The mother of the Georgia toddler who died in a hot auto in 2014 after his father, Justin Ross Harris, left him in his vehicle at work wants to end their marriage of nearly a decade, according to court documents.
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Justin Ross Harris is accused of leaving 22-month-old Cooper to die in June 2014. His attorneys argued that some evidence against their client was improperly collected by police.
The filing says the marriage between her and Justin Ross Harris is “irretrievably broken”, and the two have been separated since June 18, 2014, and “continue to live in a bona-fide state of separation”.
Ross Harris’ murder trial is set to begin on April 11.
The couple married on May 27, 2006. His attorneys have called the death a tragic accident.
Leanna Harris admitted to doing internet searches on the topic of hot vehicle deaths and made questionable comments after the boy’s death. His wife filed for divorce Wednesday.
Cobb Police Detective Jacquelyn Piper testified at the time that Harris was arrested at the scene of his son’s death after he became confrontational with a cop, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reported. Now, he says, this divorce may or may not mean trouble for the defense team when Harris goes on trial for malice murder.
Police said that Harris killed deliberately killed the child and then pretended that he had forgotten to drop the child off at daycare.
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On Monday, Staley also refused to dismiss an indictment against Harris on a charge of attempting to sexually exploit a minor by trying to convince her to send him pictures of her genitals. But authorities believe the death was intentional, and investigators said Harris exchanged lewd text messages with several women on the day his son died. Three of the recipients of Ross Harris’ messages were underage, the detective said in a January 2015 hearing.
