Judge Mary Staley Clark then called off court on Thursday and Friday to allow jurors to prepare for the hurricane.
This morning, the Glynn County Board of Commissioners said county offices and courts will reopen on Tuesday.
But there are still power outages throughout the area. Also, of particular concern was damage to the waste water treatment facility on St. Simons Island, the board said. For that reason, a boil-water advisory is in effect for St. Simons.
As of late Tuesday afternoon, St. Simons residents have yet to be cleared to reenter the island. So far, only emergency crews and workers needed to assess hazardous materials, security and recovery efforts are being allowed on St. Simons, the county said.
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