Justin Ross Harris could face the death penalty for allegedly leaving his toddler son in a hot car to die.
The 33-year-old Georgia father was denied bond at a hearing this week, and is being held on charges of child cruelty and felony murder. Harris claims that he forgot his 22-month-old son was in the back seat of the family’s SUV while he was working at a Home Depot corporate office.
But police claim that Harris had instead calculated the move so his son would die, leaving the boy in temperatures that reached 90 degrees outside.
Detectives say while Cooper Harris sat dying in the family’s car, his father sent explicit messages and photos to “multiple women,” including one who was 17 years old.
Prosecutors say he also visited the website Reddit to read stories and articles on a child-free lifestyle, and another board that had videos of people dying including by suicide.
“He wanted to live a child free life,” the prosecutor said.
After announcing his decision to deny bond, Judge Frank R. Cox noted that it could potentially be a death penalty case .
Detectives said both Justin Ross Harris and his wife, Leanna Harris, were unemotional after learning of their son’s death. At one point during police questioning, Leanna asked her husband, “Did you say too much?” during police questioning, Stoddard said.
Prosecutors also revealed that Harris and his wife had two life insurance policies on their son, including one for $2,000 offered through Justin’s employer at Home Depot and another for $25,000 that the couple took out in 2012.
But others, including friends and family members, say Justin Ross Harris was a loving father . A witness having lunch near the parking lot where Justin discovered his son dead in the back seat also noted that the father’s reaction was “definitely genuine.”
“He was saying ‘Oh my God, oh my God, my son is dead,” said Leonard Madden of Justin Ross Harris. “He was crying, he was sobbing.”