A judge has sensationally thrown out the criminal charges against the Virginia school principal who allegedly failed to stop the first grader who shot a teacher in her classroom.
Former assistant principal Ebony Parker sobbed in court after Judge Rebecca Robinson tossed the charges mid-trial. Robinson found that Parker was not criminally liable for teacher Abby Zwerner getting shot by a 6-year-old student.
Prosecutors had wrapped up their case Wednesday afternoon with the jury told to return to the Newport News courtroom Thursday morning.
But Robinson said the case was legally insufficient to go forward with jury deliberations.
Parker was charged with eight counts of child neglect for each of the bullets that were inside the 9mm handgun the boy brought to Richneck Elementary School on Jan. 6, 2023.
Parker is still on the hook for $10 million in damages to Zwerner after a civil jury last year found her negligent in failing to search the boy despite several warnings from Zwerner and others that he a firearm.
Parker pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges.
