Ross Harris murder trial moved to Brunswick

COBB COUNTY, Ga. - The much anticipated hot car death trial will be moved to the coastal city of Brunswick. Cobb County officials said the prosecution of Ross Harris will begin September 12.

Superior Court Judge Mary Staley Clark granted a defense motion for a change of venue for Harris on May 2 following after the defense argued there were too many potential jurors with bias. The defense said moving the trial outside of the Atlanta television market would make impartial jurors easier to find, giving Harris a fair trial. Officials said that Brunswick is in the Jacksonville, Florida television market and hasn’t seen the intense coverage found in metro Atlanta.

Now, the mammoth task of getting dozens of attorneys, courtroom personnel and witnesses to Brunswick begins.

“In many ways it is similar to Cobb [County]. There are businesses down there; it is a very vibrant community. It has industry, but it also has a good deal of suburban areas,” Cobb County Superior Court Administrator Tom Charron said.

Charron said the biggest expense will be housing all the players in the trial.

Prosecutors said Harris intentionally left his 22-month-old son Cooper in a hot car to die on June 18, 2014. Investigators believe the toddler was left in his father’s SUV for seven hours. He faces multiple charges stemming from the incident including murder. The defense maintains it was an accident.

The trial is expected to take six to eight weeks.