Deja Taylor, the mother of the 6-year-old boy who shot his teacher at Richneck Elementary School in January, has been charged with federal firearms offenses. She is accused of lying on a firearms transaction form when she purchased a gun in 2022. Taylor is also facing state charges of felony child neglect and misdemeanor child endangerment.
According to court documents, Taylor answered “no” to the question on the firearms form, “Are you an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana or any depressant, stimulant, narcotic drug, or any other controlled substance?” However, prosecutors allege that Taylor is actually a marijuana user. Marijuana is legal in Virginia, but it is still illegal under federal law.
The tweet below confirms the news:
Mother of 6-year-old who shot Richneck Elementary teacher now facing federal charges https://t.co/ffSXEFB3Vh via @13NewsNow
— Tariq Nasheed 🇺🇸 (@tariqnasheed) June 5, 2023
Taylor’s son shot first-grade teacher Abby Zwerner on January 6 inside her classroom. The boy had access to the gun that his mother had purchased. Zwerner was seriously injured in the shooting, but she survived.
Taylor’s attorney has said that she will plead guilty to the federal charges. The terms of the plea agreement have not been released, but it is expected that Taylor will be sentenced to prison.
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Taylor’s attorney, James Ellenson, issued a statement Monday afternoon saying his client will plead guilty to the federal charges:
Deja Taylor will enter guilty pleas to the charges that were filed today as an information by the U.S. Attorneys’ office of the Eastern District of Virginia. The information was an agreed procedure which eliminated the need for the government to take the case to a grand jury. Our action follows very constructive negotiations we had with federal authorities. The terms of the agreement, which we believe to be fair to all parties, will be disclosed when we enter the guilty plea. That should occur later this week or next.
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