Hold My Sweet Tea
Where True Crime collides with chilling ghost stories and Southern folklore. Join us, sip sweet tea, and uncover shocking tales of murder, mystery, and the supernatural, all with a healthy dose of Southern charm and a touch of sass!
Hold My Sweet Tea
Ep. 14-Justice for Cooper: Unraveling a Father's Double Life
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What drives a father to leave his 22-month-old son in a sweltering car for seven hours? The tragic death of Cooper Harris in June 2014 initially appeared to be a devastating accident—a father who simply forgot to drop his child at daycare. But as investigators peeled back the layers of Justin Ross Harris's life, they uncovered something far more disturbing.
Behind the façade of a loving parent lay a web of calculated searches about hot car deaths, visits to child-free lifestyle websites, and explicit messages exchanged with multiple women—including a minor—even as his son slowly succumbed to hyperthermia in the Atlanta summer heat. Most damning of all, surveillance footage captured Harris returning to his vehicle during lunch break, placing light bulbs inside, yet seemingly oblivious to Cooper strapped in his car seat.
The behavior of Cooper's mother, Leanna Taylor, raised equally troubling questions. When told her son wasn't at daycare, her calm suggestion that Harris "must have left him in the car" seemed unnervingly prescient. Later recorded asking her husband if he had "said too much" to police, Taylor nonetheless avoided any charges and eventually became an advocate for "forgotten baby syndrome"—a defense her husband's attorneys unsuccessfully argued at trial.
Though Harris was sentenced to life without parole, a surprising 2022 Georgia Supreme Court ruling overturned his murder conviction while upholding charges related to his communication with minors. Released in 2024 after serving just ten years, his case continues to spark debate about justice, parental responsibility, and the tragic reality that an average of 38 children die in hot cars annually.
If you ever spot a child alone in a vehicle, don't hesitate—call 911 immediately. Your action could be the difference between life and death for someone who cannot save themselves.
Today we dissect the chilling case of Cooper Harris, a 22-month-old boy who died in a hot SUV. Join us as we weave together the evidence, legal battles and key testimonies. This is Hold my Sweet Tea.
Speaker 2Thank you. Pre-recorded from Louisiana, I'm.
Speaker 1Pearl and I'm Holly. Actually, you're in Las Vegas when this episode drops. Truth, truth.
Speaker 2Truth yeah, I will be visiting with my mama. Oh, I love your mama. Yeah, she's so cute she is, so we visiting with her. We're going to go see O oh nice.
Speaker 1At the Bellagio.
Speaker 2So, she's like been harassing my sister to see this show for the longest, so I mean she's. She went and saw the little cirque du soleil beatles one and stuff like that. So she just loves these, like that's her favorite little thing to run around and see, although she also likes concert and disney and disney she loves her some disney.
Speaker 1She's a fun mama.
Speaker 2Yeah, she's she likes all the fun stuff.
Speaker 1Well, that's cool, I I hope, when this episode drops you, you're having lots and lots of fun in vegas yeah, we're supposed to go bowling too.
Speaker 2She wants to go bowling, but she's. She tells me, only two games because she's old and her arm hurts and she gets tired she's like my arm, can't take more than two. But my sister tells me when I tell her that mom wants to go bowling, she said, well, the last time she went bowling with us she only played one game. So good luck.
Speaker 1She's working her way up to two. She's working her way up to two.
Speaker 2We'll see how it goes then she also bought all the seasons of of yellowstone oh my goodness on dvd. So she's like you gotta watch this with me, right, like okay, we'll binge yellowstone have some snacks.
Speaker 1absolutely hang out with your mama, I love me some Beth Dutton.
Speaker 2So, we'll go on and watch that. I'll come back and tell you about all the people I took to the train station.
Speaker 1There you go. I have a confession I have never watched one episode of Yellowstone yet I can tell you that I sheerly watch for Beth.
Speaker 2Honestly Right, there's no other way to put this but her bitchness is amazing.
Speaker 1Her bitchness matches your bitchness it might a little A little.
Speaker 2She's a little more extreme than me, oh yeah.
