Georgia Father Gets Life Without Parole in Son’s Hot Car Death

By AIMEE SACHS

MARIETTA, Ga. (CN) - A Georgia father convicted of intentionally leaving his infant son in a hot car to die in June 2014 has been sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.

Last month, a Glynn County jury found Justin Ross Harris guilty of all eight charges he faced, including those related to his exchanges of lewd text messages to underage girls.

The trial was moved from Cobb County due to constant media coverage in the metro Atlanta area.

Harris left his 22-month-old son, Cooper in his SUV in June 2014 for seven hours while he was at work.

Cobb County Superior Court Judge Judge Mary Staley Clark said Harris “callously walked away from that child in that hot car.”

“There is no mitigation in this case,” lead prosecutor Chuck Boring said before the sentence was handed down. “There is no justification. This is the most aggravated type of killing of another individual, especially a child.”

Harris received a 20-year sentence on count four, first-degree cruelty to children. He was given a 10-year sentence on count six, criminal attempt to commit sexual exploitation of children and one year for counts seven and eight, dissemination of harmful materials to minors.