VA - 6-YEAR-OLD in custody after shooting teacher, Newport News, Jan 2023 *mom charged* #2

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sds71 said:
Deja Taylor, the mother of the 6-year-old student accused of shooting teacher Abby Zwerner at Richneck Elementary School in January, has plead guilty to federal gun and drug charges in court Monday…


On January 19, federal agents executeda court-ordered search of Taylor’s home, during which agents discovered narcotics packaging, narcotics paraphernalia, marijuana, marijuana edible packaging, a box of ammunition, and a black firearm barrel lock, court documents explain.

Agents also searched the home of Taylor’s mother, where Taylor was residing at the time, and found about 24.5 grams of marijuana, marijuana edible packaging, and marijuana paraphernalia. A search of Taylor’s phone revealed numerous text messages illustrating the pervasive scope of Taylor’s marijuana use. A lockbox was not found in either of the residences, nor was a trigger lock or key to a trigger lock ever found, court records showed.

Several marijuana edibles that looked like rice treats were found inside the vehicle directly next to the child, police records claim. A backpack belonging to another person in the vehicle was found to contain numerous individually packaged marijuana rice treats, gummies containing THC, suspected crack cocaine, two large bags of marijuana, two packages of “BackpackBoyz” marijuana from California, suspected oxycodone pills, green plant material, a smoking device, and more edibles.

Digital scales were also found inside the vehicle. Taylor’s purse was searched, and marijuana edibles and three unknown white pills were found. During that traffic stop, Taylor was advised of her Mirandarights, and she denied all knowledge of drugs inside the vehicle, according to police reports detailed in court

The investigation also uncovered a police report from the Williamsburg Police Department which claims that on Saturday April 3, 2021, Taylor was pulled over during a traffic stop in a vehicle with two other persons, including her child, who was 4 years old at the time. The Williamsburg Police officer conducting the stop say that they detected an overwhelming smell of marijuana coming from the vehicle and marijuana was in plain view inside the vehicle.

Taylor pleaded guilty to being an unlawful user of controlled substance in possession of a firearm and making a false statement during purchase of a firearm and is scheduled to be sentenced on October 18.


http://wtkr3.co/3p7ko7T
Click to expand...
Golly gee, I bet everyone is shocked.
Of course they didn't find a lockbox, trigger or lock or key to one. She was too stoned to bother.
Of course now I have to wonder, why did it take this long for all of this to come out?
 
Ontario Mom said:
Golly gee, I bet everyone is shocked.
Of course they didn't find a lockbox, trigger or lock or key to one. She was too stoned to bother.
Of course now I have to wonder, why did it take this long for all of this to come out?
Click to expand...

I wonder if little boy was drug tested for THC? Was he ever ingesting edible krispie treats and or gummies (which were found in the back seat)? We will never know...

Also, now we can maybe figure out how/why they bypassed Dejas' mother, and moved on to grandpa for custody....

Kid didn't stand a chance at improving with that upbringing, IMO
 
sds71 said:
Deja Taylor, the mother of the 6-year-old student accused of shooting teacher Abby Zwerner at Richneck Elementary School in January, has plead guilty to federal gun and drug charges in court Monday…


On January 19, federal agents executeda court-ordered search of Taylor’s home, during which agents discovered narcotics packaging, narcotics paraphernalia, marijuana, marijuana edible packaging, a box of ammunition, and a black firearm barrel lock, court documents explain.

Agents also searched the home of Taylor’s mother, where Taylor was residing at the time, and found about 24.5 grams of marijuana, marijuana edible packaging, and marijuana paraphernalia. A search of Taylor’s phone revealed numerous text messages illustrating the pervasive scope of Taylor’s marijuana use. A lockbox was not found in either of the residences, nor was a trigger lock or key to a trigger lock ever found, court records showed.

