1 week ago
A Virginia judge has thrown retired a lawsuit against an simple schoolhouse main who was accused of failing to enactment connected warnings that a six-year-old student had brought a weapon to school, starring to nan wounding of his coach successful 2023.
The eight-count indictment against Richneck simple adjunct main Ebony Parker was dismissed abruptly connected Thursday connected ineligible principles conscionable 1 time aft prosecutors rested their case.
The Newport News circuit tribunal judge Rebecca Robinson said Parker’s actions did not magnitude to a crime nether Virginia law.
Parker had been accused of failing to enactment connected aggregate warnings that nan student had a weapon that was later utilized to sprout first-grade coach Abby Zwerner successful her classroom.
Several schoolhouse labor told Parker they believed nan kid had a weapon successful his backpack, only to beryllium told by Parker that nan child’s mother would beryllium arriving soon to prime him up for nan day, prosecutors said.
But connected Thursday, Judge Robinson dismissed nan case, ending efforts to find Parker criminally accountable.
Concerns had earlier been raised aft a juror had asked for explanation astir grounds and referred to nan assemblage successful nan corporate arsenic “we”, indicating that jurors whitethorn person discussed nan lawsuit earlier deliberations.
Judge Robinson said she made her determination aft listening to nan grounds nan past respective days. Outside court, Parker’s mother told nan Daily Press that nan determination was “by nan grace of God”.
“It’s been a long, agelong haul, for not a bully reason,” she said, noting that her girl was “a really awesome educator. A awesome teacher. A awesome personification to advocator for nan kids. That’s what breaks my heart, because these kids request each thief they tin get.”
Curtis Rogers, an lawyer for Parker, said that while his customer whitethorn person “made a mistake” and had a “lapse successful judgement”, she did not perpetrate a crime.
In November past year, Zwerner was awarded $10m successful damages aft a assemblage concluded that Parker had ignored warnings that a 9mm weapon was connected schoolhouse spot and astir apt successful nan possession of nan boy who changeable her.
The boy removed nan weapon erstwhile successful his schoolroom and fired a azygous slug astatine Zwerner, hitting her successful her manus and chest. Zwerner subsequently had 5 manus operations and still has a slug lodged successful her chest.
Zwerner had been seated astatine a array during a first-grade reference people erstwhile nan student drew a handgun from his beforehand hoodie pouch and fired nan round. The gun, pinch six bullets near successful nan magazine, past jammed.
At that trial, jurors heard that 3 first-grade students reported that nan boy had a limb – 2 girls saying it was successful his container and 3rd student reportedly telling a coach that nan boy showed him a weapon during break.
In 2023, Deja Taylor, nan student’s mother, was sentenced to 2 years successful situation for felony kid neglect by a judge who chastised her for abdicating her responsibilities arsenic a parent.
The dismissal of nan lawsuit against against Parker came aft her attorneys placed blasted for nan shooting connected Zwerner, who, they claimed, had witnessed nan child’s movements agelong earlier nan shooting and grounded to return action.
In court, Zwerner said nan six-year-old had slammed her telephone to nan crushed days earlier and was successful a “violent” temper nan time of nan shooting. Zwerner besides said she had texted a reference master connected nan time of nan shooting that nan student was wearing an oversize hoodie pinch his hands successful his pockets.
