GWINNETT COUNTY, GA — Advocates and community members gathered outside the Gwinnett County Jail in support of a mother charged in the hot car death of her 1-year-old son.
Deja Coleman’s attorneys are pushing for a bond hearing this week in hopes that she can be released from jail and attend her son Daniel’s funeral Saturday.
Coleman’s attorney, Tom Ford, has said she was distracted and sleep-deprived when her son was left inside the vehicle. Ford previously said Coleman, a single mother of three, worked 12-hour shifts as a certified nursing assistant at Northside Gwinnett Hospital and had gotten only a couple of hours of sleep the night before the incident.
Ford says Coleman should also be able to return to her two surviving children.
“When she gets a bond, and she will; she’ll be allowed to resume her parenting duties or she won’t get out of jail because she can’t afford a post to bond that’s going to cost money,” Ford said.
Supporters at the jail included advocates with Kids and Car Safety. Executive Director Amber Rollins said keeping Coleman incarcerated will not prevent another hot car death.
“Incarcerating Deja is not going to bring Daniel back and it will not prevent the next hot car death,” Rollins said.
Rollins also pointed to Coleman’s two surviving children, ages 4 and 6.
“The state does not have to pursue these charges, and Deja’s surviving children, a four and six year old, have already lost their baby brother; do they need to lose their mother too,” Rollins said.
Neuroscience professor Dr. David Diamond said a fatal memory error can happen to anyone.
“It’s important to recognize that this fatal memory era is a result of a flaw in brain functioning, not a flaw in the love a parent has for a child,” Diamond said.
Coleman remains in the Gwinnett County Jail as her attorneys seek a hearing on their bond motion this week. Her son’s funeral is scheduled for Saturday.
WSB Radio’s Jonathan O’Brien contributed to this story.