Several marijuana edibles that looked like rice treats were found inside the vehicle directly next to the child, police records claim. A backpack belonging to another person in the vehicle was found to contain numerous individually packaged marijuana rice treats, gummies containing THC, suspected crack cocaine, two large bags of marijuana, two packages of “BackpackBoyz” marijuana from California, suspected oxycodone pills, green plant material, a smoking device, and more edibles.

Digital scales were also found inside the vehicle. Taylor’s purse was searched, and marijuana edibles and three unknown white pills were found. During that traffic stop, Taylor was advised of her Mirandarights, and she denied all knowledge of drugs inside the vehicle, according to police reports detailed in court

The investigation also uncovered a police report from the Williamsburg Police Department which claims that on Saturday April 3, 2021, Taylor was pulled over during a traffic stop in a vehicle with two other persons, including her child, who was 4 years old at the time. The Williamsburg Police officer conducting the stop say that they detected an overwhelming smell of marijuana coming from the vehicle and marijuana was in plain view inside the vehicle.

Taylor pleaded guilty to being an unlawful user of controlled substance in possession of a firearm and making a false statement during purchase of a firearm and is scheduled to be sentenced on October 18.


http://wtkr3.co/3p7ko7T
Click to expand...
Great find, thank you! Lots of info in this article that is news to me.

I do suggest reading directly at the link, tho. The order in which the info is presented here is a bit confusing, and I inferred things were not accurate.
 
Last edited:
Ontario Mom said:
Golly gee, I bet everyone is shocked.
Of course they didn't find a lockbox, trigger or lock or key to one. She was too stoned to bother.
Of course now I have to wonder, why did it take this long for all of this to come out?
Click to expand...
Just jumping off on your comment @Ontario Mom, not necessarily directed at you.

It is totally MOO that the gun was not locked in any way.
The article does state that a “barrel lock” was recovered. Obviously it was no longer (or never had been) attached to the gun.
My question is, why is so much being made of the fact that no “trigger lock” was recovered? Is there a reason a trigger lock would be preferable to a barrel lock (if used)? Is there a law regarding trigger locks specifically?
 
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www.justice.gov

Owner of Firearm Used in Shooting of Newport News Teacher Pleads Guilty to Unlawful Firearm Possession

A Newport News woman pleaded guilty today to illegally obtaining and possessing a firearm and making a false statement on a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) form to purchase the firearm.
www.justice.gov www.justice.gov

PRESS RELEASE

Owner of Firearm Used in Shooting of Newport News Teacher Pleads Guilty to Unlawful Firearm Possession​