Awareness of Child Safety
Speaker 1For sure, a little she's, she's a little more extreme than me. Oh yeah, for sure. I've seen some clips and stuff. So you know, I kind of know like her character and how, how she is on the show and everything, but I just I've never watched it. I have I'm I'm a creature of habit. So I have my comfort shows, yeah, and when I need to binge or do something, I will put on one of my comfort shows. You know, it's about that time of the year where I start rewatching every episode of Charmed, oh yeah. So, and then you know, there's like all these other comfort shows that I like, or comfort movies. So I'm just a weird creature of habit. So, introducing a new series in there, I have to be in the right like headspace and time space to push it in.
Speaker 2Yeah, I kind of have nothing to do to watch something new. Because if I touch my phone I won't hear a single thing that's happening or see it.
Speaker 1But with my comfort shows. I know everything that's going on. Plus, I can be on my phone, I can be working on episodes, I can be doing other stuff and still catch the whole thing, yeah, which is why I like them, because I'm a multitasker.
Speaker 2Yeah, I'm going to bring my kind of sweet, kind of Beth Dutton t-shirt with me. There you go.
Speaker 1You need to get your mama one too.
Speaker 2Yeah, I do need to get her one. She'd wear the mess out of it.
Speaker 1Exactly. Well, are we ready to jump into today's episode? Yeah, let's do it. I am bringing awareness of what not to do with your children because I absolutely love children and it breaks my heart every time I read one of these or see a documentary on one and I'm like how do people do?
Speaker 2things like this. They're so defenseless. I think that's why it hurts so much more. Yeah.
Speaker 1And I want to have people be aware. Don't let your 10-year-old go with more. And, like I want to be people like, have people be aware. Don't let your 10 year old go with strangers, don't you know? Don't send them asking for cigarettes, right, send them for asking for cigarettes and all this stuff. Don't let them play on porches or yards with puppies. Speaking of I just I was just watching that Hulu documentary I told you about, about the missing children in Atlanta Georgia. Oh yeah, about the missing children in Atlanta Georgia. Oh yeah, and a lot of it began with well, I sent him to the store to get me a pack of cigarettes and I'm like no.
Speaker 2Or I sent my child to the store with a list of groceries and then the people in the store know your kid because they've been in there a million times alone and I'm just like are you kidding me?
Speaker 1Yeah, I mean back in the 80s it was a common thing. I mean you went to the store and you got stuff for your parents, if you live close enough to a store. Yeah, I'm not going to lie. When I was little and we lived in Phoenix.
Speaker 2Yeah, there were several times that I got money for, my parents stuck my two year old stepbrother in a stroller and here here I am, like 10 years old, yeah, pushing a stroller with my two-year-old stepbrother and and Voldemort from the previous episode my brother Voldemort, who's a year and a half younger than me, and we're we're walking, I mean, I guess at least in that case I had another child like that was nine years old, so we're like close in age, probably less likely they're going to try to fight us all, yeah, but still.
Speaker 2I mean, we were loading them up in a stroller and walking like I don't even remember how many blocks to Taco Bell, mm, hmm.
Speaker 1So yeah, remember how many blocks to Taco Bell. So yeah, and I remember like I was probably about 10 years old, visiting my cousins and stuff in California, and here we are like running around Fresno barefoot in the middle of summer Try not to burn our feet and like just running wild. You know that whole summer while I was there and I'm like thinking we could have been kidnapped, we could have been all this stuff. So like that's why I'm doing a lot of these stories, because I want to bring awareness of what not to do.
Speaker 2Yeah, and just for clarification's sake. So my, my Voldemort brother doesn't get too upset with his name, his new nickname. I love it. He's totally not evil. He picks on us like insanely.
Speaker 1Yeah but he's a good. He's a really good-hearted person.
Speaker 2He really is he's a very big-hearted kind person.
Speaker 1He just looks like voldemort, not really, but not really, I'm just picking on him.
