MARIETTA, Ga. (CN) - The media will not be barred from attending the pretrial hearings of a Cobb County man accused of leaving his toddler in a car to die, a judge ruled Monday.
Cobb Superior Court Judge Mary Staley denied Justin Ross Harris' defense team's motion to ban the media from his pretrial hearings. Defense attorney Maddox Kilgore argued media coverage of pretrial proceedings would prevent Harris from receiving a fair trial.
It was the defendant's first court appearance in more than a year. The case made national headlines last summer when Ross Harris' 22-month old son, Cooper, was found dead in a hot car in the parking lot of the Home Depot where Ross Harris was working on June 18, 2014.
Ross Harris has been held at the Cobb County Jail without bond since he was indicted last September on charges of malice murder, felony murder and cruelty to children. He pleaded not guilty.
Staley has also set hearings for Tuesday and Wednesday as well as Oct. 15-16.
Subscribe to Closing Arguments
Sign up for new weekly newsletter Closing Arguments to get the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and hot cases and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world.