海角大神

Justin Harris wasn鈥檛 talking to anybody on the phone, and he said there were no distractions. In the past, Mr. Harris had been so concerned about accidentally leaving his 22-month toddler son, Cooper, in a hot car that he practiced a parent program called 鈥淭urn Around鈥� to make sure busy parents didn鈥檛 leave their child in a car.

But聽on Thursday, a Cobb County, Ga., judge, after hearing evidence alleging that Mr. Harris may have planned the murder of his son, ruled that second degree child cruelty and resulting murder charges should go to a grand jury.

鈥淧robable cause is a low threshold, and the court is persuaded that the very minimum there鈥檚 reckless disregard for the safety of others in the conduct of Mr. Harris,鈥� said Superior Court Judge Frank Cox. 鈥淚n the moments that lapsed between the time he placed the child in the car seat and got to the workplace and allegedly forgot the child 鈥� there鈥檚 probable cause.鈥�

Given that Harris is facing a life sentence and possibly the death penalty if convicted, Judge Cox denied bond, which means Harris will be jailed until trial.

Cobb County police told a court聽Thursday聽that Harris, a former police dispatcher from Alabama who worked at Home Depot corporate offices in Marietta, Ga., says in the span of 30 seconds after placing the child in his seat on June 18 he forgot about Connor, and left him in an unshaded SUV as the day began to warm into the low 90s.

Seven hours later, the child was dead. Police allege that child cruelty and murder charge against Harris were undergirded by evidence of motive, including an unhappy marriage, sending sexual texts to other women (including at least one teenager), and a potential wish by Harris for a 鈥渃hildless life,鈥� a subject he had studied on the Internet along with the issue of hot car child deaths.

Connor鈥檚 death has sparked widespread debate about whether it was appropriate to level murder charges against a man who seemed to truly love his son. It鈥檚 not unheard of for a busy parent focusing on something at hand to forget about a small child in a car seat. Thirteen children have died this year in the US under such conditions, with 44 such deaths recorded in 2013.

鈥淗e was a good dad,鈥� Harris鈥� brother, police officer Randy Baygents Jr., testified.

But that support for Harris 鈥� including online petitions and fund raising 鈥� faded as prosecutors laid out their case.

鈥淢ost people, myself included, were willing to give him the benefit of reasonable doubt 鈥� accidental deaths happen all the time,鈥� said CNN analyst Sunny Hostin, who has admitted to once forgetting, just for a moment, that her child was in the car. 鈥淏ut the prosecution has placed before the world its theory, which includes motive: a marriage failing, sexting, searching how to live a child-free life, financial difficulties with two life insurance policies out on the little boy.鈥�

Harris鈥檚 defense argued聽Thursday聽that there鈥檚 little hard evidence to show that Harris intended to leave his son in the SUV that day. Harris himself told investigators that he was shocked he was being charged with murder because there was no 鈥渕alicious intent.鈥�

Some witnesses who watched as Harris realized what he had done also believed his emotions were real.

鈥淚 think it is impossible for this to have been intentional,鈥� one witness, Leonard Madden, has said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 no way it would have been intentional 鈥� especially from the father鈥檚 reaction. You could feel his sorrow and his hurt鈥�.鈥�

Harris told police that three minutes before leaving Cooper in the car he gave him a kiss as they left a local Chick-fil-A, and Cooper kissed him back 鈥� a ritual the two had established in case they got in a car accident and died.

"It's a horrible tragedy and an accident," defense attorney Maddox Kilgore said.