Justin Ross Harris was born in 1980, which makes him 45 or 46 in 2026 (published sources disagree on the exact day, so we give the year only). He became known nationally after his 22-month-old son, Cooper, died in a hot car in Cobb County, Georgia, on June 18, 2014. Harris was convicted of murder in 2016, but the Georgia Supreme Court reversed the murder and child cruelty convictions in 2022, prosecutors chose not to retry him, and he was released from custody in June 2025 after serving the sentence for separate sex-related convictions. This overview sticks to the documented court record.
Quick facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full name | Justin Ross Harris |
| Born | 1980 (age 45 or 46 in 2026) |
| Hometown | Tuscaloosa, Alabama |
| Education | University of Alabama (business degree) |
| Former work | Police dispatcher in Tuscaloosa; web developer for The Home Depot in the Atlanta area |
| Known for | 2014 hot-car death of his son, Cooper, and the criminal case that followed |
| 2016 verdict | Guilty on all counts, including malice murder; life without parole plus 32 years |
| 2022 appeal | Georgia Supreme Court reversed murder and cruelty convictions (6-3) |
| 2023 | Cobb County prosecutors declined to retry; charges dismissed |
| Released | State prison June 2024; Cobb County Jail June 16, 2025 |
How old is Justin Ross Harris?
Court and news records consistently place his birth in 1980. He was 33 when Cooper died in June 2014, mid-30s at his 2016 trial, and in his mid-40s when he left custody in 2025. Some websites list a specific birthday, but they do not agree with each other (November 15 and November 27, 1980 both appear), so this article does not repeat either as fact. Earlier versions of pages like this one also gave inconsistent ages; the year of birth is the reliable anchor.
Similarly, height and weight figures that circulate online are not drawn from any official public source and have been left out here.
Early life, education and work
Harris grew up in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and is a University of Alabama alumnus. Before moving to Georgia he worked as a police dispatcher in Tuscaloosa, a job he held until 2009. He earned a bachelor’s degree in commerce and business administration from the University of Alabama, and after relocating to the Atlanta area he worked as a web developer for The Home Depot at its corporate offices.
He married Leanna Taylor in 2006, and their son Cooper was born in 2012. The couple divorced in 2016. Beyond what came out in court, details of his family life are private and are not covered here.
What happened on June 18, 2014
On the morning of June 18, 2014, Harris was supposed to take Cooper to day care. Instead, he drove to work and left the toddler strapped in his rear-facing car seat in the family SUV in the parking lot, in the Vinings area of Cobb County. Cooper remained in the vehicle for roughly seven hours in summer heat and died. Shortly after leaving work that afternoon, Harris pulled into a shopping center parking lot off Akers Mill Road and took the boy out of the SUV. He was charged with murder that night.
Harris said he had forgotten Cooper was in the car. Police and prosecutors argued it was intentional, pointing to his internet searches and his double life online, including sexually explicit messages with several women and with a teenage girl. That online conduct later became central both to the conviction and to its reversal.
The 2016 trial and conviction
Because of intense pretrial publicity in Cobb County, the trial was moved to Brunswick, in Glynn County, Georgia. It became one of the most closely watched trials in the country. On November 14, 2016, the jury found Harris guilty on all counts, including malice murder, felony murder and cruelty to children for Cooper’s death, as well as charges of attempted sexual exploitation of a child and disseminating harmful material to a minor, which related to messages he exchanged with a 16-year-old girl.
In December 2016 he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus 32 years.
The 2022 Georgia Supreme Court reversal
On June 22, 2022, the Supreme Court of Georgia reversed the murder and child cruelty convictions in a 6-3 decision. The majority held that the trial court had allowed too much evidence about Harris’s extramarital sexual activity, and that this evidence was needlessly cumulative and unfairly prejudicial: it may have led jurors to convict him because of his character rather than proof that he left Cooper in the car on purpose. Three justices dissented and would have upheld the convictions. If you want to understand how appellate courts review cases like this, our explainer on en banc and full-court review covers the basics.
The court did not disturb the sex-related convictions. Those carried a total of 12 years: 10 years for attempted sexual exploitation of a child, and one year each for two misdemeanor counts of disseminating harmful material to a minor.
Prosecutors decline to retry
In May 2023 the Cobb County District Attorney’s Office announced it would not retry Harris on the murder and cruelty charges, saying crucial motive evidence used at the 2016 trial was no longer available to the state after the Supreme Court’s ruling. The charges were dismissed on May 25, 2023. Legally, that means Harris stands convicted only of the sex-related offenses, not of any crime in Cooper’s death.
Release from custody
Harris was released from Macon State Prison in June 2024, almost exactly 10 years after Cooper’s death, having served the 10-year sentence on the felony count. He was then transferred to the Cobb County Jail to serve time on the two misdemeanor counts and was released from the jail on June 16, 2025. Older articles that predicted a release around 2028 are now out of date.
Why the case still draws attention
The case raised hard questions that go beyond one family. Legally, it is often cited in debates about how much “bad character” evidence prosecutors should be allowed to present when it does not directly prove the crime charged. For parents, it became a prominent example of the danger of children being left in vehicles, whether by accident or otherwise. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration notes that vehicles heat up quickly even on mild days and recommends habits such as always checking the back seat before locking the car and keeping keys away from children. Readers interested in other criminal law topics can also see our guide to obstruction of justice.
Frequently asked questions
How old is Justin Ross Harris?
He was born in 1980, so he is 45 or 46 in 2026. Published sources disagree on his exact birthday.
Is Justin Ross Harris still in prison?
No. He left Macon State Prison in June 2024, served the rest of his time in the Cobb County Jail, and was released on June 16, 2025.
Why was his murder conviction overturned?
In June 2022 the Georgia Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that the jury heard too much evidence about his sexual conduct, which was unfairly prejudicial and needlessly cumulative, so he did not get a fair trial on the murder and cruelty charges.
Was Justin Ross Harris retried?
No. The Cobb County District Attorney’s Office decided in May 2023 not to retry him, and the murder and cruelty charges were dismissed.
Which convictions still stand?
Attempted sexual exploitation of a child and two counts of disseminating harmful material to a minor, for a total sentence of 12 years.
This article summarizes the public court record for general information and is not legal advice.
