Jury breaks after video in hot car death trial

Published 1:49 pm Saturday, November 12, 2016

BRUNSWICK, Ga. — Jurors weighing murder charges against a Georgia man whose toddler son died in a hot car took a second look Thursday at surveillance video showing the father return to his vehicle hours after he left the child inside.

The jury returned to the courtroom during its third day of deliberations to watch the short video. It shows Justin Ross Harris return to his SUV during his lunch break, open the door and toss a bag containing lightbulbs inside. He then walks away.

Harris left his 22-month-old son, Cooper, in the vehicle when he arrived at work the morning of June 18, 2014. He told police he forgot to drop the child off at day care and drove straight to work.

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Prosecutors said Harris, who moved to Georgia from Alabama in 2012, intentionally killed his son.  Defense attorneys said Harris loved his son and that the death was a tragic accident.

Jurors didn’t reach a verdict Thursday, and Superior Court Judge Mary Staley Clark ordered them to resume deliberations Monday morning. The courthouse will be closed Friday for Veterans Day.