Justin Harris Hearing For New Trial In Hot Car Death Scheduled

MARIETTA, GA — Justin Ross Harris — the Cobb County father convicted of murdering his 22-month-old son, Cooper, by intentionally leaving the child in an SUV for seven hours — will be in court next week in a bid for a new trial. Harris was found guilty Nov. 14, 2016, of murder in a case that drew national attention.

Harris, 40, will return to the spotlight and seek a new trial on Monday, Dec. 14, according to the Cobb County Superior Court calendar.

In November 2016, Harris was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of his son. The toddler was left in the SUV on June 18, 2014, while his father worked at a Home Depot office on Cumberland Parkway, according to the Marietta Daily Journal.

Harris’ legal team filed a motion for a new trial in 2017; the three-day hearing is set for Dec. 14-16. Judge Mary Staley Clark, who presided over the initial trial, is set to preside over the hearing, as well.

When Harris’ attorneys filed for a new motion three years ago, they claimed the court made a variety of errors that prevented Harris from having a fair trial — including a failure to block evidence that unfairly focused on Harris’ marital infidelities and purported sex crimes.

Prosecutors argued at the time that the father’s online search history showed he had planned the killing to gain a “child-free lifestyle.” Harris was married, but texted six different women and sent a picture of his penis to a teenage girl during the seven hours his son was fatally trapped in his SUV. Harris' ex-wife, Leanna Taylor, filed for divorce in 2016, according to CNN.

While Harris was eventually indicted on two counts of sexual exploitation of children and six counts of disseminating harmful material to minors, those charges were dropped after his lawyers requested a new trial. But, Clark signed an order placing the sex crime charges in an “administrative dead docket” that effectively preserves the charges for future use.

According to the MDJ, sources familiar with the case suggested Clark may not issue a ruling on Wednesday, citing the length of the hearing and high-profile nature of the case. The newspaper reported that out of caution as coronavirus cases spike nationwide, both the prosecution and defense will appear in court via webcam.