Monday, June 12, 2023
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For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Virginia
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Newport News woman pleaded guilty today to illegally obtaining and possessing a firearm and making a false statement on a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) form to purchase the firearm.
“It is clear from this case that enforcement of our existing federal firearm laws is critical to ensuring public safety,” said Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Federal requirements for firearm ownership are not optional and exist to protect owners, their family members, and the communities where they live. Failing to abide by those requirements when purchasing or possessing a firearm can have far-reaching consequences.”
“The safety of our communities is one of my utmost concerns and our efforts will always reflect that. I want to be clear, anyone that is an unlawful user of or addicted to controlled substances such as marijuana are prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition under federal law,” said ATF Washington Field Division Special Agent in Charge Craig B. Kailimai. “ATF will continue to collaborate with our local, state, and federal partners to ensure that people who violate this condition of firearm ownership are held accountable for their actions.”
According to court documents, on January 6, 2023, a six-year-old male child, John Doe, shot and severely injured a first grade Richneck Elementary School teacher with a Taurus, Model PT111, G2A, 9mm, semiautomatic handgun. Shortly thereafter, agents from the ATF conducted a trace on the firearm used in that incident, which revealed that the firearm was purchased by Deja Nicole Taylor, 25, on July 19, 2022. On January 19, federal agents executed a court-ordered search of Taylor’s home, during which agents discovered narcotics packaging, narcotics paraphernalia, marijuana, marijuana edible packaging, a box of ammunition, and a black firearm barrel lock. Agents also searched the home of Taylor’s mother, where Taylor was residing at the time, and found approximately 24.5 grams of marijuana, marijuana edible packaging, and marijuana paraphernalia. A search of Taylor’s phone revealed numerous text messages illustrating the pervasive scope of Taylor’s marijuana use. A lockbox was not found in either of the residences, nor was a trigger lock or key to a trigger lock ever found.
The investigation also uncovered a police report from the Williamsburg Police Department which stated that on Saturday April 3, 2021, Taylor was pulled over during a traffic stop in a vehicle with two other persons, including John Doe, who was four years old at the time. The Williamsburg Police officer conducting the stop detected an overwhelming odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle and marijuana was in plain view inside the vehicle. Several marijuana edibles that looked like rice treats were found inside the vehicle directly next to John Doe. A backpack claimed by another person in the vehicle was found to contain numerous individually packaged marijuana rice treats, gummies containing THC, suspected crack cocaine, two large bags of marijuana, two packages of “BackpackBoyz” marijuana from California, suspected oxycodone pills, green plant material, a smoking device, and more edibles. Digital scales were also found inside the vehicle. Taylor’s purse was searched, and marijuana edibles and three unknown white pills were found. During that traffic stop, Taylor was advised of her Miranda rights, and she denied all knowledge of drugs inside the vehicle.
On July 19, 2022, Taylor purchased the Taurus handgun used in the shooting. She was required by law to complete the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Firearms Transaction Record, ATF Form 4473. She falsely stated on this form that she was not an unlawful user of marijuana or other controlled substances.
Taylor pleaded guilty to being an unlawful user of controlled substance in possession of a firearm and making a false statement during purchase of a firearm and is scheduled to be sentenced on October 18. She faces a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Craig B. Kailimai, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Washington Field Division, made the announcement after U.S. Magistrate Judge Douglas E. Miller accepted the plea.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lisa McKeel and Peter Osyf are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:23-cr-45.
Contact
USAVAE.Press@usdoj.gov
 
jjonez said:
Just jumping off on your comment @Ontario Mom, not necessarily directed at you.

It is totally MOO that the gun was not locked in any way.
The article does state that a “barrel lock” was recovered. Obviously it was no longer (or never had been) attached to the gun.
My question is, why is so much being made of the fact that no “trigger lock” was recovered? Is there a reason a trigger lock would be preferable to a barrel lock (if used)? Is there a law regarding trigger locks specifically?
Click to expand...

Lawful firearms owner here. I've never used a barrel lock. Mr. Laughing is/was a physics teacher -- retired now. Likely one could load & fire a firearm with a barrel lock -- which would explode in your hand and injure or kill you. Do you know that the barrel lock mentioned was actually for a firearm? I'm familiar with cable locks & trigger locks, but never noticed a barrel lock in a firearm?

To use the indoor range at Bass Pro Shops, you stop at a counter directly inside the door, open your case, use your key and remove your trigger lock. The employee puts a specific trigger lock on your firearm. At the range, the employee there removes that trigger lock & sends you onto the range. As you leave the range, the procedure is reversed. I have not been to every location or every indoor range, but have seen similar processes in other ranges.

IMHO, if there was an advantage to a barrel lock, a large organization operating multiple ranges would use them.

Trigger locks, locked cases, and gun safes around here. Yup.

jmho ymmv lrr
 
Laughing said:
Lawful firearms owner here. I've never used a barrel lock. Mr. Laughing is/was a physics teacher -- retired now. Likely one could load & fire a firearm with a barrel lock -- which would explode in your hand and injure or kill you. Do you know that the barrel lock mentioned was actually for a firearm? I'm familiar with cable locks & trigger locks, but never noticed a barrel lock in a firearm?

To use the indoor range at Bass Pro Shops, you stop at a counter directly inside the door, open your case, use your key and remove your trigger lock. The employee puts a specific trigger lock on your firearm. At the range, the employee there removes that trigger lock & sends you onto the range. As you leave the range, the procedure is reversed. I have not been to every location or every indoor range, but have seen similar processes in other ranges.

