Dad of Boiled Toddler Escapes Death Penalty

The Georgia, United States, man accused of leaving his 22-month-old son to die inside a hot car so he could collect on his life insurance will not face the death penalty.

This is spite of the fact that Justin Ross Harris (33), dad of Cooper Harris, researched hot car deaths on the internet prior to Cooper’s death.

Cobb County District Attorney stated that he would not seek the death penalty for Harris “after reviewing the state’s death penalty statute” and other factors.

Investigators say the toddler endured the hot car for seven hours before dying. The medical examiner’s office ruled his death homicide.

Harris is charged with malice murder, felony murder and cruelty to children. The Malice murder charge suggests that prosecutors feel they can prove that Harris intentionally left Cooper to die.

Just after the incident Harris claimed he “forgot” to take Cooper to day care and therefore did not know he was in the car.

Harris is in further trouble for exchanging sexually explicit photos with an underage girl, among other women, while Cooper was boiling to death in the car.

Police say when Harris’s wife, Leanna, visited him in jail, where he is awaiting trial, he urged her to collect on the life insurance policies taken out on little Cooper’s life.

Leanna Harris passed lie detector test last week, suggesting that she was not party to Harris’s crimes.

All info was correct at time of publishing