BRUNSWICK, Ga. – The Latest on the trial of a Georgia man charged with murder after his toddler son died in hot SUV (all times local):
11 a.m.
A jury evenly split between men and women will hear the murder trial of a Georgia man charged after his toddler son died while left in a hot SUV.
The trial of Justin Ross Harris opened Monday with the seating of 16 jurors — eight men and eight women. Four will serve as alternate jurors, though the judge did not specify which ones.
Prosecutors say Harris intentionally killed his 22-month-old son, Cooper, by leaving him for hours in a vehicle parked outside the father's metro Atlanta workplace in June 2014. The case drew national attention after prosecutors accused Harris of exchanging lewd text messages while his son sweltered.
Attorneys for Harris, who moved to Georgia from Alabama in 2012, say the death was a tragic accident.
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5:30 a.m.
More than two years after a Georgia toddler died after being left for hours inside a hot SUV, the child's father is scheduled to stand trial for murder.
The trial of Justin Ross Harris is expected to last several weeks in coastal Brunswick, where it was moved 275 miles outside of metro Atlanta because of pretrial publicity. Harris' 22-month-old son, Cooper, died in June 2014.
The judge Monday plans to seat a final jury from a pool of 45 people deemed qualified earlier this month. Afterward, attorneys are expected to make opening statements.
Prosecutors have said Harris, who moved to Georgia from Alabama in 2012, was unhappy in his marriage and seeking other relationships at the time his son died. Harris' attorneys say the death was a tragic accident.
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