Q: Which way was the car seat facing, to the back or to the front, when Justin Harris reached into his car? When Justin reached into his car, did he toss something in the front or back seat?
—Carol Murphy, Woodstock
A: Cooper Harris was sitting in a rear-facing car seat, but was "several inches" too long for it, a Cobb County Police detective testified in 2014.
Cooper Harris, who was 22 months old, died after being left in his father’s SUV – a Hyundai Tucson — for more than seven hours on June 18, 2014.
Detective Phil Stoddard testified that Justin Ross Harris and his then-wife Leanna had purchased a forward-facing car seat for Cooper weeks before his death, but reverted to using the rear-facing seat.
Ross Harris bought light bulbs on his lunch break that day and returned to his car before going back to work.
He opened the driver’s side door and placed the bulbs on the front seat. Police say he should have seen his son’s body, but a surveillance video shows that he kept his eyes above the roof line.
“Only his arm and shoulder reach inside the vehicle,” the AJC reported. “On the video it shows it took three seconds for him to open the door, place the light bulbs inside and close the door.”
Jury selection began last week in Harris’ trial.
He faces multiple charges, including malice murder, felony murder and cruelty to children.
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