The Hot Car Death of Cooper Harris
Speaker 1All right, let's jump into today's case. It is the case of Cooper Harris. So on June 18th of 2014 in Atlanta, georgia, cooper's father, justin Ross Harris, had taken his son to breakfast that morning. It was a common practice, like. Justin would usually drop Cooper off at daycare and then he would go to like Chick-fil-a or something and then head on over to his corporate job, which was at the Home Depot, like corporate offices in Atlanta. So he was one of the programmers over there and stuff so. So that was kind of his normal thing.
Speaker 2So did he normally drop him off before breakfast? Yes, but today he's.
Speaker 1Yes, so today they actually stopped at Chick-fil-A and ate breakfast. So him and Cooper stopped there yeah, together. Which was one of his excuses later on of it threw off his normal routine Okay. So you know they ate breakfast. He gave cooper a kiss, put him in his car seat and he was, you know, supposed to drop him off at daycare. But that morning justin drove like straight to work from chick-fil-a, like he normally does.
Speaker 1So you know you can see his maybe side of the story and everything of what he did. So he parked his SUV, got out of his vehicle and he said that he forgot Cooper inside, that he was actually inside In the sweltering 90 degree heat and I can only imagine it's probably about the same as it is here. When it's 90 degrees out there, it's probably 120 in your car.
Speaker 2Yeah, yikes yeah.
Speaker 1He left Cooper strapped in his rear facing car seat and went into work. So hours later it was reported that a fr harris pulled into a shopping center seeking help and cooper was dead in his car seat due to hyperthermia, which is not to be confused with hypothermia, which is freezing to death yeah, so he was in the car.
Speaker 2for how long?
Speaker 1seven hours, seven hours in sweltering weather, oh, in sweltering weather, oh my God, in sweltering weather that poor baby and like some of the you know symptoms of hyperthermia are heat cramps, coarse dehydration, heat stroke. So that baby went through it.
Speaker 2Oh yeah, definitely he suffered, yeah, for sure Big time.
Speaker 1When the police had arrived on the scene, the investigation began immediately, of course, and obviously detectives focused on Harris. His story and the evidence were not adding up. Ben had pulled the surveillance footage from the corporate building which showed Harris returning to his vehicle a few hours later, after he had went into work and during his lunch break he had purchased some light bulbs and he put the bag of bulbs in his car, shut the door. Did he drive his car to go get the light bulbs? He went to lunch with a friend quote unquote friend of his, which was a woman, yeah, and he stopped by the Home Depot store that was nearby, picked up some light bulbs. She dropped him back off and he put the light bulbs in the front seat, shut the door. Still didn't realize that his son was in the car. I'm saying by this point, something in your brain would have triggered and went oh shit my kid's in the car.
Speaker 2Not to mention that. So he's been in this car or out to the car twice now.
Speaker 1Well, no, he's been to it once. So he left the car went into work, went to lunch with his friend Gotcha, got the light bulbs got dropped off, so that was where it was like a couple hours later, right Like lunchtime.
Speaker 1So if he got to work at like eight, so four hours maybe later, three or four hours maybe later, something like that. So you have to wonder if the baby was already dead at that point, because he's not making noise, right, he's not making any noise. So he was probably like already gone at that point, because it was mid like noon and it starts getting really, really hot, yeah. So this is where things get even weirder. Than him stopping by his SUV, which was pulled straight in, so I would think he would have to go past the back of it, but I don't know which way he came toward the vehicle at. It was in a parking lot, so I don't know which way.
Speaker 2If he came from the front of it, Like you don't know which way he approached right.
Speaker 1Right or the back. So I would think he would see him. He would see the car seat, he would. Something would trigger his memory, but I'm not him, so can't say so. Like I said, this is where things kind of get a little weirder. Um, further investigation of harris's online searches brought forth some disturbing details. Detective phil Stoddard testified that Harris had researched online how long and at what temperature it would take to die in a hot car yeah like, why would you research that also? He visited websites advocating a child-free lifestyle.
Speaker 2Yeah, but that wasn't all you would think, wow, I mean, doesn't this baby have a mama? Just leave the mama, yeah we're gonna here's your kid.
