COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Several potential jurors interviewed on day 11 of jury selection in the Ross Harris trial had very strong opinions about the case. %
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Harris is accused of intentionally leaving his 2-year-old son, Cooper, to die in a hot car for more than seven hours in June 2014. He’s also accused of sexting an underage girl as his child was dying inside his car.
[ [READ: 5 things to know about the Ross Harris trial] ]
The first potential juror questioned Wednesday morning told lawyers that she believed Harris was guilty.
“Honestly I don’t know how an adult can leave a child in a car,” she said.
The second prospective juror had strong words for the court.
“All I know is a baby was left in a car while his dad was sending ******* pics to girls,” he said. "Worst case, he’s guilty of stupidity. As a father of two young boys, I just couldn’t fathom it. If he didn't do it, he's going to live in hell forever, personal hell."
After two weeks, the lawyers have become adept at quickly weeding out those who won't make the cut, including the medical worker with three grandkids, one of them a boy Cooper's age.
“My personal opinion, me as a mother and grandmother, I could never leave one of my grandchildren in a car in the driveway just to run back into the house,” she told lawyers.
So far, lawyers have questioned more than 70 of the 250 potential jurors summoned for the case.
Judge Mary Staley qualified seven more jurors Wednesday, bringing the total to 38. Staley says they will need at least 42 jurors before the trial can begin.
Experts say that size jury pool will provide enough for 12 jurors and four alternates in a case that is expected to take four to six weeks.
The 38 now qualified for service represent a mixture of Cobb County, from the young to old with varying lifestyles and occupations.
The seven chosen Wednesday include a male union worker with a young granddaughter, a divorced EMT with a teenager, a single female in IT, a male student who claimed to have heard nothing about the case, a single man who is a financial consultant, a young woman who works at a mall and a local Y director with three grandkids who'd heard little about the Harris case.
Jury selection is expected to continue through Friday, with the trial possibly starting next week.