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Ex-Wife: Dad in Hot Car Case 'Destroyed My Life'

Defense lawyers said Leanna Taylor had every reason to hate her former spouse Justin Ross Harris, who was charged with murder after prosecutors said he left their only child, 22-month-old Cooper, to die in a locked SUV outside his workplace in suburban Atlanta.

Leanna Taylor began testifying Monday morning as a defense witness for Justin Ross Harris, as the trial enters its fifth week.

The mother of a boy who died in a hot-car incident said in court Tuesday that the boy's father, her ex-husband, "destroyed my life". Tearing up, looking at one of the last photos of her young son, Leanna revealed Justin sent her a pic of Cooper sleeping the week before the baby's death.

Leanna Taylor listens to a question from defense attorney Maddox Kilgore during a murder trial for her ex-husband Justin Ross Harris who is accused of intentionally killing their son in June 2014 by leaving him in a hot auto in suburban Atlanta, Monday, Oct. 31, 2016, in Brunswick, Ga. Tuesday, the prosecution continued its cross examination of Leanna Taylor, Harris' ex-wife. Prosecutor Chuck Boring asked Taylor, "Were you aware Harris was using Craigslist to set up meetings with men and women for sexual activity?" During the trial, they have portrayed him as a man obsessed with having sex with prostitutes and other women and texting teenagers.

Taylor told jurors she and Harris had problems with their sex life. "He destroyed my life", Taylor said before leaving the witness stand in tears. "I may never trust anyone anymore. If I never see him again in my life, that's fine".

Between holes in the prosecution's case and Taylor's powerful testimony, Abrams believes Harris is likely to be acquitted of murder.

The videos caused some members of the jury to laugh out loud.

"He wanted to be the one to push him on a swing", Ms Taylor said.

Taylor also explained why she was unable to cry when she go the news of Cooper's death and how she wanted to remain strong for her husband.

Taylor said he told her years earlier he watched pornography and they sought counseling.

Baygents told the jury that his and Harris' families took a beach vacation together the month before Cooper died. "It shocked me but I didn't think it was a huge issue".

Prosecutors have said Harris, 35, committed the crime because he wanted to be free of the responsibilities of fatherhood. Harris told police he strapped Cooper into his auto seat after they ate breakfast together at a restaurant, then forgot about the boy during a drive of just over a half-mile to his workplace. They also had begun talking with a real estate agent about buying a home in metro Atlanta, where Harris worked as a web developer for Home Depot after they moved from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, in 2012.

By the summer of 2014, Harris was trying to plan for the three of them to take a family cruise, Taylor said.

"As much as you love music, you'll love your kid 100 times more", Abdo recalled Harris telling him.

stayontheblack.com

Ex-Wife: Dad in Hot Car Case 'Destroyed My Life'