Speaker 1We're gonna get to her in a minute. Oh great Can't wait. So you know that wasn't all that they found. On his online searches and his phone, law enforcement discovered multiple text messages containing lewd and unsettling content. Harris was exchanging sexually explicit text, nude images, sexting all this stuff with multiple women, including at least one minor, while his son was in the SUV dying.
Speaker 2Oh my god, you nasty.
Speaker 1God you nasty. Yeah, exactly. Prosecutors argued. Harris intentionally killed his son to escape family responsibilities and to pursue his affairs. I think prosecution knows what they're talking about you know, Sounds like it.
Speaker 1Yeah, the prosecution painted a picture of a man living a double life, obsessed with online encounters. They argued his lunchtime return to the vehicle proved that he knew Cooper was inside. He wanted to confirm that he was dead, without confirming that he was dead. So later on he could like oh my God, my son, somebody help me. Type deal, you know, so he could overreact.
Speaker 2The light bulbs were an excuse to approach the vehicle after his lunch with his friend.
Speaker 1This brings us to your question when was Cooper's mother? So Leanna Taylor, cooper's mother, said she knew something was wrong when she went to pick up Cooper at his daycare that evening, you think?
Speaker 2No kidding, right. Yeah, your baby didn't get dropped off, right.
Speaker 1So the daycare teacher informed her that Cooper was never dropped off that morning. She's like huh.
Speaker 2What do you mean? I mean immediately I would be calling the dad and be, like exactly where's?
Speaker 1why did you not drop our kid?
Speaker 2off today. Is he with you? What's?
Speaker 1going on? Did you pick him up? Did something happen? Did you go on home and not go?
Speaker 2to work yeah.
Speaker 1So she said she was trying to make sense of the situation. She said, well, maybe ross left him at home, or justin his last name's ross. Ross left him at home, like maybe he just forgot to take him to daycare he.
Speaker 2So that's no better than leaving him in your car. You're gonna leave your 22 month old baby home alone all day, but at least if he was home he'd probably be alive.
Speaker 1He'd probably be alive, but still but she said that you know he could be for a forgetful person. Sometimes you're excusing your husband for, like, not dropping your kid off at daycare. Taylor said she felt numb. I'm gonna tell you I didn't feel numb. I'm gonna tell you my son when he was in elementary school, I got the robo call saying that your son didn't feel numb. I'm going to tell you my son when he was in elementary school, I got the robocall saying that your son didn't show up to school today. Knowing that, I put him on the bus that morning. My entire body sank down into my toes and I went into frenzy mode, calling.
Speaker 2I didn't go numb no, like you get frantic.
Speaker 1Yeah, you start freaking out yeah, you don't go numb, no at all. Maybe numb is what you feel after the fact of all what you're finding out.
Speaker 2But like you know, let me tell you, if I found out all of that, there would be two crimes. Yeah, oh, oh absolutely, absolutely so.
Harris's Suspicious Online Activity
Speaker 1Detectives are were like suspicious of taylor because they thought her reactions that day were strange. She had told daycare workers that well, ross must have left him in the car. She told the daycare workers that so she basically just told on him. Yeah, yeah. So. And detectives said she seemed unemotional when she was told that Cooper was actually dead.
Speaker 2She's numb, yeah she was numb, she's numb, just numb.
Speaker 1No, that's not how you act. I would have like she dumb yeah, she dumb, not numb Even more suspicious.
Speaker 2The police said that while Harris was awaiting questioning at the station Taylor was actually recorded asking him. Did you say too much? So basically, this was a co-conspiracy to kill their kid and have have a child for a lifestyle. That's the way it seems there's this little thing called adoption.
Speaker 1He's not that old I'm sure his grandparents would have kept him right.
Speaker 2Somebody would have taken him if you didn't want him be like look, I'm having terrible right thoughts and I need you to take my baby.
Speaker 1This, this, you know this makes me think of the whole Casey Anthony thing. Like you could have just gave Kaylee to your parents, yeah, but we're not going to get into that rabbit hole.
Speaker 2I know that's such a rabbit hole because there's people who think her parents had something to do with it too.
Speaker 1And.
