On Monday (June 5), US authorities accused the mother of a 6-year-old Virginia kid who shot and wounded his elementary school teacher, and her attorney has since announced she will plead guilty to both US weapons felonies.
Deja Taylor was arrested on multiple counts, including possessing a firearm while under the influence of drugs and making a false statement in order to purchase a 9mm semi-automatic pistol. According to court documents, she is accused of lying about her marijuana use on a federal firearms transaction form.
Taylor was indicted on state charges and federal firearms offenses on January 6 in connection with the shooting death of Abigail Zwerner, the first-grade teacher of Taylor’s son at Newport News, Virginia’s Richneck Elementary School.
According to Taylor’s lawyer, James Ellenson, “very constructive negotiations we had with federal authorities” led to the filing of the two-count criminal information. As for the details of the arrangement, he said, “the terms of the agreement, which we believe will be fair to all parties, will be disclosed when we enter the guilty plea” either this week or next in federal court.
The below tweet verified the news:
BREAKING: The mother of a 6-year-old boy accused of shooting his teacher in Virginia faces two new federal charges. https://t.co/b6gf79dNBN
— CBS News (@CBSNews) June 6, 2023
Mister Ellenson has stated that he will offer “mitigating evidence” at Taylor’s sentencing in the fall of this year. When Ms. Zwerner, 25, was conducting a class, the child allegedly pulled out the handgun from his backpack and fired a single shot through her palm and into her chest.
Police say Ms. Zwerner guided the youngsters to safety while another school employee entered the classroom to hold the boy. On behalf of her client, Ms. Zwerner, Ms. Zwerner’s attorney told reporters that Richneck Elementary officials had been notified three times that day that the child was armed, and that the school had been offered US$40 million (S$54 million) in damages.
The boy was not charged by Virginia authorities. Instead, his mother was arrested and charged with negligently leaving a loaded handgun where a youngster might access it and felony child neglect in April. As reported by ABC News’ Good Morning America in May, the mother stated that she was “willing to take responsibility” for her son’s behavior during a live interview.
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Her attorney, Mr. Ellenson, stated on the show that the school was aware the child had been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and should not have placed him in first grade so soon. According to him, it’s unclear how the kid got his hands on a gun.
Taylor claimed her mental health was precarious at the time since she was hospitalized for a week due to postpartum depression after experiencing a string of losses. She said her son has always been a “great kid,” but he is “very energetic” and “off the wall” because of his ADHD. According to Ms. Zwerner, the youngster had been expelled from school before for similar aggressive behavior.
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