Deja Nicole Taylor, the mother of the 6-year-old shooter at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia, is seen after her arraignment at the Newport News Circuit Court on April 14, 2023. (Stephen M. Katz/The Virginian-Pilot/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Deja Taylor started 2023 with her six-year-old son shooting his first-grade teacher, Abigail ‘Abby’ Zwerner. Now, she’s ended it facing nearly four years in prison for related charges.
As The Shade Room previously reported, Taylor’s son shot Abby on Jan. 6 at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia. The teacher survived injuries to the chest and hand. In April, she sued the Newport News School Board and school district officials, like the former superintendent.
While Zwerner didn’t name Deja Taylor in her suit, law enforcement officials brought charges against the mother. Her son was not charged in the incident.
Taylor was apologetic early on in the incident. Speaking to ABC’s ‘Good Morning America’ in May, she took accountability and apologized on her son’s behalf.
Taylor said: “That is my son, so I am, as a parent, obviously willing to take responsibility for him because he can’t take responsibility for himself.”
Prosecutors pursued Deja for cannabis use while owning a handgun after police established “frequent drug use” in their investigation. Days before Thanksgiving, Taylor got sentenced to 21 months in federal prison for the offense, per AP. In court, her lawyer read a statement from her in which she admitted she’ll be remorseful “for the rest of [her] life.”
According to CBS News, Judge Christopher Papile added another two years to her time behind bars on Friday (Dec. 16). This time, it’s for felony child neglect related to her six-year-old gaining access to a loaded weapon and then using it to cause bodily harm.
The child previously disclosed that he took the 9mm handgun from the top of Deja Taylor’s dresser by climbing onto a drawer the night before the shooting. He took it inside the Virginia school by carrying it in his backpack. Taylor reportedly told police she had a trigger lock on the weapon. However, their investigation reportedly didn’t uncover any.
CBS reports that Deja Taylor’s lawyers and the prosecutors agreed to a six-month joint sentence in the plea deal. With both charges, she settled for a guilty plea. Still, the judge opted for a harsher punishment.
Meanwhile, Abby Zwerner is standing on suing the school board — no mention of involving Taylor yet. Instead, Abby’s lawyer said their focus is “holding the school system accountable.”
No word from Deja on how she feels about the sentence.