Speaker 2I'm just like, either way, there is a place to bring your children. Yeah, there are people who can't have babies, who would very much love to have your baby Absolutely, absolutely Good people. They're not all terrible like some of the horror stories you hear Right, I mean, obviously, horror stories. Get pregnant and have babies.
Speaker 1There you go. So you know she like was recorded saying this stuff and I'm like there, there's evidence here that is recorded and it's, it's there. But later, at Cooper's funeral, eyewitnesses reported that she seemed unemotional again and told people that Cooper was just in a better place. Hmm, I, that Cooper was just in a better place. Hmm I. Hmm, this story just does not sit right with me, especially when we get more into it.
Speaker 2It's already bad enough. So when you say stuff like that, I get like hmm, exactly, I have to fight back the I want to punch her emotions Right. I was like it makes me angry, like where are these people at?
Speaker 1Georgia.
Speaker 2Let me go to Georgia.
Speaker 1Right. So Taylor was never arrested. She was never charged in the case. She said she was just acting that way because she was trying to process what had happened. I'm sorry, no you just proved a bunch of times that you were involved and you knew exactly what had happened before it even happened exactly, and I don't know if that's what she sounds like, but that's what I think she sounds like but holy crap so she just got away with being part of a plan to murder her child.
Speaker 2Yep, but wait there's more.
Speaker 1So due to the intense media attention and I remember when this story came out I remember hearing about it and everything and everybody was just like flipping out, as they should, right. So they moved the trial from Cobb County to Brunswick, georgia and Glynn County so they could get more of a jury fair jury thing and all that stuff. So during the trial, the defense countered with they were claiming that it was a tragic accident, a moment of forgetfulness they said, oh, he loved Cooper. This was a terrible, terrible, unintentional mistake.
Speaker 2It didn't sound like a terrible intentional mistake to me, like not when you, not when you bring up that search history and the search history, her words and yeah the stuff she said, the unemotionalness of really both of them and the sheer fact that you've been back to your car and didn't even notice. Because I'm going to tell you right now if that baby were already passed. You know, I can't help but think it's got to smell a little bit already, Right, Because it's hot.
Speaker 1Well, even the smell of sweat, sweat, the heat, the sweat smell. He probably lost control of his bowels.
Speaker 2Yes, you know just those things hot, stank, poo and sweat. Yeah, I just yeah.
Leanna Taylor's Strange Reactions
Speaker 1I can't imagine your car smells normal and even though you didn't, might have stuck your face in there. When you open that door, and let me tell you, when the heat, the southern heat, hits you in the face, you smell everything and you feel everything. It flies out that door when you open it, it's like opening a hot oven. You don't have to stick your head in there.
Speaker 2Exactly. I literally open my door during the summer and step back because I'm like let it out.
Speaker 1Yep, Step back, let it out a little bit so it cools down a little bit because it's hot. So Leanna Taylor, Cooper's mother and Harris's then wife, initially supported him. She testified it never crossed my mind he did it on purpose, it was an accident. She expressed that Harris was a loving father Like she. You know. She defended him and all this stuff and she said that she was aware of Harris's infidelity and porn addiction but denied he intentionally tried to harm Cooper. So you were aware that he had been sexting women and a minor and a minor.
Speaker 1Yeah, sending lewd photographs, having a porn addiction and all that stuff.
Speaker 1You, you, you were aware of this, like 100, but you were okay with that well, she was obviously aware and okay with his plan to kill their kid too assistant da chuck boring told 2020 in an interview this wasn't just an affair type of thing, it was an obsession persuasive acts, constantly on the Internet and meeting up with women. I think he was just having less and less time with the family to be able to do as much as he wanted and live the life he wanted, so he wanted to go out.
Speaker 1The childless life, the wifeless life, and I'm telling you like when you look at this man, there is nothing appealing about him. He looks like he has a round, like preteen face on an adult body.
Speaker 2A creepy Creeperton looking person you know where you can tell he's probably talking to minors on the Internet. Yes, very much so looking person you know where you can tell he's?
