Taylor, 26, pleaded guilty to a single count of felony neglect in August. As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors agreed to drop a misdemeanor count of recklessly storing a firearm.
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP) — The mother of a 6-year-old boy
“Who knows what the effects were on that teenage brain?” he said.
Ellenson said earlier this year there were “ mitigating circumstances,” including Taylor’s miscarriages and postpartum depression. She also has been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, a condition sharing symptoms with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, according to court documents.
Taylor told ABC’s “Good Morning America” in May that she feels responsible and apologized to Zwerner.
“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,” Taylor said.
During her sentencing in federal court last month, one of Taylor’s attorneys read aloud a brief statement in which Taylor said she would feel remorse “for the rest of my life.”
After the shooting, the boy told a reading specialist who restrained him, “I shot that (expletive) dead,” and “I got my mom’s gun last night,” according to search warrants.
Zwerner is suing Newport News Public Schools for $40 million, alleging administrators ignored multiple warnings the boy had a gun at school the day of the shooting.
During the sentencing hearing Friday, Zwerner recalled the shooting, telling the judge: “I was not sure whether it would be my final moment on earth.”
She said she suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression, and has difficulty sleeping.
“The shooting has instilled many fears in me that will remain forever,” she said.
She said she will not return to teaching because she’s now afraid to work with children.
“Now, at 26 years old, what am I supposed to do?” she said.
She added, “My life will never be close to the same again.”
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