Georgia father, initially convicted for the 2014 hot-car death of his son, has now left prison as the verdict was overturned.
Father figure Harris emerged from Macon State Penitentiary on Father's Day, approximately a decade since his son, Cooper, passed away in a hot car after Harris had left him secured for seven hours while he went to work - as per the Georgia Department of Corrections' official website.
Previously, Harris was found guilty of Cooper's murder in 2016. Prosecutors managed to persuade a jury that Harris had murdered his son to escape his marital obligations and fatherly responsibilities. However, the life sentence was nullified in 2022 by the Georgia Supreme Court, which ruled 6-3 that evidence provided by prosecutors regarding Harris' extramarital relationships, which the state had used to portray his decision to kill his son as a possible motivation, had a prejudicial impact on the jury.
However, the murder charges were dropped, but the court maintained three other charges related to his online exchange of explicit content with a minor.
He was given a total sentence of 12 years: 10 years for one count of trying to sexually abuse a minor, and one year each for two counts of distributing harmful content to a youth, according to the ruling.
His prison records indicate a maximum release date of June 18, 2024, for the sexual abuse charge, with his incarceration status listed as "inactive."
The nation was gripped by Cooper's death and Harris' trial, since such incidents rarely lead to murder charges against parents who claim the child's demise in a hot car was merely an accident.
Following the announcement last year that prosecutors would not re-examine the murder case against Harris, his lawyer expressed relief and stated that Harris was grateful, expressing hope that this dismissal might start to restore Cooper's reputation as a cherished child by his parents.
"Ross has always accepted the moral responsibility for Cooper's death. But after all these years of investigation and review, this dismissal of charges confirms that Cooper's death was unintentional and therefore not a crime," lawyer Carlos Rodriguez stated in May 2023.
"During the course of representing Ross, we have discovered that these tragic accidents frequently occur while the child is under the care of a loving parent. Ross was no exception," Rodriguez added.
Cooper's mother, Leanna Taylor, continues to assert that Harris did not intend to kill their son on that scorching day. She expressed hope after the Georgia Supreme Court ruling that it might affect how their son is perceived.
"That he was desired, that he was adored, and that he is missed every single day," she said in a statement released by her lawyer.
Although the trial exposed that Harris exchanged sexual messages and images with five adult women and a 16-year-old minor on the day their son died, Taylor insisted that Harris still remained a devoted father despite the marital issues. The couple has since divorced.
"Ross was a loving and proud father to Cooper. Simultaneously, Ross was a terrible husband. These two things can and did exist at the same time," Taylor declared.
CNN's Ray Sanchez contributed to this report.
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Despite the overturned murder conviction and the ongoing legal issues related to his online activities, Harris continues to express his love for his son. Us, as a society, should remember that parents, like Harris, are complex individuals who can struggle with both love and mistakes.