Speaker 1probably talking to minors on the internet? Yes, very much so, but the jury found harris guilty on eight counts, including malice murder for death of cooper and charges relating to sex crimes against a child. He received a life sentence sentence without parole. But wait, there's more. So the legal battle was far from over. In 2022, the Georgia Supreme Court overturned the murder conviction. They ruled that the evidence of Harris's extramarital affairs had unfairly prejudiced the jury no, his search history is what I'm leaning on. How did it care what else he did?
Speaker 2I'm telling you right now he looked this up. He was planning to kill his kid. End of story, right there's no like.
Speaker 1Oh, he was unfairly like judged or whatever because he was texting, sexting women and sending these photos and underage girls. No, no, that just adds to the mountain of stuff.
Speaker 2That just proves he's even more of a bad person. Absolutely, although the worst thing he's done is what he did to his baby, right Like let him go do whatever. Well, and the minor, and the minor yeah, like the child, portions of his crimes are the worst.
Speaker 1Yeah, including the little girl Like the child portions of his crimes are the worst, yeah, so including. The court, however, upheld the convictions related to sexual exploitation of a child. Harris was sentenced to 12 years for those charges 10 years for attempting to commit sexual exploitation of a child and one year for each of the two counts of distribution of lewd materials to a minor, aka pictures of his junk. Mm-hmm Ugh, this case makes my head hurt. Leanna Taylor's testimony was a key point of contention. While initially supportive, she later expressed that Harris destroyed her life. This was after she defended him, and then she decided I'm going to get a divorce. Harris destroyed her life. This was after she defended him, and then she decided I'm going to get a divorce.
Speaker 2He destroyed my life. Well, you know that in most places, if you're the spouse of someone who committed a crime, they cannot make you testify and that's it. So obviously she was the re. I feel like it's the reason they do that is because they fully expect you to be supportive and defensive and Right, try to make it sound like you didn't do it. Yeah, right.
Speaker 1Yeah, so then she. Then she divorced him and like, oh, he destroyed my life. And this is again where that Casey Anthony video that just dropped on TikTok comes in. Since then she's become an advocate for forgotten baby syndrome like you literally knew about it she expressed people don't believe it can happen to them and that's putting children in danger you literally knew.
Speaker 2You knew right, I mean you. You accidentally expressed how you knew more than one time. You asked him, did you?
Speaker 1say too much. No, you were recorded saying that and I'm trying to watch my mouth right now because words to the daycare workers.
Speaker 2Oh, he probably left him in the car. Yes, like nonchalant. That's what it sounded to me like. Non nonchalantly he said oh, he probably left him in the car Like nonchalant. That's what it sounded to me Like nonchalantly said oh, he probably left him in the car, Like it's not a big deal. No, that's a major deal, right, and I'm numb.
Speaker 1No, you're not numb, you're dumb, yeah.
Speaker 2Again, you don't.
Speaker 1Right, you don't. So the that Harris's research and online activity, combined with his actions that day, demonstrated intent. Well, duh.
Speaker 2Yeah.
Speaker 1They pointed to the sheer unlikelihood of forgetting a child in a car for seven hours, especially with his lunchtime return.
Speaker 2just like we said, yeah, that's a long time to forget, like at some point something would pop into your head Because I leave. You don't think of your point. Something would pop into your head because I leave. You don't think of your kid throughout the day at all. I leave my jacket in the car and I'm like I know I brought my jacket to work. Where did I put my jacket? Oh, it's in the car Right. Guess what? It's probably been 30 minutes.
Speaker 1I have a young adult and I still multiple times during the day. If he doesn't answer me within like an hour, I'm like are you okay? What?
Speaker 2year was this again.
Speaker 1This was so it was 2016.
Speaker 2They didn't have those backseat alarms yet.
Speaker 1No, it was 2014.
Speaker 2I'm sorry.
