Mother Pleads Guilty to Felony Child Neglect After 6-Year-Old Son Shoots Teacher
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP) — Deja Taylor, the mother of a 6-year-old boy who shot his teacher in Virginia, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to a charge of felony child neglect. The incident occurred seven months ago when her son used her handgun to critically wound the educator in a classroom full of students.
As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors dropped a misdemeanor charge of reckless storage of a firearm against Taylor. However, they stated that they will not seek a sentence longer than the state sentencing guidelines, which call for six months in jail or prison.
The crime is punishable by up to five years in prison, and the judge will have full discretion in determining the length of Taylor’s sentence. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 27.
The shooting, which took place in January, shocked the nation and caused turmoil in the shipbuilding city of Newport News. Taylor’s case is one of three legal efforts seeking accountability, including a $40 million lawsuit filed by the teacher, Abby Zwerner, accusing the school system of gross negligence for failing to respond aggressively to multiple warnings that the child had brought a gun to school that day.
According to police, the first grader intentionally shot Zwerner as she sat at a reading table during a lesson. Zwerner suffered injuries to her hand and chest, spending nearly two weeks in the hospital and undergoing multiple surgeries.
After the shooting, the child told a reading specialist who restrained him, “I shot that (expletive) dead,” and “I got my mom’s gun last night,” according to search warrants filed in the case.
During Taylor’s plea hearing, the boy revealed that he obtained the gun by climbing onto a drawer to reach the top of a dresser, where the gun was stored in his mother’s purse. The details were included in a ”stipulation of facts,” a list of agreed-upon facts by both sides.
Taylor’s attorney, James Ellenson, mentioned mitigating circumstances, including her miscarriages and postpartum depression before the shooting. He also stated that he will address depression and anxiety issues at Taylor’s sentencing hearing.
Taylor has already pleaded guilty in a separate but related federal case to using marijuana while possessing a firearm, which is illegal under U.S. law.
The boy, who has attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, was
How are misdemeanor charges like reckless storage of a firearm typically handled in Newport News, Virginia, in cases involving child endangerment
Rewrite:
A mother in Newport News, Virginia, named Deja Taylor, has pleaded guilty to felony child neglect after her 6-year-old son shot his teacher. The incident took place seven months ago when the young boy used his mother’s handgun to critically injure the educator in a classroom filled with students.
As part of her plea agreement, Taylor had a misdemeanor charge of reckless storage of a firearm dropped by prosecutors. However, they have made it clear that they will not pursue a sentence longer than the state sentencing guidelines, as outlined in the agreement.
This is such a tragic and heartbreaking situation. My thoughts go out to everyone involved, especially the young child who was caught up in this.