Justin Ross Harris, who spent nearly a decade behind bars for leaving his toddler son to die in a hot car, has been released from prison following the overturning of his murder conviction.
Justin Ross Harris has walked free from the Macon State Prison, nearly a decade after his life without parole sentence for leaving his toddler son to die in a hot car. The Georgia Supreme Court overturned his murder conviction in June 2022, citing prejudicial evidence presented at the 2016 trial.
The case garnered global attention, as parents are rarely charged with murder in such incidents, which are often deemed tragic accidents. Harris claimed he forgot to drop his 22-month-old son Cooper off at daycare on the morning of June 18, 2014, and drove straight to his job in Atlanta, leaving Cooper in the car seat. Temperatures that day reached into the high 80s, and Cooper died from the excessive heat.
Father Released from Prison After Murder Conviction in Hot Car Death of Son Overturned
The prosecution argued that Harris' extramarital sexual activities, including explicit messages and photos exchanged with women and girls, painted a picture of a man miserable in his marriage, seeking freedom from his family. However, the Supreme Court ruled that this evidence was irrelevant and unfairly prejudicial.
The defense maintained that Harris was a loving father and the boy's death was a tragic accident. They argued that the trial judge erred in admitting the sexual misconduct evidence and limiting the cross-examination of certain witnesses.
Father Released from Prison After Murder Conviction in Hot Car Death of Son Overturned
Despite dismissing the murder conviction, the Supreme Court upheld Harris' convictions for three sex crimes committed against a 16-year-old girl, which he had not appealed. He continued to serve time for those offenses until his release on Sunday.
Cooper's mother, Leanna Taylor, maintained that Harris did not deliberately kill their child and testified in his defense. During the trial, she expressed her heartbreak and disbelief in Harris' actions.
Father Released from Prison After Murder Conviction in Hot Car Death of Son Overturned
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
