Trial for child’s death will move

The venue for Justin Ross Harris’s murder trial will change because of pretrial publicity.

The venue for Justin Ross Harris’ murder trial will change locations.

MARIETTA — The trial of a Georgia man accused of intentionally leaving his toddler son in a hot SUV to die will be moved, the judge said Monday, granting a defense request to hold it elsewhere because pretrial publicity has caused potential jurors to form strong opinions about the case.

Justin Ross Harris, 35, faces charges including murder in the June 18, 2014, death of his 22month- old son, Cooper. Police have said the boy died after spending about seven hours in the SUV on a day when Atlanta-area temperatures reached at least into the high 80s.

“This courtroom has not been a place of mild opinions,” Cobb County Superior Court Judge Mary Staley said, describing three weeks of questioning of potential jurors.

She noted the “emotionality” of potential juror comments, with one of them saying Harris should rot in hell, another calling him a pervert and one saying he deserves the death penalty, which prosecutors aren’t even seeking.

There was no immedi- ate indication where the trial will be moved. Staley said she and the court administrator will talk to courts in other parts of Georgia about hosting the trial and will consult with the lawyers for both sides.

“While we’re certainly disappointed, we understand and respect the court’s ruling,” Cobb County District Attorney Vic Reynolds said in an emailed statement. “Whenever and wherever this case is set for trial, the state will be ready.”

Defense attorneys argued it had become clear it’s impossible to find a fair and impartial jury in the Atlanta suburb because of extensive news coverage of the case. Prosecutors countered that since the defense agreed to qualify three dozen potential jurors, it shows an impartial jury could be seated.

Staley held a hearing Monday on a defense motion to move the trial. After a lunch break, she urged lawyers for both sides to work together to try to reach an agreement on five disputed potential jurors, and to consider the cost and logistics of moving the trial. When they could not agree, Staley thanked them for their good faith effort and then granted the defense motion.

Roughly 250 potential jurors filled out a 17-page questionnaire that included questions about what they knew about the case.