COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Jury selection resumed Tuesday in the trial of a father accused of
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Prosecutors say Ross Harris intentionally left his 2-year-old son, Cooper, to die in a hot car for more than seven hours in June 2014. The defense says it was just a horrible mistake.
In total, eight more potential jurors were questioned Tuesday. The judge had already qualified 16 jurors to serve on the trial, but experts say they will need a lot more than that.
The state and the defense spent more than an hour questioning the first prospective juror of the day. That potential juror is not only a former Massachusetts state trooper but also has four grandchildren, one who is around the same age as Cooper Harris when he died.
Since this is a high-profile case, the defense went into detail when asking the potential juror what he knew about the case. That juror said he did not know much, only that a child died in a car and that the father was indicted.
A second potential witness who was questioned is a mother of four who said she followed the case and admitted that she had an opinion about Ross Harris.
The juror also went on to say she would have a hard time believing that Harris would not realize that the child was inside the car. She also said “I can't undo my experiences as a parent.”
Another juror admitted to lawyers that despite a judge’s order not to, he looked up info on the case after getting his jury notice.
One potential juror said through tears that being tied up in the courthouse for months could ruin her business and livelihood.
“I’m really angry that I’m gonna have to lose something I’ve worked so hard for because of somebody else’s poor choices,” she said.
That woman was not immediately kicked out of the jury pool but like most others she appeared pre-disposed to Ross Harris’ guilt.
Jury selection is expected to continue through the week and legal experts say it will undoubtedly go into next week.
"Trial work is both a marathon and a sprint and we're in the marathon phase at this point,” said defense attorney Esther Panitch, who is not related to the case.
Cox Media Group
