A Georgia man was sentenced on Monday to life in prison plus 32 years for intentionally leaving his toddler son to die inside a sweltering sport utility vehicle on a summer day.
Justin Ross Harris, 35, was found guilty last month of felony murder, as well as counts of first- and second-degree cruelty to a child in connection with the June 2014 death of the 22-month-old boy, Cooper. He was also convicted of criminal attempt to commit sexual exploitation of a child because of explicit texts he had sent to a teenage girl.
Cooper died after sitting for about seven hours in the back seat of his father’s vehicle outside the suburban Atlanta office where Harris worked on a day when temperatures reached at least into the high 80s.
Harris said he forgot to drop his son off at day care that morning, driving straight to his job as a web developer for Home Depot, not remembering that Cooper was still in his car seat.
Prosecutor Chuck Boring told the session that Harris committed ‘an unspeakable act’ against his own flesh and blood, and that he should be given the maximum sentence allowed.
“There’s only one sentence for this act of evil,” he said. “We ask a term of life in prison without parole.”
Prosecutors had argued he left the child to die so he could enjoy a child-free lifestyle and pursue other women, including teenagers and prostitutes. Phone and internet records show he was texting with other women even as his son was left for seven hours outside his workplace.
Police testified that Harris showed little emotion over the boy’s death, except in what seemed to be staged outbursts. It was also revealed at the trial that he visited his car during a lunch break, but said he did not see his son in the back seat.