Speaker 1So yeah, that was when, like it took place. But no, they didn't have the backseat alarms or anything. So the defense had argued that Harris suffered from forgotten baby syndrome. Oh, let's put that in there A psychological phenomenon where parents forget their children in vehicles due to routine changes and stress. They emphasized his love for Cooper and the lack of concrete evidence providing malice. He literally looked this stuff up. Yeah, again, he searched it. How hot, how long child free life. Let me go sex some women, you know, and children. So, in a turn of events, on father's day in june 2022, justin harris was released from state prison for the sex crimes against a child after serving so many years, and then he was transferred back to Cobb County Jail where he served the remaining part of his sentence. He was released in June of 2024, so just last year. This case raised profound questions. Can a parent truly forget their child? How does online behavior factor into criminal intent, and was justice served?
Speaker 2The only thing I can say about his online activity is I'm sure it was pretty occupying and distracting, mm-hmm. Oh yeah, could have fed the forgetfulness because he was focused on that, so wrapped up in texting someone Still not excusable.
Speaker 1When you went back to your car.
Speaker 2Yeah.
Speaker 1After your little lunchtime, rendezvous with whoever that was.
Speaker 2Yeah, yeah, because based on his other behavior, I highly doubt it was as innocent as it seems Exactly.
Speaker 1So, according to data from Advocacy Group Kids and Car Safety, on average 38 children die each year from heat stroke inside of a vehicle. Over the last three decades, more than a thousand children have died in these incidents. Have died in these incidents To report suspected child abuse, including cases related to forgotten baby syndrome. If you see a child in a car, especially one trapped in a car seat or whatever, even if it's not in the winter or in the summer, even if it's in the winter, call 911.
Speaker 2Let me tell you if I see a baby trapped in in a car, I'm checking the door to see if it's unlocked. One or left in a car. Two, while I'm dialing 9-1-1, I'm breaking this person's window exactly.
Legal Battles and Conviction Controversy
Speaker 1And if that's on the other side and if that's not gonna hurt the baby, like sweaty and hot, like get them somewhere cool, get the water on them, get them cooled down and everything. Because yeah, don't, don't just sit there and go, I don't know what to do.
Speaker 2There will not be a hesitation. I will not be waiting for the police to get there. I will be telling 911. Just so we're clear, I'm busting this window, yep.
Speaker 1And that goes for dogs too, yeah, and cats or whatever else is in there. Now I will leave my dogs in the car while I go in the store, but you leave your car running.
Speaker 2I literally, yes, I leave my car on with the air running and it's usually just for like something super quick. I will never take my dogs, like if I have a full on grocery thing, I'm like if I'm going to grab a gallon of milk, I'm locking you in the car. I'll be right back and then Right and my little. But they're comfy, fru-fru sits there on the middle console and watches all the people walk around, and then gets excited when I come back in like five minutes.
Speaker 1Right, but she's in an air conditioned car. She's okay, nothing's wrong.
Speaker 2But I see a million times where cars are locked and windows are like an inch cracked, barely cracked.
Speaker 1Yeah.
Speaker 2And this dog's in there panting his butt off.
Speaker 1Right With his tongue hanging out the window like trying to get, yeah, drool everywhere.
Speaker 2Yeah, and I'm just, and their like face is up against the crack, yeah, and then I'm calling 911 and I'm breaking their window.
Speaker 1I'll be like I just broke this person's window. Their animal was inside or their child. But yeah, if there's a child, absolutely break that window. I'm going around the other side in the front, and I'm breaking that window and I'm unlocking the door, absolutely so, just you know, raising awareness again, like what not?
Speaker 2to do. But yeah, don't leave your kids in the car, yep absolutely absolutely my, my backseat alarm goes off all the time because I have stuff in my back seat and I'm like shh, it can stay it doesn't breathe, it's fine it's all right.
Speaker 2It's all right, but I, I mean, I don't turn it off because I feel like that would be silly of me if, because I will tell you like I, I, my kids are grown I don't. I don't typically ride around with anybody in my car, but in the off chance that I do, I want to make sure I don't forget they're back there, because my routine I still wouldn't forget them.
Speaker 1Oh my God, and you know I have slight OCD tendencies of where I you know before the car I have now like it was, it was all manual. Yeah, you had a routine of lock and unlock and checking every door and everything. So I I am aware of what's in my car now. I have like the, the little button thing and I still like automatically just check things, make sure there's nothing of value sitting around just because of you know areas that we live in.
