Georgia Dad Found Guilty in Son's Hot-Car Death
The child's death occurred in 2014.
— -- A jury today reached guilty verdicts in the murder trial of a Georgia man accused of leaving his 22-month-old son in his hot car.
Justin Ross Harris, who worked as a web developer for Home Depot, was accused of murdering his son, Cooper, on a hot summer day two years ago after the boy spent about seven hours in a car seat in Harris' locked SUV in the Atlanta area.
Harris, who pleaded not guilty, was found guilty on all eight counts, including malice murder and two counts of felony murder, all of which are punishable by up to life in prison.
Cooper died after being left for hours in the back of Harris' SUV on June 18, 2014.
Harris has said that he forgot to drop his son off at day care that morning and then drove to his job without realizing Cooper was still in his car seat.
Prosecutors argued that Harris killed his son intentionally to escape the responsibilities of his family life, while the defense argued that the death was an unintended tragedy.
Leanna Taylor, Harris' ex-wife, testified that he "wanted to enjoy every second he could" with Cooper and was an involved father.
She told jurors that Harris "wanted to be the one to push him on swings" at the playground.
Harris' sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 5, according to ABC Atlanta affiliate WSB-TV.