Macon, Georgia – A father in Georgia has been released from prison, a decade after his toddler tragically died in a hot car, sparking a global outcry as he faced allegations of murder.
Justin Ross Harris was freed from Macon State Prison on Father’s Day, according to Georgia Department of Corrections records. Harris had been behind bars since December 6, 2016.
The devastating incident occurred when Harris, who had relocated to the Atlanta area for work in 2012, forgot to drop off his 22-month-old son Cooper at daycare on the morning of June 18, 2014. He inadvertently left the young child in his car seat while heading to his job as a web developer for The Home Depot.
Tragically, Cooper perished after sitting in the back seat of the family’s vehicle for about seven hours in the scorching heat outside his father’s workplace in suburban Atlanta, where temperatures soared into the high 80s.
During the trial, prosecutors painted a grim portrait of Harris, suggesting that he was unhappy in his marriage and deliberately caused his son’s death. They presented evidence of his extramarital affairs, including the exchange of explicit messages and photos with women and girls, some of whom he met for sexual encounters.
Despite being found guilty in November 2016 on multiple charges, including malice murder, a subsequent ruling by Georgia Supreme Court in June 2022 overturned the murder and child cruelty convictions. The decision stemmed from concerns that the jury had been subjected to unfairly prejudicial evidence.
While Harris’ attorneys have steadfastly maintained his innocence, arguing that the child’s death was a tragic accident, the state Supreme Court upheld his convictions on unrelated sex crimes involving a 16-year-old girl. Harris continued to serve time for these offenses until his release on Father’s Day.
The high-profile case garnered widespread attention and fuelled extensive debates, ultimately leading to a change of venue for the trial due to overwhelming pretrial publicity in Cobb County. The presiding judge agreed to relocate proceedings to Brunswick on the Georgia coast to ensure a fair trial for Harris.