IMHO, if there was an advantage to a barrel lock, a large organization operating multiple ranges would use them.

Trigger locks, locked cases, and gun safes around here. Yup.

jmho ymmv lrr
Click to expand...
Thank you so much for your response.

In response to your question, it was a “black firearm barrel lock”.
www.justice.gov

Owner of Firearm Used in Shooting of Newport News Teacher Pleads Guilty to Unlawful Firearm Possession

A Newport News woman pleaded guilty today to illegally obtaining and possessing a firearm and making a false statement on a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) form to purchase the firearm.
www.justice.gov www.justice.gov

When I looked up barrel locks, it did not appear, to me, possible that one could load & fire a firearm with a barrel lock in place. At all. Hence my confusion. I would think that either type of lock, if used properly, would do the job. Totally MOO.
 
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sds71 said:
Deja Taylor, the mother of the 6-year-old student accused of shooting teacher Abby Zwerner at Richneck Elementary School in January, has plead guilty to federal gun and drug charges in court Monday…


On January 19, federal agents executeda court-ordered search of Taylor’s home, during which agents discovered narcotics packaging, narcotics paraphernalia, marijuana, marijuana edible packaging, a box of ammunition, and a black firearm barrel lock, court documents explain.

Agents also searched the home of Taylor’s mother, where Taylor was residing at the time, and found about 24.5 grams of marijuana, marijuana edible packaging, and marijuana paraphernalia. A search of Taylor’s phone revealed numerous text messages illustrating the pervasive scope of Taylor’s marijuana use. A lockbox was not found in either of the residences, nor was a trigger lock or key to a trigger lock ever found, court records showed.

Several marijuana edibles that looked like rice treats were found inside the vehicle directly next to the child, police records claim. A backpack belonging to another person in the vehicle was found to contain numerous individually packaged marijuana rice treats, gummies containing THC, suspected crack cocaine, two large bags of marijuana, two packages of “BackpackBoyz” marijuana from California, suspected oxycodone pills, green plant material, a smoking device, and more edibles.

Digital scales were also found inside the vehicle. Taylor’s purse was searched, and marijuana edibles and three unknown white pills were found. During that traffic stop, Taylor was advised of her Mirandarights, and she denied all knowledge of drugs inside the vehicle, according to police reports detailed in court

The investigation also uncovered a police report from the Williamsburg Police Department which claims that on Saturday April 3, 2021, Taylor was pulled over during a traffic stop in a vehicle with two other persons, including her child, who was 4 years old at the time. The Williamsburg Police officer conducting the stop say that they detected an overwhelming smell of marijuana coming from the vehicle and marijuana was in plain view inside the vehicle.

Taylor pleaded guilty to being an unlawful user of controlled substance in possession of a firearm and making a false statement during purchase of a firearm and is scheduled to be sentenced on October 18.


http://wtkr3.co/3p7ko7T
Click to expand...
Is there an innocent reason for the scales that I'm just not seeing? Because scales in that context doesn't say 'personal use' to me, it says distribution. And given the mention of her phone, I'm wondering if they have evidence for that on there.

(I have seen scales like that in an innocent context, two actually. Looseleaf tea, and fibre for spinning into yarn. But both of those were businesses that were selling things that required precise measurement that weren't full of drugs and drug paraphernalia.)

MOO
 
Possible Sentencing on Federal Crim Charges?
Simply Southern said:
Wonder if she has a plea deal in this charge?
www.nbc12.com

Mother of 6-year-old who shot teacher pleads guilty to using marijuana while having a firearm

Federal authorities allege the woman knew “she was an unlawful user” of marijuana when she bought the gun last year and denied her use on the form, court documents stated.
www.nbc12.com www.nbc12.com
.....
The federal case against Taylor, who is Black, carries up to 25 years, although sentencing guidelines call for 18 months to 24 months in prison, her lawyers said. She faces up to six years in prison if she is convicted on the state charges.
Click to expand...
@Simply Southern

Does anyone think, re fed. sentence, def't. might be sent to bed without her dinner?
[wink wink]
Just wondering.

