The Georgia father charged with intentionally leaving his toddler in a hot car was sexting several women – including a teenager — as his son baked to death, a detective testified Thursday at the bad dad’s hearing on murder charges.
Justin Ross Harris sent dirty texts and nude pictures to six women while at work as he allegedly let his son die in the sweltering vehicle on June 18, said Cobb County Police Detective Phil Stoddard at the bond hearing.
“I think the evidence now is showing intent,” said Stoddard, adding that Harris could be charged with felony sexual exploitation of a minor for sexting the 17-year-old girl.
Harris, 33, told cops he forgot to drive his 22-month-old son Cooper to daycare that morning and instead went straight to work.
The web developer for Home Depot claimed he didn’t realize the kid was still strapped in the backseat of his 2011 Hyundai Tuscon until he left work seven hours later.
But at one point that day, Harris opened his car and placed something inside before returning to work, according to a criminal warrant.
Cops said it was 88 degrees out when the boy was pronounced dead. Temperatures that day peaked at 92 degrees, CNN reported.
Stoddard was in court arguing that Harris, who is also charged with child cruelty, should stay behind bars and not be granted bond because evidence shows Harris intentionally killed little Cooper.
The detective testified to Harris’ erractic behavior that day, including pulling over into a strip-mall parking lot asking for help. Harris was on his cell phone when cops came and refused to get off, spewing profanities at them. He was then arrested.
During police questioning, Stoddard said Harris, a former 911 dispatcher, showed no emotion. He made odd statements while in custody, like “I can’t believe this is happening to me” and “I’ll be charged with a felony” and talked about losing his job, according to Stoddard.
He portrayed himself to cops as a loving father, saying he and Cooper watched cartoons together and went for breakfast at Chick-fil-A that morning.
Harris said he always kissed his son while strapping him into his car seat because “he wanted Cooper to know his daddy loved him,” Stoddard said.
But the detective also testified the dad checked out websites advocating against having children and even searched “how to survive in prison.”
The detective revealed that Harris and his wife Leanna were having financial problems and had two life insurance policies for the toddler for $2,000 and $25,000. The couple was also having “intimacy problems,” Stoddard said.
Meanwhile, when Leanna Harris went to pick Cooper up from day care that day and workers told her the tot was never dropped off, she insisted “Ross must have left him in the car,” Stoddard testified.
Harris’ attorney Maddox Kilgore argued the dad never meant to leave the boy in the car. Kilgore said Harris had lunch with friends the day Cooper died and was putting light bulbs in the car.
“If that were the case, why in the world would he bring his colleagues right up to the car?” Kilgore said.