Share this @internewscast.com

A Virginia mother held liable for her 6-year-old son’s shooting of his elementary school teacher this year was handed a two-year sentence Friday on a state charge of felony child neglect.

Deja Taylor, 26, could have faced as many as five years in prison, but was given a shorter sentence, The Associated Press reported. A plea deal with prosecutors led them to drop a misdemeanor charge of reckless storage of a firearm; they had suggested as little as six months in prison, but the judge did not have to follow that.

Taylor has remained behind bars after she pleaded guilty in June to a charge of using marijuana while owning a gun, which is illegal under federal law, and was sentenced last month to 21 months in prison.

Friday’s hearing winds down one aspect of the case, which stunned the city of Newport News, drew national attention to school safety and gun violence, and prompted the ouster of the schools superintendent and an assistant principal.

Authorities say first-grade teacher Abigail Zwerner was intentionally shot on Jan. 6 by one of her students at Richneck Elementary School, where she escorted her panicked class to safety. A bullet ripped through Zwerner’s left hand, rupturing bones before it lodged in her upper chest, leaving behind fragments. Three months after the classroom shooting, she filed a $40 million lawsuit against the school district claiming administators failed to listen to multiple warnings from staff and students that the child had a handgun.

More on Virginia teacher shooting

On the morning of the shooting, Taylor believed the gun was in her purse with the trigger lock installed and left on top of her bedroom dresser, according to a probable cause statement. She added that the key for the lock is kept under her bedroom mattress.

Marijuana was found during a court-ordered search of the home in the wake of the shooting, federal prosecutors said.

“A search of Taylor’s phone revealed numerous text messages illustrating the pervasive scope of Taylor’s marijuana use,” according to prosecutors, who also searched Taylor’s mother’s home. Meanwhile, “a lockbox was not found in either of the residences, nor was a trigger lock or key to a trigger lock ever found.”

As part of a care plan at the school, the boy’s parents were supposed to be with him daily, but were absent on the day of the shooting, officials said.

The child’s family has said that he has an “acute disability” and that he had received the “treatment he needs” under a court-ordered temporary detention at a medical facility.

In a sentencing memo on the federal drug charge, prosecutors offered new details in the family’s home life, including that the boy had twice stolen car keys from Taylor’s purse, even crashing it on one occassion. In addition, Taylor apparently fired her gun about a month before the shooting at Richneck in an agurment over whether her son’s father was cheating with another woman, according to text messages obtained by prosecutors.

James Ellenson, a lawyer for the family, has said the boy has been under the care of a great-grandfather, Calvin Taylor.

In a letter in support of Deja Taylor ahead of her sentencing in federal court, Calvin Taylor wrote that she is undergoing therapy and substance abuse counseling and continues to “feel horribly” with “great remorse.”

“Deja is and was a victim of abuse and domestic violence,” Calvin Taylor wrote. “No matter what the results of these circumstances are, Deja has shown resilience and the willpower to build a future for not only herself, but her son as well.”

The Newport News Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office said in March that her son, now 7, would not face charges given that a child that young wouldn’t have the competency to understand the legal system or adequately assist an attorney.

But aside from charges against Taylor, Newport News Commonwealth’s Attorney Howard Gwynn impaneled a special grand jury to determine if additional people could be held criminally responsible for the shooting. His office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the investigation’s status.

Zwerner, 26, was expected to attend Friday’s sentencing, her attorney’s law firm said.

She has said she suffers from anxiety and depression as a result of the shooting, and no longer wants to teach.

“The kindness of people close to me, and from those in far places I’ve never met, is proof that there is good in the world, and I will cling to that idea,” Zwerner said at Taylor’s sentencing last month in federal court. “Still, sadly, my life will never be close to the same again.”

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
Screenshot of President Biden appearing on The View.

Joe Biden Faces Criticism After Commenting on Kamala Harris and Making a Controversial Christianity Joke on The View

JOE Biden has been blasted for making a joke about Christianity as…
Yolanda Diaz Perez, Spanish Deputy Prime Minister, speaking to the media.

Spanish Deputy PM Survives Daytime Knife Attack; Suspect Tasered and Arrested by Police

SPAIN’S Deputy PM was targeted by a man brandishing knives in broad…
Friedrich Merz at a memorial service.

Germany to Implement Stricter Border Controls and Halt Entry for Undocumented Migrants, Ending Merkel’s Open-Door Policy

GERMANY’S new government will now turn away undocumented immigrants, scrapping former Chancellor…
Sports news: Chicago Stars FC forward Mallory Swanson, Chicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson expecting 1st child

Exciting Announcement in Sports: Chicago Stars FC’s Mallory Swanson and Chicago Cubs’ Dansby Swanson Expecting Their First Child

CHICAGO — Chicago Stars FC forward Mallory Swanson is expecting her first…
Winning: Trump Admin Announces Yuge Trade Pact with United Kingdom

Success: Trump Administration Unveils Major Trade Deal with the United Kingdom

The dominoes are starting to go down. Thursday, the president took to…
Bryan Kohberger hearing today: The latest pretrial developments in Idaho college murders case

Today’s Update on Bryan Kohberger: Recent Pretrial Progress in the Idaho Student Homicide Case

MOSCOW, Idaho — In the case involving Bryan Kohberger, accused of murdering…
Walmart store exterior with cars parked in front.

Snack Sold at Walmart & Target Recalled Due to Wood Contamination Risk

A POPULAR snack sold at major retailers has been recalled after a…
A family surveys the damage to their home after shelling.

Pakistan Pledges Retaliation After Indian Airstrikes as Tensions Soar Between Nuclear Powers

PAKISTAN have vowed to take revenge for “every drop” of blood spilt…
Black smoke signals no pope elected in morning conclave votes

Morning Conclave Votes Yield No Pope: Black Smoke Signals

On Thursday, black smoke emerged from the chimney above the Sistine Chapel…
Texas Dad Demands Justice After Daughter's Assault Sparks Katy ISD Controversy

Texas Father Seeks Justice Following Daughter’s Attack, Stirring Debate Within Katy ISD

Danny Gianfrancesco is determined to speak out and is continually seeking justice…
Papal conclave: Eventual new pope's chosen name may signal what's ahead

Papal Selection: Future Pope’s Chosen Name Might Indicate Future Directions

Once a new pope is voted in, the name he chooses could…
John Bolton and Stephanie Grisham listen as President Trump meets with the Amir of Qatar in the Oval Office.

Ex-US Official Warns: Iran Targets Trump, Hiring Western Hitmen to Eliminate Adversaries

DONALD Trump is right “at the top” of Iran’s chilling assassination hit…