_________________________
BTW @Simply Southern
Thank you for your informative posts re VA. schools gen'ly & this case. Gotta think your involvement w your local schools and their operations has benefitted many.
 
al66pine said:
Possible Sentencing on Federal Crim Charges?

@Simply Southern

Does anyone think, re fed. sentence, def't. might be sent to bed without her dinner?
[wink wink]
Just wondering.

_________________________
BTW @Simply Southern
Thank you for your informative posts re VA. schools gen'ly & this case. Gotta think your involvement w your local schools and their operations has benefitted many.
Click to expand...

Yup, I do believe she will receive a bare min 18 months. Will the local DA accept a plea, possible probation? Not a lot of faith in NN DA.

Both attorneys repeating stating the mother is not at fault makes me nauseous.
Moo....
 
www.pilotonline.com

Richneck shooter’s mother pleads guilty to federal gun, marijuana charges

Deja Nicole Taylor, whose son shot 25-year-old Abby Zwerner in her first-grade classroom on Jan. 6, pleaded guilty in Newport News federal court to a felony charge of having a firearm while also po…
www.pilotonline.com www.pilotonline.com

....
The charges carry a maximum prison term of 25 years, but prosecutors have agreed to ask for a sentence of no more than two years. Federal sentencing guidelines, which are discretionary on judges, call for a sentence of 18-24 months.
“This does not bound the sentencing judge,” U.S. Magistrate Judge Douglas Miller told Taylor. “The court can impose the sentence above or below the guideline range if it wants to.”

Miller’s comments came after the prosecution and defense disagreed over whether the plea deal would lock the sentencing judge to a two-year cap. While the defense wanted a hard cap, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lisa McKeel and Peter Osyf held firm that while they wouldn’t ask for more than two years, the judge could go higher if he saw fit.
The disagreement appeared at first to jeopardize the plea agreement, with one of Taylor’s attorneys, James Ellenson, telling Miller the case might need to go trial. “We may have to try this because I don’t think we have a meeting of the minds,” he told the judge.

But Eugene Rossi, another of Taylor’s lawyers with the Washington firm of Carlton Fields, put his arm around Taylor and whispered in her ear for several moments, apparently urging her to go forward without the hard cap. Taylor nodded, then went back to the podium and pleaded guilty to both charges.
Chief U.S. District Judge Mark S. Davis will sentence Taylor on Oct. 18.
“I think we’re going to get a very fair shake,” Rossi told the media after the hearing. “I really believe at the end of the day, Deja Taylor will get justice and compassion.”
.....
The statement said that agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, or ATF, found “copious amounts of marijuana” in their investigation. That included in Taylor’s purse, bedrooms at two homes and a trash bag that had been taken from her car.
....
That was a lie, the statement of facts says. “Taylor admits that she was a daily user of marijuana and marijuana products for approximately 11 years,” the statement said. “The defendant admits that her chronic use of marijuana was not recreational, and it affected her behavior.”
Her cellphone messages “illustrated the pervasive scope of Taylor’s marijuana use,” the statement added.
Moreover, the statement of facts also calls into question assertions Ellenson previously made about how Taylor stored the weapon.
Ellenson has said Taylor has maintained she kept the gun secured by a trigger lock, a mechanism that prevents the weapon from being fired. She also asserted the handgun was stored on the top shelf of a bedroom closet, out of the child’s reach.
But “a lockbox was not found” in Taylor’s bedrooms at either her mother or grandfather’s house, the statement said. “Nor was a trigger lock or key to a trigger lock ever found.” On the other hand, a gun “barrel lock” was among the items Taylor’s grandfather retrieved from Taylor’s car when it broke down a few weeks before the shooting.
Ellenson on Monday declined to comment on the apparent discrepancy. Diane Toscano, one of Zwerner’s attorneys in a pending civil lawsuit against the school system, said Ellenson’s prior statement that the gun was secured “defied common sense.”
“Now we know it also defied the evidence,” she said.
....
 
