NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — The mother of the 6-year-old Richneck Elementary School student who shot his teacher earlier this year pleaded guilty to federal firearms charges on Monday, after which prosecutors released new details about the investigation.
Prosecutors say the investigation into the firearm used during the school shooting on January 6 led them to search two residences where 25-year-old Deja Taylor was living. There they found drugs and drug paraphernalia, as well as a firearm barrel lock. They did not find a lockbox, a trigger lock, or a key to a trigger lock.
Taylor's defense attorneys have previously stated that the gun used by her son in the Richneck shooting was secured with a trigger lock.
Taylor and her family wouldn't say a word as they walked out of the courthouse side-by-side minutes after the hearing concluded.
Deja Taylor's Monday plea hearing on federal firearms charges
Taylor pleaded guilty Monday to two charges: illegally obtaining and possessing a firearm and making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm.
After her guilty plea, prosecutors recommended a sentence of 18 to 24 months. The maximum penalty for the charges is 25 years in prison. A judge will consider both and evaluate the evidence before deciding her sentence at an October 18 hearing.
The magistrate judge who lead Monday's hearing said he anticipates the judge handling this case will agree with the recommendation.
Until then, Taylor must continue to reside at her mother's home and not travel outside the Eastern District of Virginia, according to a bond agreement she signed Monday.
In the initial aftermath of the Richneck Elementary shooting, police said the boy’s mother legally purchased the gun.
But, according to prosecutors, Taylor made a false claim on the firearms transaction form she filled out when she bought a 9mm handgun in 2022. Section G of that form asks, "Are you an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana or any depressant, stimulant, narcotic drug, or any other controlled substance?"
Prosecutors said Taylor lied when she answered no, and that she was actually a marijuana user.
While marijuana is legal in Virginia, the form notes that "the use or possession of marijuana remains unlawful under Federal law regardless of whether it has been legalized or decriminalized for medicinal or recreational purposes in the state where you reside."
“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, in a Department of Justice press release after Monday's hearing.
“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," she said.
One of Taylor's attorneys, Gene Rossi, spoke to reporters outside the courthouse shortly after the hearing.
"I want to stress Ms. Taylor -- her role on this tragedy -- is an accident and complete mistake. However, she takes full responsibility for the actions of her son and feels tremendous guilt," said Rossi. "We now move on to the sentencing where we're going to ask the court a fair level of compassion."
New details of Richneck Elementary Shooting investigation from Department of Justice
In a Department of Justice statement released by prosecutors after Monday's hearing, new details were revealed about the investigation following the January 6 shooting at Rickneck Elementary.
According to the release, federal agents executed a court-ordered search on January 19 at Taylor’s home and her mother's home, where Taylor was living at the time. They found narcotics packaging, narcotics paraphernalia, marijuana, marijuana edible packaging, a box of ammunition, and a black firearm barrel lock.
The agents did not find a lockbox, a trigger lock, or a key to a trigger lock.
A search of Taylor’s phone also revealed many text messages "illustrating the pervasive scope of Taylor’s marijuana use," the DOJ release stated.
The investigation also uncovered an April 2021 police report that showed Taylor was pulled over by Williamsburg police with two other people in the vehicle, including her then 4-year-old son, and a plethora of drugs and drug paraphernalia.
Police could smell marijuana and see it in plain sight inside the vehicle, according to the DOJ release. They also found digital scales, "marijuana edibles that looked like rice treats" inside the car directly next to her son, and marijuana edibles inside Taylor's purse.
The DOJ release also states that the third person in the car had a backpack containing 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.
During that traffic stop, prosecutors say Taylor was advised of her Miranda rights, and she denied all knowledge of drugs inside the vehicle.