Leanna Taylor is the mother of 22-month-old Cooper Harris, who tragically died because he was left alone by his father, Justin Ross Harris in their SUV.
“He was a loving father”
Photo from: youtube.com/WSB-TV
Justin Ross Harris has been found guilty of killing his son back in 2014. The defense attorneys argued that he accidentally left his son inside the SUV after he forgot to drop him off at daycare. The prosecution argued that it was on purpose.
During the trial, Leanna Taylor initially defended her ex-husband, saying that he was a loving father, and that he would not have left their son to die unintentionally.
This all changed however, after evidence from the prosecution showed that her husband had previously met a prostitute for sex, and on the day that Cooper died, he was sexting a 17-year-old girl.
Prosecutor Chuck Boring said “Basically you had no idea how his behavior was escalating over the years.”
She didn’t know that he was having affairs
Once the prosecution showed her the evidence, the truth started to come out. She said that during their marriage, they had sexual problems, and that they also sought counselling when her ex-husband confessed that he was frequently viewing pornography.
“He ruined my life. He destroyed my life,” Leanna shares before she left the witness stand. “I’m humiliated. I may never trust anyone again the way that I did. If I never see him again in my life, that’s fine.”
The prosecutors said that Justin left his son to die in the car because he wanted to escape his responsibilities and be with other women.
“I have not been “ok” since the moment I was told my son was dead”
In a Facebook post made through 11Alive, Leanna stresses just how important it is to know that leaving your child alone inside a car is a big risk. She says that people need to accept that children die from being left alone inside the car and through accepting it, parents can protect their children.
She adds, “Be the wise parent, and accept that this can happen. And you will never have to walk the path that my family has had to walk. And I pray YOU never have to walk this path.”
While she knows that nothing can bring her beloved son’s life back, she hopes that through her son’s loss, people become more aware about the reality of children dying inside hot cars.
Leanna hasn’t spoken to her ex-husband ever since their divorce back in February.
Photo from: youtube.com/WSB-TV
Never ever leave your children alone unattended inside your car
While you might think that it’s fine to leave your child alone inside your car as you go for a quick errand, you’re really exposing your child to a lot of risk factors. You need to make sure to always keep your child safe.
Here are some things to keep in mind:
- Never leave your child alone in a car, even for a brief moment. Leaving your child alone in the car is very dangerous, pets aren’t even supposed to be left alone inside cars, more so for children.
- Know that things can go wrong if you leave your child alone. Children left alone in the car can die from heat stroke, even on a cool day. That’s because the temperature inside the car can quickly go up, which is very dangerous for children.
- If you see another child alone in a car, get help fast. If you see a child left alone inside another vehicle, seek help as the child might possibly be in danger.
- Always remind yourself that there is a child in the car. Even if you’re confident that you won’t accidentally leave your child alone in the car, there’s nothing wrong with always keeping a mental note that you have a child with you. A good thing to do would be to place a diaper bag or your child’s things right beside you to serve as a constant reminder.
Sources: kidspot.com.au, nydailynews.com, webmd.com
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