Simply Southern said:
That was a lie, the statement of facts says. “Taylor admits that she was a daily user of marijuana and marijuana products for approximately 11 years,” the statement said. “The defendant admits that her chronic use of marijuana was not recreational, and it affected her behavior.”
Click to expand...
RSBM

Her son is six. No mention of her getting sober when she got pregnant. :(
 
A 2019 study that looked at the children when they were 9 and 10 found the same association between prenatal cannabis and behavioral issues. It also showed that children exposed to cannabis in utero tended to have lower birth weight, lower brain volume and lower white matter volume.
New evidence shows kids whose mothers used cannabis in pregnancy have mental health risks

Prenatal cannabis exposure following the middle of the first trimester—generally after five to six weeks of fetal development—is associated with attention, social, and behavioral problems that persist as the affected children progress into early adolescence (11 and 12 years of age), according to new research supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health. These conditions may put these children at a greater risk of mental health disorders and substance use in late adolescence, when youth are typically most vulnerable to these disorders and behaviors.
Prenatal cannabis exposure associated with mental disorders in children that persist into early adolescence

This study suggests that prenatal cannabis exposure after maternal knowledge of pregnancy is associated with a small elevation in risk for psychopathology during childhood (Table 2 and Table 3). That these associations were robust to the inclusion of potentially confounding variables increases the plausibility that prenatal cannabis exposure may be independently associated with psychopathology risk in children. In contrast to increasingly permissive attitudes surrounding cannabis use among pregnant mothers45 and suggestions by dispensaries to use cannabis to combat pregnancy-related nausea,46 our findings align with recent recommendations by the US Surgeon General14 regarding the potential association of in utero cannabis exposure with outcomes in children.
[snip]
children prenatally exposed to cannabis after maternal knowledge of pregnancy had elevated externalizing, attention, and social problems.
Associations Between Prenatal Cannabis Exposure and Adverse Childhood Outcomes
 
Ontario Mom said:
Golly gee, I bet everyone is shocked.
Of course they didn't find a lockbox, trigger or lock or key to one. She was too stoned to bother.
Of course now I have to wonder, why did it take this long for all of this to come out?
Click to expand...
Who didn't see this coming? I just wonder why school officials allowed this to happen on their watch. It's ridiculous all the 'safeguards' warnings, and alarms this 6 year old was able to bypass in order to point that pew pew at Abby Zwerner. It stinks to high heaven. MOO
 
So... stoner mom lies to buy a gun, that isn't kept secured, that her kid then takes to school and shoots the teacher, then stoner mom lies about the gun being secured, and the teacher who gets shot, also gets fired.

If anyone ever needed proof we're living in the Upside Down, there ya go. This is absolutely nuts.

jmo
 
Ontario Mom said:
So... stoner mom lies to buy a gun, that isn't kept secured, that her kid then takes to school and shoots the teacher, then stoner mom lies about the gun being secured, and the teacher who gets shot, also gets fired.

If anyone ever needed proof we're living in the Upside Down, there ya go. This is absolutely nuts.

jmo
Click to expand...
I think they all were in cahoots with each other. They had it out for Abby. MOO
 
iamshadow21 said:
Is there an innocent reason for the scales that I'm just not seeing? Because scales in that context doesn't say 'personal use' to me, it says distribution. And given the mention of her phone, I'm wondering if they have evidence for that on there.

(I have seen scales like that in an innocent context, two actually. Looseleaf tea, and fibre for spinning into yarn. But both of those were businesses that were selling things that required precise measurement that weren't full of drugs and drug paraphernalia.)

MOO
Click to expand...

There's been no mention of what she does for a living or the biological father of the child, so yeah anything is possible. If both parents had to attend school every day when did the mother work evenings/nights?
 
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