Justin Ross Harris found guilty on all charges in hot car death trial
11/14/2016 12:34 pm PST
BRUNSWICK, Ga. -- (WGCL) -- Justin Ross Harris has been found guilty on all charges after being accused of leaving his child in a hot car to die back in June 2014.
Harris was found guilty on all eight counts, including malice murder, felony murder, cruelty to children, criminal attempt to commit a felony and dissemination of harmful material to minors.
“Today is not a victory, nor is it a day we celebrate. In fact, today is a monumentally sad day,” District Attorney Vic Reynolds said. “This has been a 29-month journey culminating in this guilty verdict. I want to thank the community of Glynn County for their hospitality and the Cobb Police Department for their hard work. And I certainly want to thank all the members of DA's Office who worked on this case. It was a true team effort, and I believe justice was served today on behalf of young Cooper Harris.”
During the trial, the state called 52 witnesses and introduced more than 900 pieces of evidence, including the Hyundai Tucson.
Sentencing for Harris will be December 5 at 1:30 p.m. in Cobb County
FULL STORY: Justin Ross Harris found guilty on all charges in hot car death trial - WGCL
Jury deliberations
Prior to lunch, it appeared that tensions were high with the jury after one juror was seen crying during a break on Thursday. After lunch, the jury asked to replay surveillance video that shows Harris going to his car at lunch the day his child was left in the car.
Deliberations were interrupted twice Wednesday so the jury could watch two videos again: one of Justin Ross Harris being interrogated and another of him talking with his now ex-wife in the interview room.
During the interrogation, Harris was alone in the room at first and seemed very emotional.
Jurors at this point were sitting up, leaning forward in their chairs looking closely at Harris' actions. Two female jurors were reading ahead in the transcript, looking for a certain area that interested them.
"I knew I had done what every parent in their life fears they have done and that's leave their son in a car all day," Harris said on the interrogation tape.
During that part of the tape, a young juror forgot his notepad and decided to take notes on his arm to remember this portion.
After watching the first video of the interrogation, the jury went back to deliberate and watched the second video after lunch before retreating to deliberate again.
What would he serve?
According to the Cobb County district attorney's office, if Justin Ross Harris is found guilty on all eight charges and given the maximum sentence to run consecutively, he would get life without parole, plus 42 years.
If he's found guilty on any of the murder charges, he would get life, or life without parole. Georgia law says you must serve 30 years before being eligible for parole.
The maximum sentence for each charge is below:
Charges 1, 2 and 3 (Guilty)
Life with parole possible after 30 years.
Charge 4 (Guilty)
5-20 years
Charge 5 (Guilty)
1-10 years
Charge 6 (Guilty)
1-10 years
Charge 7 and 8 (Guilty)
12 months each
After leaving his child to die in a hot car in June 2014, Justin Ross Harris has since been charged with eight crimes, divorced and had his trial moved from Cobb County to the southeast Georgia coast.
FULL STORY: Justin Ross Harris found guilty on all charges in hot car death trial - WGCL