Hot Car Death: Closing Arguments Monday in Ross Harris Trial

BRUNSWICK, GA — The defense rested its case Friday in the high-profile murder trial of Ross Harris, after a computer forensics expert testified that the Cobb County father did not attempt to hide content on his computer or phones before his son’s death, according to a media report.

Harris declined to testify in his own defense Friday, WSB-TV Channel 2 reported. He is facing eight charges, including malice murder, in the death of his 22-month-old son, Cooper. On June 18, 2014, Cooper was found dead after being strapped into the back of the family SUV for seven hours.

Closing arguments are scheduled to begin Monday morning, Channel 2 reported.

The authorities accuse Harris of deliberately leaving his son inside the hot vehicle. Harris has pleaded not guilty to the charges. If convicted, he faces life in prison.

Prosecution experts had testified in the trial that Harris had deleted his Google Chrome search history and his phone history before his son's death to erase incriminating evidence.

But Scott Moulton, the final defense witness, testified Friday that Harris is a web developer, and clearing his history would not be uncommon, Channel 2 reported. Moulton, a digital forensics expert, said he was able to find some evidence of Google Chrome history prior to June 2014, but no phone history prior to June 17

Moulton testified that he’s worked on several divorce cases where people have attempted to hide or clear their history, and he did not see that in this case.

After the defense rested, the prosecution called as a rebuttal witness the Cobb County police detective who handled the murder case. He testified about the day in June 2014 that he informed Cooper's mother, Leanne Taylor, about her son's death, Channel 2 reported.