Thursday, June 26, 2014

Police Statement on Justin Harris


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Detectives uncovered physical and testimonial evidence that led to murder charges against Justin Harris.  Harris also worked as a police dispatcher for three years.  He failed to learn to cover his own tracks.

Police Statement:

"I understand that tragic accidents similar to this one do occur and in most cases the parent simply made a mistake that cost them the life of their child. This investigation, although similar in nature to others, must be weighed on its own merit and the facts that led our detectives to charge the father must be presented at the appropriate time during the judicial process. The chain of events that occurred in this case does not point toward simple negligence and evidence will be presented to support this allegation. In fairness to everyone involved in this emotional case, I would ask that you not make conclusions based on rumor or suspicions and let our judicial system work as it is designed."

The backdrop of the statement is the petition to free Harris, as well as the donations to his family.

 "Let us do our job, "Let us get the information out there. Don't be so quick to judge."
Officials, however, didn't release any additional details at the news conference.

We learned that Harris went to his car at lunch on the day that his son died and that computer searches showed seeking information on animals dying in hot cars.



At 4:16 p.m., Harris pulled over at a shopping center on Akers Mill Road, got out and started screaming for help. Witnesses reported hearing Harris yelling, "What have I done? What have I done? I've killed our child." Cobb police Sgt. Dana Pierce told the AJC, "Apparently he forgot the child was in the car-seat."

Pierce later said. "Much has changed about the circumstances leading up to the death of this 22-month-old since it was first reported," Cobb County Police Sgt. Dana Pierce told CNN. "I've been in law enforcement for 34 years. What I know about this case shocks my conscience as a police officer, a father and a grandfather."

 "The Cobb County Medical Examiner's Office is waiting for toxicology test results before making an official ruling as to the cause and manner of death," police said in a written statement. "However, the Cobb County Medical Examiner believes the cause of death is consistent with hyperthermia and the investigative information suggests the manner of death is homicide."

A local attorney has criticized police handling of the case thus far, but we must consider that they have been aware of the public's reaction:

"Mr. Harris has the right to have a fair and impartial trial. It's really impacting the ability to presume him innocent. They are keeping him from having that by continuing to put things out."

. "They (police) need to keep their mouths shut because the defense side can't talk and that's the problem, it becomes a dog pile,'' Frye said. "We still don't know what's there. We just know what the police are saying is there."

15 comments:

sidewalk super said...

He worked as a police dispatcher?
This does not sound good.

sidewalk super said...


Insurance?

Anonymous said...

OT: Does anyone have analysis of this?

http://gawker.com/man-learns-his-missing-12-year-old-son-is-alive-on-live-1596346818/all

sidewalk super said...

Another question unanswered is
WHO started the petition for the father's release and defense fund?

Anonymous said...

I had been wondering if at first he really did forget (not for 7 hours though). Obviously though, even if he did initially forget, an accident then changes to non-accident, by not taking action. Then add on the computer search, and him not going to pick his son up from daycare after work. :(

People get into a routine. If he honestly forgot somehow that morning, it would have dawned on him at some point (which is where I think the computer search and trip to the car at lunch time comes in - whether accident or intentional, he knew by then that his son was in there). IF it was a true accident, that he really somehow forgot for the whole 7 hours, I feel that he would have went to go pick his son up from daycare, out of routine habit.

I sadly don't think this was a true accident, because of those things. Also, if the reports are true of the smell, then I don't think there's any way he would have driven like that, without having looked around his vehicle.

Anyone who lives in the country, ever have a TINY mouse die in your car in the summer? The smell is overpowering, there's no way you'd drive with the smell, without looking around.

Anonymous said...

The autopsy conducted on the boy suggested the manner of death was a homicide, Cobb County police said late Wednesday afternoon, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. "The Cobb County Medical Examiner's Office is waiting for toxicology test results before making an official ruling as to the cause and manner of death," police said in a written statement. "However, the Cobb County Medical Examiner believes the cause of death is consistent with hyperthermia and the investigative information suggests the manner of death is homicide."

http://www.al.com/news/birmingham/index.ssf/2014/06/evidence_in_case_against_georg.html

GeekRad said...

"Mr. Harris has the right to have a fair and impartial trial. It's really impacting the ability to presume him innocent. They are keeping him from having that by continuing to put things out."

The attorney doesn't even try to say he is innocent. The computer search is disturbing. But then we all know the jury didn't consider to the evidence about the chloroform search in the Casey Anthony trial. Let's hope that isn't the case here.

Anonymous said...

I assume they have video of him putting something in the car at lunch time. I'd like to see or hear about video of his behavior/actions that morning while exiting the car, as well as after work, upon entering the car. I also wonder his behavior and demeanor that day at work (although I doubt any fellow employees will speak out about him).

Anonymous said...

The piece of the story which bugs me is that the daycare was located at or near his workplace. Which means: dropoff and pickup was part of dad's usual routine. Therefore, it is suspicious that he forgot to drop him off, and it makes no sense that he drove ten minutes away from work before he discovered the problem. He would have discovered it when he went to the daycare to pick up the baby and learned that the baby had never been dropped off.

Anonymous said...

I wonder if the Flynt/ Russell guy is nervous -- he's like this is bar PR for us dads who "accidentally" leave our kids in vehicles

Nubia said...

I agree that things look bad for this man, but I am not getting the significance of his previously being a police dispatcher... Anyone?

JenB said...

So I am seeing online that the mother usually did pick up from daycare. Since the daycare is so close to Dad's work, that would make sense only if Mom gets off work earlier. Right? Otherwise why leave your beloved child at daycare for longer than necessary?

Jo said...

If Mom normally picks up earlier than Dad gets done working, she would have found baby was never dropped off and called the father. No indication that this happened unless phone call came in as husband was driving by shopping center which caused him to pull over.
If Mom was not expected to pick up from daycare, odds of him forgetting to drop off and forgetting to pick up again after work are really slim.

Anonymous said...

To Nubia:

Someone with previous police dispatcher training is probably somewhat schooled in "appropriate" initial contact language/reactions of an innocent victim, bystander, witness etc.

Eg: innocent callers usually do not call 911 and issue a greeting such as "hello" to the dispatcher.



Anonymous said...

I'm still up in the air on this one.. does anybody know what the normal routine for them was? Did they normally go eat breakfast? Did mom usually pick up? Did mom not go to work that day? These are all important.. and I don't want to be quick to judge.. there Is NO way police were able to come to the conclusion it was deliberate in just 5 hours. They wanted to pin it on him and are using whatever possible to do so.

Have they clarified when these computer searches were made? I've googled quite a few disturbing things, and if I ever committed a crime or did something like this.. police would think I was nuts.

The main reason I'm not quick to judge is because everybody was talking about the smell. It is absolutely impossible for the body to be emitting an odor after 7 or so hours. In the most hot and humid conditions it takes at least 48 hours for a body to start breaking down the enzymes and bacteria that cause an odor.