Ga. man convicted in son's hot-car death gets life, no parole

MARIETTA, Ga. (AP) — A judge today sentenced a Georgia man to serve life in prison without the possibility of parole after a jury found he intentionally left his toddler son in a hot SUV to die.

Jurors last month convicted Justin Ross Harris, 36, of malice murder and other charges in the June 2014 death of his 22-month-old son, Cooper.

Prosecutors argued throughout the trial that Harris was unhappily married and intentionally killed his son because he wanted an escape from family life. Defense attorneys maintained that Harris was a loving father and that while he was responsible for the boy's death, it was a tragic accident.

Harris did not testify at trial and did not speak at his sentencing hearing.

Judge Mary Staley Clark of Cobb County Superior Court told Harris she thought about statements Harris made during conversations with police and his wife the day his son died about wishing to be an advocate to keep anyone else from ever leaving a child in a hot vehicle.

"Perhaps not the way you intended, you in fact have accomplished that goal," she said as she gave him the maximum sentence.

Prosecutors had decided not to seek the death penalty, and Senior Assistant District Attorney Chuck Boring, the lead prosecutor on the case, said the sentence Harris received was appropriate.