In Episode 10 of the second season of “Breakdown,” the new jury is seated and it’s finally “game on” for the prosecution and defense teams in the Justin Ross Harris murder trial. Lead prosecutor Chuck Boring delivers a blistering and methodical opening statement that spotlights what he calls Harris’ strange behavior at the crime scene, and reveals some of the lurid texting evidence to come.
Harris’ defense attorney Maddox Kilgore then counters with an emotional and powerful opening of his own. Kilgore says that Harris is ashamed of his adultery but that his sex life doesn't have a thing to do with Cooper's death. And the defense attorney makes clear that the lead Cobb investigator will be a target of Harris' defense.
Two strong performances, but how did they play with the jury? AJC legal affairs reporter Bill Rankin asks an expert for perspective.
Next, the first witnesses are called -- the Cobb police officers who first arrived on the scene and other witnesses who saw Harris pull over in his SUV. What did they see in Harris' behavior that they considered suspicious? And should it be relevant to the trial?
Finally, only three days into the trial, Harris' defense files for a mistrial when the judge refuses to allow a police report as evidence. Before the judge is able to decide that motion, Hurricane Matthew begins bearing down on the Georgia coast and the trial is put on hiatus again.
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