Deja Taylor, the mother of the 6-year-old who shot his first-grade teacher in January, pleaded guilty to a charge of felony child neglect Tuesday which carries a maximum of five years in prison.
However with taking a plea agreement, prosecutors say they will not seek a punishment beyond six months. As we previously shared, Taylor turned herself in to authorities back in April. According to the NY Post, Taylor was formally charged with felony child neglect and a misdemeanor count of recklessly leaving a loaded gun to endanger a child. Taylor’s attorney, James Ellenson recently spoke with the Associated Press and said, “She is nervous and scared because she has never been charged before, but she is holding up well.” he stated. Ellenson also said his client wants to reach a plea agreement with prosecutors and hopes they will consider what he called “mitigating circumstances.” He cited a number of miscarriages the woman had, including one following an ectopic pregnancy that resulted in a hospital stay in January 2022.
“We’re looking forward to working collaboratively with the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office to resolve the charges,”Ellenson said, adding that he is hoping for “something that is fair, something that is just.” Also the Newport News Commonwealth’s Attorney, Howard Gwynn announced that there won’t be any crime charges against the 6-year-old who shot his teacher. Gwynn said that he does not believe the law supports charging a 6-year-old child with aggravated assault.
“The general consensus [among experts across the country] is that a 6-year-old cannot form the requisite criminal intent to be guilty of an aggravated assault,” Gwynn said over the phone with 13News Now. “I think it is problematical to assume that a 6-year-old understands the criminal justice system enough to be competent to stand trial.”
But Gwynn said that he does not believe there is a legal basis to charge a child and that his office, after receiving the case in February from Newport News police, is spending their time focusing on others. “Our objective is not just to do something as quickly as possible,” Gwynn said. “Once we analyze all the facts, we will charge any person or persons that we believe we can prove beyond a reasonable doubt committed a crime.”
The post Mother Of 6-Year-Old Boy Who Shot His Teacher Pleads Guilty To Felony Child Neglect appeared first on Hollywood Unlocked .