Trial to Begin for Georgia Dad Accused of Murder in Son's Hot-Car Death

Opening arguments are set for today in the murder case against a Georgia man whose 22-month-old son died when he was left in his father's hot SUV.

Justin Ross Harris' son, Cooper, died on June 18, 2014, after spending about seven hours in a rear-facing car seat in Harris' 2011 Hyundai Tuscon in Atlanta, police said. That day, temperatures in the area reached the low 90s.

Authorities say Cooper was in the car when Harris drove to work at a Home Depot corporate office that morning, and when Harris went inside, Cooper was left in the vehicle. Harris returned to his car during lunch to put something away, then went back to work. Later that day, after Harris went back again to his car and drove away from work, he pulled over in a shopping center where he asked for help for Cooper, authorities say.

Harris, of the Atlanta suburb of Marietta, was indicted in Sept. 2014, on charges that include felony murder and cruelty to children. Because of pretrial publicity, the trial was moved nearly 300 miles away from Atlanta to the coastal Georgia city of Brunswick. Jury selection was finalized this morning and opening arguments are set to begin this afternoon.

Harris was indicted in Sept. 2014 on charges including felony murder and cruelty to children. Court documents show Harris allegedly researched child deaths in hot cars before he left his 22-month-old son locked in his SUV all day while he went to work. Charges in the indictment also relate to sexually explicit online exchanges prosecutors say Harris had with an underage girl from March 2014 through the day of Cooper’s death. Prosecutors say that Harris was having multiple online affairs, including with the underage girl, and argue that this shows he wanted to be free of his family, according to the Associated Press.

Defense attorneys have said Cooper's death was an accident and that Harris forgot his son was in the car.

Prosecutors said Harris faces eight charges total: Malice Murder, Felony Murder (two counts), Cruelty to Children in the First Degree, Cruelty to Children in the Second Degree, Criminal Attempt to Commit a Felony and Dissemination of Harmful Material to Minors (two counts). Harris has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges.

If convicted of all charges, Harris could face life in prison, according to the Cobb County District Attorney's office. A life term in Georgia is 30 years, unless the sentence is life without parole.

Source ABC news