Deja Taylor, the mother of the 6-year-old boy who made headlines after shooting his elementary school teacher in Virginia is now in custody. Taylor was arrested on child neglect and weapons charge Thursday after she turned herself in to authorities.
Photos of the 25-year-old mom quickly surfaced online after The Newport News Police Department revealed her booking photo. 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.
RELATED:Mother of Boy Who Shot Virginia Teacher Charged In Connection To Case
Taylor attorney, James Ellenson 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.”
As we previously reported, The Newport News Commonwealth’s Attorney, Howard Gwynn announced that there won’t be any crimes 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 mother of a 6-year-old Virginia boy who shot his first-grade teacher inside a classroom earlier this year has been arrested, the Newport News Police Department says. https://t.co/nR0VtXD1zP
— FOX 5 DC (@fox5dc) April 14, 2023