Speaker 2I don't want people to break into my car right.
Speaker 1So you know, I just do it and then lock my door, but you can't really get my car because I have the key fob. But that's just so frustrating. I'm still more aware. I am just. I'm like a really aware person anyway, but I it gives me a gross feeling in my gut.
Speaker 2Yeah, when, like a child or an animal that cannot defend itself, is lost to something stupid. Yeah.
Child Safety in Vehicles and Advocacy
Speaker 1And then there's and it's not even my kid- and it hurts actual evidence with big neon arrows pointing to it going they did it, they did it, they knew, they knew they planned this, and then they both got off scot-free with it. Basically, and if it wasn't for the fact that he had been texting and sending pictures to a minor, he probably wouldn't even have served hardly any jail time after they overturned that conviction.
Speaker 2Right, that's what I was going to say.
Speaker 1He would have only served the part where he was in there until they overturned it Because he only served 10 years, like it was 10 years from 2014 to 2024. 10 years, that was it, and she didn't serve anything.
Speaker 2No, she's like An advocate, yeah, and she didn't serve anything. And now she's like an advocate.
Speaker 1Yeah, yeah, an advocate, my butt, you're a, I got away with it, or yeah, and I need some attention yeah, yep, let me try to make myself look better by doing all this stuff, and you really don't you don't look any better not at all.
Speaker 1You just look like a person who's frantically trying to trying to cover their mistake with something good, and let me go back to the casey anthony thing one more time, because I watched a clip with nancy grace and she made a point and I I normally kind i- I've listened to some.
Speaker 1She's very strong opinionated yes, but also she said there is in no way that she has been studying law. The only law that she's been in was court cases that she has been going through because she killed her child, right. So she hasn't been studying law. She is not a lawyer, she is not anything to do with that illegal she's. She thinks that she knows now because she's been to court so much so she thinks she's like some kind of advocate now. No, but I just wanted to throw it out there because she infuriates me, she infuriates most people, yeah, and so does this.
Speaker 1Yeah, it does, it does. But that was, you know, my case today. And don't leave your kid in the car, don't leave anything in a car.
Speaker 2I don't yeah living, breathing thing.
Speaker 1I don't even leave my tablet in the car because I don't want it right.
Speaker 2I don't want it to, I don't want it to get overheated.
Speaker 1I'll be like oh shoot, I have my tablet with me, let me throw it in my purse and I'll take everything into the store with me. You know, especially down here in the south it, things will malfunction and melt yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2You have no idea how many times, like in the dj business, where we've had something outside, some event outside, and literally we bring fans to blow on ourselves but we end up blowing them on our equipment because, they get so hot they'll just shut down. Yeah, yep it happens. It's gross, but yeah we uh, appreciate you listening feel like the rest of us have had our day ruined by holly again now I'm gonna be sad all day.
Speaker 1I'm sorry. I'll do a lighter one next time, I promise.
Speaker 2But we appreciate you joining us on Hold my Sweet Tea. All sources used to create this episode can be found in the show notes. The music for our episodes is created by Patty Salzetta. We love you, patty Cates. If you enjoyed this episode, despite the fact that it was heart-wrenchingly sad, please subscribe and leave us a review. You can follow us on social media. We're everywhere and we are on all the listening platforms for your podcast getting. If you don't know where to listen to one, you can visit our website at holdmysweetteacom, and it has a whole list, so pick a place. If you have a case that you would like to hear covered. A ghost story, a cool piece of Southern folklore, please email us at steeped at hold my sweet Dcom.
Speaker 1Yes, Like just communicate with us, tell us some stuff we would love to hear from you and, you know, even though I make Pearl sick every time I do a case either nauseous or sad, like just keep listening, keep keep going.
Speaker 2I promise it'll be a lighter one next time, it's okay.
Speaker 1Oh, my sweet tea is a drunken bee production and we hope to stay safe out there. And just because we're dipping doesn't mean you can't keep sipping. Bye, bye, thank you. Hey, hey, hey, hey.