Georgia man guilty in death of toddler son left in hot SUV

BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP) — A Georgia man whose toddler son died after being left for hours in a hot car was convicted of murder today by a jury that concluded a month's worth of trial testimony and evidence showed the father left his child to perish on purpose.

Since his trial began Oct. 3, Justin Ross Harris had at times wept from his courtroom seat and once even grinned as jurors watched video clips of him with his son, Cooper. But Harris showed little emotion as the verdict was read Monday. The jury found him guilty on all eight criminal counts he faced, including malice murder.

"Today is not a day we consider a victory. It's not a verdict we celebrate," Cobb County District Attorney Vic Reynolds told reporters outside the courthouse. He added: "I believe categorically, unequivocally, that justice was served today."

The 22-month-old boy died after being left for hours in the back of Harris' SUV on June 18, 2014. Harris said he forgot to drop his son off at day care that morning and drove straight to his job as a web developer for Home Depot, not realizing Cooper was still in his car seat.

Harris told police he didn't notice Cooper until he left work for the day to go to a movie. The boy was dead, having sweltered in the car for about seven hours.