The mother of a 6-year-old boy who shot his teacher in Virginia is expected to be sentenced Friday for felony child neglect, nearly a year after her son used his gun to critically injure the educator.
Deja Taylor faces up to five years in prison, but as part of a plea deal, prosecutors said they will recommend a six-month sentence that falls within state guidelines.
A judge will finally decide Taylor’s sentence at a court hearing scheduled for 1 p.m
Taylor’s son told authorities he got his mother’s 9mm handgun by climbing into a drawer to reach the top of a dresser, where the gun was in his mother’s purse.
He hid the weapon in his backpack and then his pocket before shooting his teacher, Abby Zwerner, in front of her second grade class.
Taylor initially told investigators he had secured his gun with a trigger lock, but investigators said they never found it.
Friday’s sentencing will be the second time Taylor has been held accountable for the classroom shooting, which shocked the nation and rocked the naval shipyard city of Newport News.
Deja Taylor faces up to five years in prison, but as part of a plea deal, prosecutors said they will recommend a six-month sentence that falls within state guidelines. AP Taylor also pleaded guilty to a state charge of criminal neglect. As part of the plea deal, local prosecutors agreed to drop a misdemeanor charge of reckless possession of a firearm. Newport News Police Department
Taylor was sentenced to 21 months in prison in November for using marijuana while in possession of a firearm, which is against US law.
Investigators found nearly an ounce of marijuana in Taylor’s bedroom after the shooting.
He later pleaded guilty.
Taylor also pleaded guilty to a state felony neglect charge. As part of the plea deal, local prosecutors agreed to drop a misdemeanor charge of reckless possession of a firearm.
James Ellenson, one of Taylor’s lawyers, said earlier this year there were “mitigating circumstances” surrounding the circumstances, including Taylor’s miscarriage and postpartum depression.
Taylor’s 6-year-old son shot his teacher Abby Zwerner in front of her first-grade class on Jan. 6, 2023. AP
He has also been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, a condition that shares symptoms with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, according to court documents.
Taylor told ABC’s “Good Morning America” in May that she felt responsible and apologized to Zwerner.
“That’s my son, so I, as a parent, am obviously willing to take responsibility for him because he can’t take responsibility for himself,” Taylor said.
During his sentencing in federal court last month, one of Taylor’s lawyers read a brief statement in which Taylor said he would feel remorse “for the rest of my life.”
Taylor was sentenced to 21 months in prison in November for using marijuana while in possession of a firearm, which is against US law. Investigators found nearly an ounce of marijuana in Taylor’s bedroom after the shooting. AP
A bullet fired from Taylor’s gun struck Zwerner in the left hand and upper left chest, breaking a bone and puncturing a lung.
The teacher rushed her other students into the hallway before collapsing in the school office.
The 6-year-old who shot Zwerner told a reading specialist who stopped him, “I shot that (expletive) dead,” and “I got my mom’s gun last night,” according to a search warrant.
Zwerner told the judge during Taylor’s federal sentencing that he remembers losing consciousness while doctors treated him.
The 6-year-old who shot Zwerner told a reading specialist who stopped him, “I shot that (expletive) dead,” and “I got my mom’s gun last night,” according to a search warrant. AP After being shot, the teacher rushed his other students into the hallway before collapsing in the school office. AP
“I’m not sure if it will be my last moment on earth,” Zwerner said.
Zwerner spent nearly two weeks in the hospital and has undergone five surgeries to restore movement in his left hand. He struggled to get dressed or tie his shoes.
He is suing Newport News Public Schools for $40 million, alleging that administrators ignored multiple warnings that the boy had a gun. He told a federal judge that he had lost his sense of self and had suffered “huge financial losses.”
Zwerner no longer works for the school system and no longer teaches. She says she loves children but is now afraid to work with them.
Zwerner is suing Newport News Public Schools for $40 million, alleging that administrators ignored multiple warnings the boy had a gun. He told a federal judge that he had lost his sense of self and had suffered “huge financial losses.”
She attended therapy and was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, while also suffering from depression and anxiety.
“I face every day with deep emotional scars,” Zwerner said.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
