At a Sept. 9, 2026 bond hearing, a Gwinnett County judge granted a $5,000 bond to Deja Coleman, who has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and cruelty to children after her 16-month-old son was found dead in her car. Prosecutors say Coleman dropped her older children at daycare, left the infant in the vehicle and drove to work while on FaceTime; the child was discovered about eight hours later. The vehicle's interior temperature reached an estimated 130°F; the judge ordered house arrest, GPS monitoring and barred certain communications about the case.
Judge Grants $5,000 Bond to Nursing Assistant Accused After 16-Month-Old Found Dead in 130°F Car
Deja Coleman appears at a bond hearing on Sept. 9, 2026. (Court TV)
A Gwinnett County judge on Sept. 9, 2026, granted a $5,000 bond to Deja Coleman, 29, a certified nursing assistant who has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and cruelty to children after her 16-month-old son was found dead in her car, prosecutors said.
Prosecutor Megan Mateucci told the court that on July 29, 2026, Coleman drove her three children to the daycare they attend. The two older children, ages 4 and 6, walked into the facility while Coleman followed carrying a diaper bag; the 16-month-old, identified in court records as Daniel Jr., allegedly remained in the vehicle.
Mateucci said a daycare worker asked Coleman where the baby was as she put away the older children's lunchboxes. Coleman reportedly replied she would bring him in "just a minute," a comment the prosecutor said was a reminder that the infant still needed to be taken inside. Investigators allege the child was never brought into the daycare; instead, Coleman drove to Northside Hospital, where she worked as a certified nursing assistant, and was on FaceTime during drop-off and the commute.
About eight hours later, an employee going to their own car discovered the child in Coleman's backseat. The child, wearing sweatpants and covered with a blanket, was already deceased. When the medical examiner arrived roughly 30 minutes after the vehicle was opened, the interior temperature was recorded at 117°F; paramedics estimated it had reached about 130°F earlier.
"The evidence is not that this was an intentional killing," Mateucci told the court. "The evidence is that this was a negligent act and that her recklessness, her negligence, caused the death of this kid."
Defense attorney Trinity Hundredmark described the incident as a tragic lapse rather than a deliberate act, saying Coleman is a survivor of domestic abuse who left an abusive relationship to protect her children. Hundredmark said Coleman needs to care for her two other children — including a nonverbal child with special needs — and argued the record shows Coleman as a protector, not someone who would intentionally harm a child.
During the hearing, Mateucci sought to introduce evidence that Coleman had communicated with several men on the day of the child's death and had spoken to six men on recorded jail calls, some of which the prosecutor described as containing explicit sexual content. Hundredmark objected, accusing the prosecutor of using the hearing to damage Coleman’s character in the media. Judge Tamela Adkins ruled that evidence of explicit content was inadmissible at the bond hearing.
Judge Adkins said she did not consider Coleman a flight risk or a danger to the community and ordered her released on a $5,000 bond with conditions: house arrest, a GPS monitor, and restrictions barring Coleman from discussing the case with her children or any potential witnesses. If released, Coleman may contact her children under those restrictions.
The case remains pending. Coleman has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and cruelty to children, and further proceedings will determine whether prosecutors can prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.
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