The Georgia father who is facing murder charges after leaving his 22-month-old son in a fatally hot car has at least one law enforcement official in his corner: His brother. Michael Baygents is a veteran police officer in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and a sergeant and instructor in their Law Enforcement Academy. He's also the sibling of Justin Ross Harris, who is currently behind held without bail in Cobb County, Georgia pending his trial on charges of murder and child cruelty.
Baygents told the Atlanta-Journal Constitution in an exclusive interview Monday that the prosecution of Harris for his son Cooper's death is a "terrible mistake." Baygents believes that Cobb County officials have based their investigation on the misinterpretation of various points of fact.
"It’s been frustrating to see it portrayed the way it’s been (handled)" by the police department," said Baygents. "I’m very angry with them. I think they rushed to judgment ... I think (they) made a terrible mistake."
"To think that he killed Cooper for $27,000 (in insurance money) is a joke," Baygents told the newspaper.
IN-DEPTH
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